5 storylines from Friday’s AHSAA football action at Alabama (10/12/2024)

Another week has passed, and believe it or not, the 2024 Alabama high school football season is now truly coming to an end. We only have a few weeks left in the regular season. As sad as it may be, we have to live in the moment and enjoy what is shaping up to be an amazing stretch run and postseason!

With that in mind, here are five storylines from this week’s AHSAA football action.

Moody has had great success in the last few seasons, which there wasn’t much of on the show before. But despite all of this success, one team continues to wear the Blue Devils’ number.

The Leeds Green Wave took possession of Moody and didn’t allow the Blue Devils to win in 15 years. Leeds were the only team to prevent Moody from winning a regional title, something Moody had not achieved since 2004. On Friday night, the Blue Devils ended their longtime nightmare, defeating the Green Wave 38-22.

Moody was never really in danger in this game as the Blue Devils took a 31-7 halftime lead. Moody hasn’t won the regional title yet, but that was certainly the most difficult hurdle. The Blue Devils are hitting their stride at just the right time and this win will provide a lot of confidence with the playoffs just around the corner.

Class 5A Region 2 is certainly a dice game. It feels like anyone can beat any team on any given week. Well, almost every team.

There is one team that is head and shoulders above the rest and that is the Montgomery Catholic Knights. With Headland they defeated another opponent from the 5A region with 63-0.

Last week it was Carroll who beat the Knights 65-0. Montgomery Catholic will likely have another undefeated regular season and make it to the playoffs. However, we saw the Knights fall apart late in the postseason, and moving into a new classification could bring new challenges. Good so far though, as November approaches, Montgomery Catholic has had no trouble adjusting to 5A.

Last season was a huge success for the West Morgan football program. It scored in big numbers and made a good run in the playoffs, falling just short of second-place Cherokee County. Some thought that this season could be a rebuilding year for the Rebels and that they would take a step back. Finally, 2023 was the best season in West Morgan history with a record of 12-1.

In 2024, West Morgan has proven all the doubters wrong. The Rebels will likely finish the season undefeated and will seek a rematch against Cherokee County, which is also having another great season. West Morgan definitely feels like the favorite in the 4A North.

Saraland had its star quarterback, KJ Lacey, return this week against a great St. Pauls team. This was Saraland’s biggest test of the season up to that point, and even though the Spartans didn’t play their best football, they found a way to win, picking up a 19-14 victory over the Saints. St. Pauls had a chance to win but turned the ball over. Aside from having Lacy back in the lineup, Saraland all but secured another regional championship. Of course, in Saraland you don’t play for regional titles, but for state titles. We’ll see how Lacey and the offense improve as he continues to recover from his injury.

The Thomasville Tigers are a quiet giant in the lower classifications. Thomasville’s last two seasons in Class 3A were great, but not elite. They lost to Mobile Christian and Saint James in both seasons. However, both programs moved out of 3A and are now in 4A.

The results? The Tigers had a much easier region, proving that they are undoubtedly among the elite and can outplay any team that takes the field against them. The 3A South title now appears to be a two-way battle between Thomasville and TR Miller. The teams seem very evenly matched and we will likely see these two face off in the playoffs. Thomasville took on Hale County on Friday and posted a 56-13 victory as they prepare to advance to the state championship game for the first time in several seasons.