Local teams begin looking to the postseason

Published 6:50 pm Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The high school football regular season is entering its final week and local teams are gearing up for what they hope is a deep run in the upcoming state playoffs.

The Charles Henderson Trojans, Pike County Bulldogs, Goshen Eagles and Ariton Purple Cats have all secured spots in the postseason and the Zion Chapel Rebels hope to get there with a little help on Friday night.

The Charles Henderson Trojans matched up with Valley on Friday night with hopes of securing a region championship. A 40-21 loss to Valley, paired with wins by Greenville and Rehobeth, put the Trojans in fourth place for the second consecutive season. The fourth place finish puts the Trojans on the road in the opening round of the playoffs. They will travel to Mobile to take on Faith Academy on Friday night. The Rams are the Region 1 winner. They enter the regular season finale 9-0.

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The Pike County Bulldogs have an undefeated record of their own. They enter the season’s final week with a 9-0 record. They will match up with T.R. Miller at home next Friday night. T.R. Miller finished in fourth place in class 3A Region 1 with a 3-3 region mark. They enter the final week with a 5-4 record.

The Ariton Purple Cats became the second local team to win a region championship when they knocked off G.W. Long on October 18. The Purple Cats ended their season 8-2. They ended the season on an eight-game winning streak.

They will take on the Chickasaw Chieftains out of Region 1 in the opening round. The Chieftains finished in fourth place after they finished with a 4-3 record in region play. They were 6-3 overall this season.

The Goshen Eagles came up just short of winning a region championship. They finished their region schedule with a 5-2 record. Overall, the Eagles are 7-2 overall with their losses coming against Luverne and Highland Home. The Eagles will host a first-round playoff game against Thorsby after they finished in second place in Region 3. Thorsby enters the regular season’s final game with a 5-4 record. Thorsby and the Eagles matched up in the second round of the 2017 season. The Eagles came away with a 42-8 win.

The Zion Chapel Rebels haven’t made the postseason since 2011. With a little help on Friday night, they will make a return trip to the playoffs. Samson and New Brockton will meet up in their season finale on Friday night. A New Brockton win would give them third place in the region, forcing a three-way-tie for fourth place between Zion Chapel, Samson and Central Hayneville. Each of the three teams went 1-1 against each other during the regular season. There will be a list of tiebreakers to determine who finishes the season in fourth place.

The Trojans will finish the season on Friday night against Baldwin County in Bay Minette. The Bulldogs and Eagles will each be at home to take on Sweet Water and Brantley. Zion Chapel will go for a winning record at Pleasant Home.