Playing like a team determined to defend its state title, No. 1-ranked Saraland scored on its first six possessions and cruised to a 54-14 victory over visiting McAdory in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs on a rainy Friday night at Spartan Stadium.

“I thought we managed the conditions,” Saraland coach Jeff Kelly said. “I was proud of how we took care of the ball and managed the game, and it didn’t affect us. Any win in November is a good win.”

The Spartans (11-0) advance to face the Briarwood-Carver Montgomery winner in the second round, while the Yellow Jackets closed out the season 6-5.

“Anytime you play a team like that you have to play clean in all areas,” McAdory coach Avery Holmes said. “The kids played hard, and I am proud of them.”

Saraland quarterback K.J. Lacey finished 13-of-16 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another, while Ryan Williams had 194 all-purpose yards with nine receptions for 99 yards, three rushes for 8 yards and one return for 87 yards, scoring three total touchdowns. Santae McWilliams ran 14 times for 59 yards and two scores, and Jordan Dees added two receptions for 52 yards, and Dillon Alfred added two catches for 34 yards and a TD.

McAdory’s Jacob Clopton finished 5-of-20 passing for 64 yards and rushed 17 times for 60 yards and a touchdown. Justin Patton was 1-of-2 passing for 55 yards and a TD, and Sean Tolbert hauled in a 55-yard score for McAdory.

The Spartans scored on drives of 71, 42, 8, 63, 22 and 49 yards offensively, picking up 15 first downs and 275 yards of total offense.

The Yellowjackets earned 13 first downs and 213 yards of total offense.

Lacey connected with Williams for a 17-yard touchdown and Tucker Singleton added the first of 6 PATs for a 7-0 lead.

Cam York returned a fumble 75 yards for a scoop-and-score, McWilliams added a 4-yard scoring run and Williams scored on an 8-yard run as Saraland built a 28-0 lead after one quarter.

Williams scored on an 87-yard punt return and Lacey on a 1-yard run as the Spartans took a 41-0 lead into halftime.

Lacey tossed a 26-yard scoring pass to Alfred, and McWilliams went 1-yard on a run to make the score 54-0 with 5:58 remaining in the third quarter.

McAdory scored on drives of 84 and 74 in the fourth quarter, with Clopton scoring on a 4-yard run and Patton hooking up with Sean Tolbert on a 55-yard scoring bomb with 1:37 to play and Homberto Rosales added the second of this PATs to bring the scoring to a close.

— Robert Ladnier

BIRMINGHAM

Briarwood Christian 25, Carver-Montgomery 0

Luke Reynolds scored Briarwood’s first touchdown on a 13-yard run then blocked the ensuing punt after the defense stopped Carver. Rylan Hamm returned the blocked punt for a score.

Grey Reebals returned an interception for a touchdown and Josh Thompson ran eight yards for the final score.

Reynolds also intercepted two passes in the end zone during the game.

Briarwood Christian (6-5) hosts top-ranked Saraland (11-0) in the second round of playoffs.

Leeds 33, Arab 7

The fifth-ranked Green Wave raced to a 33-0 lead on the way to the Class 5A first-round win at Homer Smiles Field. Junior quarterback Conner Nelson scored three times on runs of 3, 19 and 4 yards. He finished with 141 yards on 21 carries. He also completed 7-of-13 throws for 66 yards.

Zavier Dale had 13 attempts for 57 yards and Grayson Ford had 5 carries for 44 yards. Avery Landford kicked a pair of field goals, from 30 and 26 yards.

The Leeds defense picked off a pair of Drew Puccio passes, including a 35-yard return for a score by Jeremiah Hall.

Hagen Stewart led Arab with 100 yards on 8 carries and scored the Knights’ TD.

The Green Wave improved to 9-2 with its fifth straight win. Leeds will play at Ramsay next week in a second-round game.

Moody 28, Scottsboro 10

Moody’s Blaine Burke scored three touchdowns, including twice in the fourth quarter, as the Blue Devils (9-2) won a first-round playoff game for the second straight season.

