This is an opinion piece.

Having had seven days now to think about last week’s AHSAA Super 7 championships, here are some final thoughts from my time in T-Town ….

A fitting conclusion

Once again, the AHSAA picked the right championship to finish off the week.

The Class 6A championship game between No. 1 Saraland and No. 2 Clay-Chalkville was pretty much what we thought it would be – a showcase of stars and a great football game.

Alabama commits Ryan Williams (Saraland) and Jaylen Mbakwe (Clay) showed why they are two of the best players in the state and probably the leading candidates for this year’s ASWA Mr. Football Award.

There were plenty of other standouts on both sides as well, including Saraland’s KJ Lacey and Clay-Chalkville’s Mario Craver and DJ Barber. It all came down to one final play for the Saraland offense against the Clay defense.

Trailing 31-28, the Spartans faced fourth-and-5 at the Cougar 10. Saraland coach Jeff Kelly let the clock run down to five seconds before calling timeout for what most assumed would be a game-tying field goal attempt.

Instead, Kelly sent the offense back on the field to go for the win. With Williams covered by Mbakwe and a safety shading over, Lacey scrambled up the middle for 9 yards to the Clay 1. Barber and Carlos Ivy converged on him to save the win for Clay-Chalkville.

Final score: Clay-Chalkville 31, Saraland 28

I have to say, after thinking about it, I understand Kelly’s reasoning. With Mbakwe running behind a huge offensive line, the Cougars clearly had worn down the Saraland defense and stopping them in overtime would have been a challenge. The Spartans won 28 games in two years behind future college stars like Lacey and Williams on offense. Why not put the ball in their hands for one play?

My guess is if Kelly had it to do over again, he would have called timeout a little earlier after a third-down pass to Williams to save a few more seconds. Lacey had a first down on his final rush. Had there been any time or timeouts remaining, the Spartans would have had one play from the 1 to win it. With Williams on offense, you would have to feel pretty good about your shot right there.

It didn’t happen and Clay-Chalkville got a well-deserved win in an unbelievable atmosphere. It was a star-studded sideline with college coaches from all over the nation, including Hugh Freeze, Cadillac Williams, Steve Sarkisian and others.

A lot of people left talking about the final play and the decision that went into it on the Saraland sideline.

I left thinking how blessed we all were to be watching those athletes play it out for a title on that stage. Relish it. It doesn’t happen in every state.

Reflecting on the Red Devils

Did you notice how Fyffe celebrated after each touchdown in its Class 2A championship victory over Reeltown?

It didn’t. Each time Logan Anderson or another Red Devil scored, they calmly handed the ball to an official and headed to the sideline.

Refreshing. I don’t mind the celebrations. Teams have worked hard to get to the championships, but I still thought it was cool to see a team that was used to being in that spot act like they were used to being in that spot.

It was Fyffe’s seventh state title since 2014.

Is that it for Bryant-Denny?

Though the AHSAA has a contract with Auburn, Alabama and Birmingham to host the Super 7 championships through 2032, there is a strong feeling that perhaps Auburn and Alabama will pull out with the college football playoff expanding to 12 teams next year.

Bryant-Denny is set to host the games again in 2025, 2029 and 2031. Auburn is set to host in 2026, 2028 and 2032. Birmingham will host 2024, 2027 and 2030.

One interested spectator in Tuscaloosa last week was Danny Corte, executive director of the Mobile Sports Authority, who would love to lure the championships so South Alabama in the future. USA’s Hancock Whitney Stadium already hosts the North-South All-Star Game and, on an every other year basis, the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

“Let’s face it with the 12-team NCAA playoff, the question is do coach (Hugh) Freeze and coach (Nick) Saban want nine games being played on their grass field a week to 10 days before they might be hosting a playoff game,” Corte said on Sports Talk 99.5 FM this week. “That is what they have to get through. I’m hearing that most likely Alabama and Auburn are going to tap out, but that is not official.”

Corte would obviously love for Mobile/South Alabama to be in the rotation if there is a change in venue on the way. Other possibilities along with Birmingham could be Montgomery, Troy or Jacksonville State.

“I don’t want to be a hog,” he said. “I’ll do every other year, every third year, and there are finances involved as well. What are they looking for from us to host? I know in the big stadiums there are plenty of suites to rent out. Hancock Whitney, I believe, has 11 suites, but they have that big Hargrove Room that can hold 300 people. You have to look at those kinds of things.”

Time will tell.

The year of the unbeatens

Six of the seven AHSAA state champions finished the year with a perfect record.

They were Leroy (14-0, 1A), Mobile Christian (15-0, 3A), Montgomery Catholic (15-0, 4A), Gulf Shores (15-0, 5A), Clay-Chalkville (14-0, 6A) and Central-Phenix City (13-0, 7A).

Class 2A champion Fyffe (14-1) won 14 straight games after losing its opener to Geraldine.

Super 7 attendance

The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced a total attendance of 43,014 for the 2023 Super 7 held last week at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Friday was the highest attended day of the three-day event with a total of 17,911 fans. That day was capped off by the high-profile 6A matchup between Saraland and Clay-Chalkville. The Class 2A and 4A championships were also played Friday.

The Wednesday games (Class 7A, 2 flag football games) drew 11,891 and Thursday (Classes 1A, 3A and 5A) drew 13,212.

The champ is here

Congratulations to John Vella, who won the AL.com high school picks contest this year.

Vella, who has been covering high school football for the Press-Register/AL.com since the fall of 2003, finished with a 225-74 record in his first season as a prognosticator.

He edged AL.com’s Dennis Victory by one game. Dennis finished 224-75. Both Vella and Victory went 3-4 in their Super 7 picks.

Randy Kennedy went 6-1 in the Super 7 and finished 216-76 followed by WKRG TV’s Simone Eli (218-81) and, sadly, me (216-83).

But to quote an old Atlanta Braves promo from the terrible teams of the 1980s, “Next year could be the year.”

Big day next week

The AHSAA’s Central Board is set to meet Monday and later that day release the fall reclassification for the next two years.

It’s always interesting to see who is moving up or down and how the private school competitive balance factors in.

Expect the new classes to be on AL.com on Monday afternoon.

Thought for the Week

“When all I see is the battle, You see my victory

When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved

And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me

There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You.” – Battle Belongs, Phil Whickham

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.