Region Showdowns Decide Playoff Berths and Seeds for Mobile, Baldwin Teams This Week

MOBILE, Ala. — The high school football regular season does not end this week, but for most teams in Mobile and Baldwin counties, this is the week that matters most. Every local game on the schedule is a region matchup, and the results will settle which teams reach the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) playoffs and how they are seeded.

Next week’s games, the final week of the regular season, are all non-region contests for area teams and will have no bearing on playoff qualification or seeding. That makes this Friday’s results final for the postseason picture.

Some regions already know their four playoff teams but not the order. Others will need established tiebreakers to sort out ties. Here is a look at each region race involving local teams, along with a look at the flag football playoff picture.

How AHSAA playoff qualification works

AHSAA playoff berths and seeding are based on region standings, not polls or overall records. In Classes 1A through 5A, the top four teams in each region advance. This season, the AHSAA increased the number of playoff berths for Class 6A teams from four to six, creating a 24-team bracket in Class 6A, while Classes 1A through 5A use 32-team brackets. In the private school classifications, which have far fewer schools, every team makes the playoffs.

Seeding matters because the higher seeds host first-round games. In Class 5A, for example, the top two teams in each region earn home games in the opening round.

The road to every state title ends close to home this year. All 12 AHSAA football and flag football state championship games will be played at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus, Dec. 1-5.

Class 2A, Region 1 and Class 4A, Region 1

Class 2A, Region 1: Chickasaw is the only area team in the region. The Chieftains are 1-7 overall and 0-5 in region play and have already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Class 4A, Region 1: This is the most tangled race in the area and will likely require a tiebreaker. The four playoff teams are set: Orange Beach, Williamson, Vigor and Citronelle. Citronelle will be the No. 4 seed.

The top three spots are another matter. Orange Beach, Williamson and Vigor enter the week tied for first at 4-1 in the region, and each has beaten one of the others: Orange Beach beat Vigor, Vigor beat Williamson and Williamson beat Orange Beach. Vigor’s 12-0 win over Williamson last week also lifted the Wolves to No. 1 in the ASWA Class 4A poll.

This week’s games:

• Orange Beach at Citronelle
• Satsuma at Vigor
• Williamson at LeFlore

If the three leaders all win, the AHSAA’s tiebreaker procedures will determine the order of the top three seeds.

Class 5A, Region 1

Gulf Shores clinched the region championship with its 36-0 win at Spanish Fort last Friday night. The Dolphins are unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the region.

The other three playoff teams are also set. Saraland and Spanish Fort are both 5-1 in the region, and Theodore is 4-2. All four playoff teams play each other this week, with Saraland at Spanish Fort and Theodore at Gulf Shores.

The seedings, including which teams earn the top two spots and first-round home games, will be determined by those results. The Saraland-Spanish Fort game will go a long way toward settling the region’s No. 2 seed.

Class 6A, Region 1

Class 6A, Region 1 has an unusual setup this season. Mary G. Montgomery is banned from the postseason as part of AHSAA sanctions against the school for recruiting violations, and games against MGM do not count in region records. With MGM ineligible, six of the remaining seven teams will make the playoffs.

Davidson, at 0-5 in the region, is currently the odd team out. But the Warriors host Alma Bryant this week, and a Davidson win would leave both teams at 1-5 in the region. Robertsdale would also finish 1-5 if it loses at Baker. That scenario would require tiebreakers to determine which teams are in and which one is out.

If Alma Bryant beats Davidson, the six playoff teams are set and only the seedings remain to be decided.

The region championship will be decided Friday when Fairhope (4-1 in the region) plays at Daphne (5-0). The winner claims the region crown.

Private Class A and Private Class AA

Private Class A: The top three teams are set. Bayside Academy is 6-0 in the region after a comeback win over Mobile Christian last Friday night. Mobile Christian is 5-1, and Cottage Hill Christian is 4-2. All three are headed to the postseason.

The final playoff spot will be decided when Providence Christian travels to St. Luke’s. Both teams are 3-3 in the region, and the winner earns the berth.

Private Class AA: All eight teams in the region will play in the postseason. In the first round, the No. 1 seed will play No. 8, No. 2 will face No. 7, No. 3 will meet No. 6 and No. 4 will play No. 5.