Burke finished with 16 carries for 120 yards at Pat Trammel Stadium in Scottsboro, scoring on runs of 6 and 5 yards in the fourth quarter and a 33-yard TD reception late in the first quarter. Jacob Hadaway also scored on a 54-yard run.

For Scottsboro (8-3), Jake Jones scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Cole Raeuchle kicked a 41-yard field goal.

Moody advances to play Russellville at home next week.

Gadsden City 44, Gardendale 16

The Titans (8-3) built a 37-0 lead to advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Leterryin Yow ran for 123 yards on 6 attempts with a score and TJ Worthy ran for 102 on 12 carries and a pair of TDs in the win. Quarterback Luke Waldrop completed 10-of-18 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown – an 8-yarder to Matthew Sparks. D’Andre Kirkpatrick Jr. had an 84-yard pick-6 for Gadsden City and Gabriel Briton kicked three field goals, from 31, 28 and 50 yards.

The Titans will host Hartselle in Round 2.

Gardendale finishes the season at 3-8.

MOBILE/COASTAL ALABAMA

Faith Academy 31, Elmore County 7

Ty Goodwill caught seven passes for 146 yards and 2 TDs as Faith Academy won at home.

EJ King rushed for 68 yards and 2 TDs and also had 14 tackles, 3 assists, 5 TFL and 2 sacks on defense. Carson Ratliff had 9 tackles, 3 assists, 4 TFL and a sack.

Jarrett Daughtry was 4-of-6 for 110 yards and two TDs.

Gulf Shores 48, Beauregard 7

Kolin Wilson ran for more than 100 yards for the ninth time this season, leading Class 5A No. 1-ranked Gulf Shores to past Beuregard in a first-round playoff game at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium at Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

Wilson finished with 15 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, while Ronnie Royal had seven carries for 52 yards and a touchdown and added a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Braden Jackson caught a 25-yard TD pass from Jud Harris, who had 74 yards passing and 65 more rushing.

Isaiah Hammac tallied eight tackles, as the Dolphins limited Beauregard to only 114 yards of total offense. The Hornets got 74 yards on their final drive, which resulted in a touchdowns.

Gulf Shores advances to play Charles Henderson, which defeated Marbury 64-20, in the second round next week.

Jackson 44, Cleburne County 7

Class 5A, No. 2-ranked Jackson (11-0) raced to a 41-0 halftime lead and earned a first-round victory at Legion Field in Jackson.

Landon Duckworth completed 9-of-11 passes for 178 yars and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. EJ Crowell had six runs for 113 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 36-yard TD pass from Duckworth.

Nasir Powell finished with four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown, and Keeyun Chapman had a 35-yard TD reception. On defense, Jamarrion Gordon intercepted a pass.

Cleburne County (4-7) made its first playoff appearance since 2015 and first under coach Joby Burns.

Jackson advances to play defending 4A champ Andalusia in next week’s second round of the playoffs.

Enterprise 63, Daphne 28

The seventh-ranked Wildcats rolled over visiting Daphne (6-5), piling up 486 yards of total offense and eight touchdowns at Wildcat Stadium.

Keion Dunlap ran for 257 yards and four touchdowns for Enterprise on 16 carries. Quarterback Eric Winters hit 4-of-6 passes for 94 yards and a TD. He also scored three rushing touchdowns on 4 carries for 120 yards.

Senior Keondre Matthews had a 99-yard kickoff return for a score for the winners.

Enterprise (9-2) will meet Mary G. Montgomery in the second round.

Sweet Water 48, Florala 22

Deshanard Blanks scored four touchdowns — including a 36-yard interception return — as Sweet Water dominated Florala in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.

Blanks rushed for 143 yards total on 12 carries. He also scored on runs of 17, 6, 40 and 5 yards. Ethan Carr added two rushing touchdowns of 6 and 40 yards, and Elliott Lucy, who also contributed two 2-point conversions, scored the game’s first touchdown on a 13-yard run.

