The AHSAA playoffs are about playing your best football in November. Each Friday night just find a way to win and play one more time. The Hokes Bluff Eagles and the Fayette Tigers are doing just that in the 4A playoffs. The two collide at Hokes Bluff Friday night in a quarterfinal match up that is also the ALFCA Game of the Week.
The Hokes Bluff Eagles are a veteran team that went to the semi finals in 2016. Finishing as the third seed in Class 4A Region 5, the Eagles upset 4A power Madison Academy 12-10 in the first round, avenging the 21-12 loss that the Eagles suffered in last year’s semi finals. Last week two Landon Johnson touchdown passes in the fourth quarter lifted Hokes Bluff to a 12-0 victory over an undefeated Rogers team. Two playoff games, two upsets, and plenty of defense.
The Eagle defense has stepped up in the first two rounds. After allowing at least 14 points in every game in the regular season but one, it has allowed less just 10 total points in the first two playoff games.
The 10-2 Eagles lost to undefeated Saks 35-19 and region foe Jacksonville 28-27 during the regular season.
For the Fayette Tigers, 2017 has been a comeback season. After a 5-7 campaign in which they were shut out in three of the last four games, Fayette started the year with an 18-14 victory over rival Gordo. The Tigers offense has been back this year, averaging 27 points per game. Fayette’s only losses in a 10-2 season have been to non region foes 6A Cullman 37-24, and 5A power Mortimer Jordan 30-8. The Tigers won the 4A Region 6 championship and defeated West Limestone 21-12 in the first round. Last week Fayette won over a good Jacksonville team in the fourth quarter that had won 8 games in a row by a 32-16 count.
Look for Hokes Bluff to depend on runner Darian Meads and Coach Lance Tucker’s Tigers to go to the air with quarterback Chance Stevenson for the big plays.
The victor takes on the winner of the Cherokee County vs Saks game in the semi finals next week.