The top seed goes to the winner of Friday’s UMS-Wright at McGill-Toolen game. Both teams are 6-0 in region play. McGill-Toolen reached this point with a last-second field goal to beat Montgomery Catholic last week.

The game also renews a rivalry that has been on hold for years. McGill-Toolen and UMS-Wright first played in 1922 but have not met since 2013. McGill-Toolen leads the all-time series and has won the last four meetings. The loser of Friday’s game will be the region’s No. 2 seed.

The No. 3 and No. 4 spots will be decided when Montgomery Catholic plays at St. Michael; both teams are 4-2 in the region. St. Paul’s is 2-4. Glenwood and Faith Academy are both 1-5 and meet at Faith this week. Houston Academy is 0-6.

Flag football playoffs approach

Girls flag football’s regular season is also nearing its end, with the postseason set to begin the week of Nov. 2. The AHSAA has split the flag football championship path into four classifications: Class 1A-4A, Class 5A and Class 6A for public schools, and one private school division that combines Class A and Class AA.

Twelve teams will earn berths in the private school bracket, 24 teams will qualify in Class 6A and 32 teams will qualify in each of the Class 1A-4A and Class 5A brackets.

Here are the local region standings:

• Class 1A-4A, Region 1: Satsuma and LeFlore are tied at 4-1 in region play. B.C. Rain, Escambia County and Vigor are all 3-2. Citronelle is 1-3, Williamson is 0-3 and Chickasaw is 0-4.
• Class 5A, Region 1: Spanish Fort is 5-0 in region play and has already qualified for the playoffs. Baldwin County is 4-2, followed by Theodore at 3-2. Blount is 1-2, Saraland and Elberta are both 1-3 and Murphy is 1-4.
• Class 6A, Region 1: Fairhope is 7-0, Daphne is 6-1 and Alma Bryant is 4-2, and all three have qualified for the state playoffs. Mary G. Montgomery is 3-3, Robertsdale is 3-4 and Davidson is 1-5.
• Private school, Region 1: McGill-Toolen, Mobile Christian and St. Michael are all 1-1 in region play, and all three are headed to the playoffs.

The flag football state championship games will be played Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Hancock Whitney Stadium:

• Private school division: 10 a.m.
• Class 1A-4A: 1 p.m.
• Class 5A: 4 p.m.
• Class 6A: 7 p.m.

This week’s schedule for Mobile and Baldwin County teams

Here is the full slate of games involving area teams in the final week of region play:

Thursday, Oct. 22

• Alma Bryant at Davidson
• Snook Christian at Bayside Academy
• Williamson at LeFlore

Friday, Oct. 23

• Chickasaw at Monroe County
• Cottage Hill at Northside Methodist
• Elberta at Blount
• Fairhope at Daphne
• Glenwood at Faith Academy
• Mary G. Montgomery at Foley
• Mobile Christian at Bayshore Christian
• Montgomery Catholic at St. Michael
• Murphy at Baldwin County
• Orange Beach at Citronelle
• Providence Christian at St. Luke’s
• Robertsdale at Baker
• Saraland at Spanish Fort
• Satsuma at Vigor
• St. Paul’s at Houston Academy
• Theodore at Gulf Shores
• UMS-Wright at McGill-Toolen

What to watch Friday

With so much riding on a single week, several games stand out for local fans:

• UMS-Wright at McGill-Toolen: The winner takes the Private Class AA, Region 1 title and the No. 1 seed.
• Fairhope at Daphne: The winner claims the Class 6A, Region 1 championship.
• Saraland at Spanish Fort: Could settle the No. 2 seed and a first-round home game in Class 5A, Region 1.
• Alma Bryant at Davidson: A Davidson win would force tiebreakers for the final Class 6A playoff spots.
• Providence Christian at St. Luke’s: The winner earns the last Private Class A playoff berth from the region.
• Vigor, Williamson and Orange Beach: Each plays a region game that could reshape the three-way tie atop Class 4A, Region 1.

For an earlier look at how these races took shape, see our breakdown of local region races from earlier this month. Official region standings and tiebreaker results are posted by the AHSAA once the week’s games are final.