Sweet Water advances to play Maplesville next week.

T.R. Miller 20, Anniston 16

T.R. Miller rallied from a 16-0 halftime deficit to defeat Anniston 20-16 in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs in Brewton.

Anniston scored on the their first play from scrimmage when Jayden Lewis connected with Takoreion Downie on an 85-yard touchdown pass and Gavin Ross added the two-point conversion to put the Bulldogs up 8-0.

Anniston found the end zone again late in the first quarter as Lewis reeled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Damon Pope. Lewis’ two-point conversion run was successful to make the score 16-0.

T.R. Miller got on the scoreboard with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter when Terrance Battles returned a Bulldog fumble 7 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers’ C.J. Stanton recovered another Anniston fumble at the Bulldog 9 yard line and, two plays later, Takyi Askew ran in from 4 yards out to cut the Anniston lead to 16-14 with :20 left in the third quarter.

T.R. Miller controlled the fourth quarter and Askew scored the winning touchdown on a 4-yard run with 5:50 remaining. The Tiger defense only allowed 45 yards in the second half and Chris Williams had two interceptions.

Askew finished the night rushing for 119 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns for T.R. Miller (8-3). The Tigers will travel to top-ranked Montgomery Catholic next week. Anniston finishes their season 6-3.

— Wayne Forbes

HUNTSVILLE/TENNESSEE VALLEY

Winterboro 42, Decatur Heritage 37

The Bulldogs (6-5) climbed above .500 by beating Class 1A No. 8-ranked Decatur Heritage at Trinity on Friday.

Quarterback Brandon Hunter raced 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:37 to go, his third rushing TD of the night.

Hunter also scored on runs of 1 and 89 yards. He also had two 2-point conversion runs.

Running back Deonte Smoot also scored three times in the win, on long-distance plays of 73, 69 and 54 yards. He also had a 2-pointer.

“We lean on our back (Smoot) probably more than they lean on theirs,” Winterboro coach Skylar Mansfield said. “We had some guys to really step up tonight. Brandon Hunter stepped up when he needed to. He had some long runs and that was pretty good for us.”

Decatur Heritage got four touchdown runs from Savarius Evans and another scoring run from Daniel Taylor.

“We’re real young and it showed a little bit tonight,” Decatur Heritage coach Nikita Stover said. “Little things. Finishing tackles. Being in your right spots. Knowing your assignments. It kind of showed tonight but it’s a successful season, ending 9-2. I wish we could have done more in the playoffs, but it is what it is right now.”

Winterboro built a 20-0 second-quarter lead, but Decatur Heritage closed to within 20-17 at halftime when Ben Abercrombie kicked a 35-yard field goal as the half expired.

The Eagles took their first lead, 24-20, with 2:06 left in the third quarter on Taylor’s 15-yard run.

Winterboro regained the lead on Smoot’s 69-yard run and Hunter’s 2-point run with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter and tacked on another Smoot scoring run and Hunter 2-point carry at the 7:48 mark of the fourth quarter to lead 36-24.

Decatur Heritage got Evan’s touchdown runs on back-to-back drives to go ahead 37-36 with about two minutes remaining.

After Hunter’s go-ahead run for the Bulldogs, the Eagles’ final drive fell short on fourth-and-goal with 19 seconds to go in the game.

Winterboro will host Pickens County next week in Round 2.

Westminster Christian 35, Oak Grove 13

Westminster Christian outscored Oak Grove 21-0 in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Tigers to advance to the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

All State quarterback Brandon Musch totaled 305 offensive yards and accountd for five touchdowns. The Wildcats defense held Oak Grove to 185 total yards and forced two fumbles.

Westminster (9-2) started strong with Musch throwing 20 yards to Kyle Everleth and upped the margin to 14-0 on his 8-yard TD pass to Adam Hartman.

