Four of six defending state football champions advanced Friday night to the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s 2013 Super 6 State Football Championships Dec. 5-6 at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Super 6 state finals, now in its 18th year, has three championships set Thursday and three Friday. Class 3A opens Thursday’s tripleheader at 11 a.m. Class 1A follows at 3 p.m. and Class 5A at 7. Friday’s schedule has Class 4A at 11 a.m., Class 2A at 3 p.m. and Class 6A at 7.
All games will be televised live by CBS 42. Check your TV listing for more information.
Defending champions Hoover (6A), Spanish Fort (5A), Madison Academy (3A) and Tanner (2A) all survived tough semifinal games to reach the finals once again. The Bucs (14-0) won their 29th consecutive game with a come-from-behind 31-28 win over Vestavia Hills in 6A and Spanish Fort (14-0) posted its 23rd straight win with a 24-14 win over Saraland in 5A.
Madison Academy (14-0) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat Saks 31-21 in the 3A semis for the Mustangs’ 24th straight victory while Tanner (12-1) downed Fyffe 16-7 in 2A.
Tanner, coached by Laron White, faces Washington County (13-1), which beat Sweet Water 28-14 to set up a rematch of the 2012 Class 2A finals which the Rattlers won at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Madison Academy will play Leeds (12-2), a 19-7 winner over Straughn, Thursday in the 3A finals. Spanish Fort takes on Muscle Shoals (13-1), a 21-3 winner over Southside-Gadsden, in the 5A championship game Thursday night at 7. Hoover takes on Auburn (13-1), making it to the 6A finals for the first time in school history after beating McGill-Toolen 24-21 at Mobile.
Maplesville (14-0) knocked off defending Class 1A state champ Brantley to set up a showdown of unbeatens in the 3 p.m. game Thursday. Pickens County (14-0) beat Hubbertville 53-2 to advance to the Tornadoes’ first Super 6 finals. The Red Devils have scored 734 points this season (52.4 per game) and Pickens County 630 (45.0 per game).
In Class 4A Oneonta (13-1) defeated Munford 35-21 while Charles Henderson (14-0) clipped defending 5A state champion UMS-Wright 38-36 to advance to the finals Friday morning at 11.
The 12 teams are all that remain from the original 192-team field.
Undefeated teams advancing to the semifinals include: Class 1A: Maplesville (13-0) and Pickens County (13-0); Class 3A: Madison Academy (13-0); Class 4A: Charles Henderson (13-0); Class 5A: Spanish Fort (13-0); and Class 6A: Hoover (13-0).
The annual state playoffs began with four Class 4A teams competing for a state championship in 1966. Championship play for all four classes was implemented the following year. The current six-class system began in 1984.
Check out the Super 6 website at www.ahsaa.com for ticket information and more details.
