Alabama high school football fans can look forward to the crowning of the first 2022 state champions later this week, as AISA state title games will take place Thursday in Montgomery. Meanwhile, the AHSAA playoffs enter the state quarterfinal round, with the except of Class 7A. Here are our predictions for those Alabama high school playoff games.
Class 7A
In 7A, it’s actually the state semifinals that will played this week, with Central-Phenix City taking on Auburn and Hoover squaring off with Thompson. As for these Alabama high school predictions, I’ll say Central-Phenix City and Hoover advance to the 7A state title game with close wins, with the Buccaneers likely to be a one-possession game.
- Central-Phenix City 30, Auburn 21
- Hoover 17, Thompson 14
Class 6A
Back to the topic of state quarterfinal matchups: Class 6A has, as you’d expect, multiple intriguing games to be played Friday night. A few of these games have the potential to be close, with Mountain Brook-Hartselle and Gardendale-Muscle Shoals arguably the two biggest to keep an eye on.
- Saraland 35, Homewood 17
- Theodore 24, St. Paul’s Episcopal 14
- Mountain Brook 28, Hartselle 20
- Gardendale 28, Muscle Shoals 27
Class 5A
Moving to Class 5A, you could make the argument that each of the four matchups could go either way. These games all have the potential to be close, especially the Gulf Shores vs. Faith Academy contest, a rematch of a game the Dolphins won 22-12 early in the regular season.
- Gulf Shores 28, Faith Academy 24
- UMS-Wright 35, Charles Henderson 24
- Pleasant Grove 33, Arab 27
- Ramsay 35, Leeds 24
Class 4A
Class 4A is headlined by one of the state’s top matchups in Anniston-Andalusia, as well as a Deshler-Oneonta showdown that should be close and could go either way. I’ll say that Anniston and Deshler come away with wins from those two contests, with Montgomery Catholic and Cherokee County also booking trips to the Alabama high school 4A state semifinals, with my final score predictions as follows:
- Anniston 35, Andalusia 28
- Montgomery Catholic 35, Handley 20
- Deshler 27, Oneonta 24
- Cherokee County 30, Randolph School 24
Class 3A
The Class 3A state quarterfinal round includes one notable rematch from earlier this season as Geraldine and Sylvania meet again, with the Rams having previously won 41-24. Piedmont vs. Gordo also is a noteworthy matchup, as both the Bulldogs and Green Wave are ranked within the top 5 of our Alabama high school Class 1A-3A rankings. My predictions:
- St. James 28, Thomasville 17
- Mobile Christian 33, Pike County 17
- Sylvania 30, Geraldine 28
- Piedmont 35, Gordo 30
Class 2A
Class 2A’s state quarterfinal matchups is headlined by an intriguing Comer-Reeltown showdown, as well as a rematch of last season’s state semifinal matchup between Clarke County and Highland Home, which the Bulldogs won 42-21. Fyffe is the likely favorite against Tuscaloosa Academy, while Aliceville-Pisgah has the potential to be close as well.
- Comer 28, Reeltown 24
- Highland Home 30, Clarke County 20
- Fyffe 35, Tuscaloosa Academy 17
- Aliceville 30, Pisgah 24
Class 1A
The Alabama high school Class 1A state quarterfinal round features a few intriguing matchups as well, arguably the biggest of which is Brantley against Leroy. Lynn-Coosa Christian could be decided by one possession, as could Sweet Water-Millry. My predictions:
- Brantley 30, Leroy 21
- Sweet Water 27, Millry 20
- Pickens County 35, Marion County 17
- Lynn 30, Coosa Christian 27
AISA Class 3A
Now for this week’s AISA state championship matchups. Lee-Scott and Glenwood are set to collide for the second time this season, this time to decide the AISA Class 3A state champion. The unbeaten Warriors (11-0) defeated the Gators 35-16 earlier this year; that mid-September game was Glenwood’s last loss.
- Lee-Scott 28, Glenwood 21
AISA Class 2A
As with Lee-Scott-Glenwood, the AISA Class 2A state title game is also a rematch from earlier this season, as Patrician puts its undefeated record on the line against Clarke Prep. The Saints defeated the Gators 48-7 in late September.
- Patrician 38, Clarke Prep 14
AISA Class 1A
Similar to Lee-Scott and Patrician, Jackson is seeking to complete an undefeated season. The Eagles will take on Lowndes in the AISA 1A state title game, where they’re the likely favorite, but it won’t be easy against a Rebels team that has won five straight.
- Jackson 38, Lowndes 27