Oak Grove capitalized on a Westminster special teams mistake, tackling punter Wilson Korokty after a high snap at the 20-yard line. Noah Thompson threw a fade route to Jackson Hyde for a score to cut the lead to 14-7 at the half.

The Tigers (6-5) took the second-half kickoff 69 yards in 14 plays, scoring on Collin Pate’s 1-yard run to trim the lead to 14-13 after a failed 2-point conversion try.

Musch scored three times in the final quarter, on runs of 2, 43 and 15 yards. Musch had 180 yards rushing and 125 through the air. Musch now has 13,346 total yards in his career, second all-time in AHSAA history, surpassing Kristian Story. He has 51 touchdown passes this season.

The Wildcats defense held the visitors to 15 total yards in the period.

Pate ran for 109 of Oak Grove’s 185 total yards on 27 carries.

Westminster will host Deshler in the second round of the playoffs.

– Jimmy Lay

Madison Academy 57, Hokes Bluff 20

Second-ranked Class 3A Madison Academy got 201 yards on 11 carries from Ken Cherry, who scored a pair of touchdowns. Josh Williams ran for 175 yards and scored three times.

Jackson Reece caught 10 passes for 101 yards and a score for the 11-0 Mustangs. Quarterback Jake Poldiak hit all 14 of his passing attempts for 177 yards and three TDs.

Madison Academy will host fourth-ranked Mars Hill in the second round next week.

– Jimmy Lay

Fort Payne 45, Mortimer Jordan 28

Kaden Dubose ran 18 times for 184 yards and four touchdowns as Fort Payne advanced to the second round of Class 6A playoffs.

Dax Varnadore completed 23-of-33 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown while Brannon Oliver caught six passes for 56 yards.

Fort Payne (7-4) travels to Muscle Shoals (10-0) next week.

Guntersville 31, Springville 7

Enelson Delva and Julyon Jordan combined to run for 297 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 8 Guntersville to a home win over Springville in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Nelson ran for 175 yards on 20 carries while Jordan had 122 yards on 16 carries. Jordan also caught three passes for 44 yards.

With the win, Guntersville (10-1) will travel to John Carroll in the second round next week. The Cavaliers (9-2) won at Fairview 22-14 in the first round Friday.

Nelson put the home team up 7-0 with a 4-yard touchdown run on the Wildcats’ first possession. Diego Lugo kicked the point-after. A 12-play, 90-yard drive midway through the second period extended the advantage to 14-0 as Avery Clifton ran for a 1-yard TD.

Springville quarterback Jake Conner attempted only two passes, one went for the Tigers only touchdown in the fourth quarter. The other was intercepted by Guntersville’s Cam Gentle to set up the Wildcats final touchdown of the first half.

Gentle returned the interception 20 yards to the Tiger 49. Two plays later, Jordan broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run.

Lugo hit a 30-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the first half to put Guntersville up 24-0.

Guntersville’s only touchdown of the second half came on its first possession. Nelson scored on a 17-yard run on the 12th play of the march.

Springville’s only score came on an 82-yard pass from Conner to Noel Cox with 5:02 left in the game.

Guntersville had 422 total yards, 330 on the ground. Quarterback Eli Morrison completed 8-of-12 passes for 92 yards.

– Ricky Smith

Hartselle 28, Center Point 18

The sixth-ranked Tigers got touchdowns from Lincoln Bryant, Ri Fletcher and a pick-6 from Jace Preuitt in the home Class 6A first-round win.

Hartselle (9-2) will travel to Gadsden City next week.

Oxford 45, Athens 27

Oxford pulled away in the fourth quarter to advance to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. The No. 7 Yellow Jackets got touchdowns on a pair of passes from Mason Mims to Nick Richardson and another TD throw to Camare Hampton.

John McIntyre had a 9-yard touchdown for Athens and had a 15-yard TD pass from Brogan Gross to Jay’shon Ridge.

Oxford (9-2) will travel to Parker in the second round.

