We look at the big stories from the second round for regions one, 5A and 4A

Williamson and Citronelle face big tests in 5A second round

5A: All four teams in Region One advanced to the second round. Vigor and Williamson took care of business, with Vigor defeating Sipsey Valley 46-9 and Williamson winning the sixth game against Northside by a 46-0 score.

UMS-Wright and Terry Curtis caught Region 3 winner Demopolis off guard in the first round, falling to the No. 4 seed for the second consecutive year with a 21-7 upset.

Citronelle continued its best season in years, earning its first playoff victory since 2008 with a 14-9 victory over Shelby County.

UMS will make the draw for Andalusia and head coach Trent Taylor. Curtis has a 7-2 record against Taylor, with three of those wins coming in the playoffs. Curtis also has a 23-2 record in second round matches at UMS.

Vigor plays the number three player from second district Eufaula. No one but 7A Baker could keep up with Vigor, and even this game could have gone either way. Vigor is in a comfortable spot in the second round, barring a major upset.

Like Citronelle, Williamson is having one of the best seasons of the last decade. The win over Northside gave them 10 wins and one playoff victory. The last time any of this happened was in 2007.

The Lions and Wildcats’ toughest test will come this week as each picks two of the most successful programs of the last decade.

Williamson heads to Central Clay County to take on the all-time winningest coach in Alabama history, Danny Horn, and his undefeated Volunteers.

Clay County has pedigree and playoff experience on its side. Horn won eight titles during his two stints at the school, but they haven’t advanced past the second round since 2020.

Antonio Coleman is in his third season at Williamson and has breathed new life into the program. The Lions had six shutouts and gave up double figures just twice. They match the 2nd best defense in 5A with the 10th best offense. Central Clay ranks No. 2 in 5A in scoring and No. 4 in scoring defense. The Lions are not used to being in this position, and Central Clay County is more than comfortable. Williamson will have to play his best game, but their best game is more than capable of taking them to the next round.

Citronelle has an even tougher draw despite being the home team as they invite Montgomery Catholic to town. The Knights are 63-5 since 2020, the best record of any team in any division. During this time, they played in three different divisions, from 3A to 4A and now 5A, without missing a beat. They are riding a state-best 25-game winning streak and are the defending 4A champions. They are averaging a 5A-best 48 points while allowing just 6.2 points.

Citronelle and second-year Head Coach Jason Rowell are a little different. The Wildcats are averaging 25.6 points while they are averaging 15.3 points. Their two losses came to Williamson in overtime, 28-26, and to Vigor, 32-6.

Rowell’s team has physical strength on both sides of the ball and showed toughness and grit all year long en route to the school’s best record since 2004.

The Wildcats haven’t backed down from anyone all year, and the front seven, led by defensive ends Jeremiah Connolly and Zach Morgan and linebackers Timmy Rivers and Bryon Cochran, has been a thorn in opposing offenses all year long.

Montgomery Catholic will be led by freshman quarterback Kingston Preyear, which could be something an experienced defense can use to its advantage.

The quarterbacks of the Citronelle offense, led by Eli Owens, Keyshawn Williams and James Reid, will have to play their best game of the year to keep their season alive.

St. Michael and Pleasant Grove: A showcase of offensive talent in 4A

4A first district, St. It hosted some of the most talented and explosive offenses with Michael and Jackson. Both teams are led by star quarterbacks; St. Gunner Rivers in Michael and Landon Duckworth in Jackson.

WS Neal and Mobile Christian edged out Orange Beach for the third and fourth seeds in the region.

While the last 3A champion, Mobile Christian, scored a close point against Tallassee in the first round, WS Neal lost to St. Louis on the road. He took the lead over James.

Jackson defeated Bullock County 55-0. The Aggies looked like a team in cruise control. Duckworth completed 7-10 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 50 yards and another score. Star sophomore running back EJ Crowell had just six carries in the win. The defense allowed three goals on fumble recoveries.

St. Michael took a 14-0 lead over Handley in the first quarter and traded goals the rest of the way to win 63-40.

While Rivers and his passing attack have received most of the attention this season, young running back Noah Moss has been the biggest strength of the Cardinal’s offense all year. Moss finished with 204 rushing yards, 103 receiving yards, and 6 total touchdowns. This wasn’t Rivers’ most productive game (46% completion), but he still threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns against the Tigers.

WS Neal will face four seed Fairfield in the second round. The Tigers defeated Dale County 33-21 in the first round. Neal is 5-2 after losing the first four games of the season, while Fairfield is 3-2 after a 5-1 start. Head Coach Hugh Fountain is keeping his team moving forward and they have a chance on home soil to maintain the momentum. Jackson should cruise past the two seeds from the fourth district in Bibb County at Legion Field.

St. As Michael travels to take on Pleasant Grove, he draws a matchup that has the potential to be one of the most exciting games in any division.

The district four winners have been on a tear since losing their opening game 35-38 to 6A Mcadory and have reeled off nine straight wins by a 411-75 margin. They continued this momentum in the first round, taking a 40-point lead to give Straughn 61 points.

Head Coach Darrell LeBeaux is in his seventh season as Pleasant Grove head coach and has lost in the third round, semifinals and finished second in 5A three times. They are now in 4A. The Spartans are averaging 44.6 points while allowing 11.3 points, which ranks 2nd and 3rd respectively in 4A.

St. St. Michael Head Coach Phillip Rivers is entering his fourth season and has taken the young program to new heights each year. After making their first playoff appearance in 2023, the Cardinals opened a new stadium, hosted their first playoff game and won their first playoff game. St. Michael ranks 5th in 4A with 39.1 ppg and 32nd with 26.6 ppg.

Rivers ranks first in 4A in passing yards, while Pleasant Grove’s Kaleb Freeman ranks No. 3 with 2,360 yards, 32 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Both sophomores have a point guard they can run the ball to.

The Cardinals have two of the top three receivers in 4A with junior Brody Jones and junior Tucker Tomlinson. Jones leads 4A in receiving yards and has been a do-it-all quarterback for Rivers; He caught 82 passes for 1,258 yards and 13 scores on 424 return yards.

The star receiver is joined by another top target in Tucker Tomlinson, who has 912 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, good for 3rd in 4A. Tomlinson also contributed on special teams, adding 278 return yards.

On the other side of the court, Freeman has a target in senior Tremell Washington.

Washington ranks No. 2 in 4A with 1,247 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 58 catches. He is also a weapon for the Spartans on special teams; He has 554 return yards and four touchdowns.

Moss is the 3rd leading rusher in 4A with 1,353 yards and 22 touchdowns along with 442 yards and four touchdowns. Coming in at No. 7 is senior Collin Moore of Pleasant Grove. The running back has 1,256 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 165 carries.

The game will be a high-scoring matchup between two of the best young quarterbacks in the state and two coaches hungry for the next step. Whoever can force the defense to make a mistake may make a difference, but no matter what, there should be a lot of points.

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