STATEWIDE

Montgomery Catholic 48, West Blocton 7

Montgomery Catholic (11-0), the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4A, got another big game from quarterback Caleb McCreary in a first-round playoff win.

West Blocton (6-5) lost in the first round for the ninth straight season.

McCreary finished 8-of-11 passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns and added 44 yards and a TD rushing. Giovanni Hayner added eight carries for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

JJ Williams had three carries for 53 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 103 yards and a TD. Jo Pierce scored on a 60-yard catch and added five tackles and two pass break-ups on defense.

Miles Kharti added 11 tackles, Kamden Miller had 10 tackles, and Garrett Sanford and Zay Rudolph added six tackles apiece.

Central-Phenix City 63, Davidson 21

Andrew Alford threw for 201 yards and five touchdowns as Class 7A No. 1 Central-Phenix City built a 56-0 first-half lead and cruised to the win.

Alford completed 11-of-15 passes. He had TD passes of 4, 9, 12, 25 and 64 yards. The five TD tosses run his school record for passing TDs to 37 for the season.

Daylyn Upshaw caught 5 passes for 108 yards with TDs of 4 and 64 yards. Dylan Gentry caught two passes for 37 yards with TDs of 12 and 25 yards. Texas A&M commit Cam Coleman caught three passes for 29 yards with a 9-yard TD catch.

Zack Simmons-Brown ran five times for 51 yards with a 10-yard TD. Tristan Williams ran 5 times for 41 yards with a 6-yard TD and caught one pass for 27 yards. Donovan Crow ran eight times for 52 yards with a 2-yard TD.

Jiquan Sanks returned an interception 90 yards for a TD.

Alabama commit Rydarius “Red” Morgan had an interception and returned two kickoffs for 30 and 42 yards.

Sophomore defensive end Tristan Lyles had a sack in which he stripped the ball and returned it 11 yards to set up Upshaw’s 4-yard TD catch.

Davidson’s DJ Butler scored his team’s lone TD of the first half on an 11-yard. Hudson Spivey connected on a 10-yard pass to Ahmad Meyers with 3:50 remaining for a TD. Davidson’s final TD came on the last play of the game on a 30-yard interception.

Central (10-0) will play Auburn High next week at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

Davidson ends the season at 5-6.

– Mark Clark

Muscle Shoals 42, Pinson Valley 7

Jaquess Greene ran for 177 yards and Natarruean Hampton scored three times to lead the Muscle Shoals (10-0).

Joshua Woods scored on a 15-yard run late in the first quarter for the Indians (4-6).

Woods finished with 169 yards rushing on 26 carries for Pinson Valley. Dylan Reese was 19-of-31 passing for 203 yards and three interceptions. Derrico Freeman caught 11 passes for 143 yards.

Pike Road 10, Homewood 9

Pike Road’s Hunter Ikerman kicked a field goal in the pouring rain Friday night to beat Homewood 10-9 in the first round of the 6A AHSAA playoffs.

Pike Road got on the scoreboard first after Malik Blocton intercepted Will Myers’ pass and took it 64 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Homewood answered with a 58-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown from A.J. Creer in the second quarter.

Witt Armistead’s 32-yard field goal put Homewood up 9-7 at halftime, but Pike Road’s field goal — the only points for either team in the second half — proved to be the game winner.

For Homewood, Altovise Creer rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries, and Kylen Newell caught nine passes for 106 yards.

For Pike Road, Mike Jones rushed for 65 yards on 23 carries, and Cason Meyers was 9-of-15 for 105 yards.

Next week, Pike Road faces Spanish Fort, who shut out Bessemer City Friday night 28-0.

Russellville 38, Fairfield 21

Cam Phinizee ran 31 times for 312 yards and four touchdowns to lead Russellville.

Malachi Duncan intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards then lateraled to Devin Green who ran the last 20 yards for touchdown.

Manny Martinez kicked a 32yard field goal.

Russellville (9-2) is at Moody (9-2) for the second round of Class 5A playoffs.

This post will be updated.