Citronelle's biggest test; St. Michael and Pleasant Grove look to light up the scoreboard

Looking at the key storylines in round two for region one 5A and 4A

Williamson and Citronelle face big tests in the second round in 5A

All four teams from 5A: Region One advanced to round two. Vigor and Williamson took care of business, with Vigor defeating Sipsey Valley 46-9 and Williamson pitching their sixth shutout against Northside, 46-0.

UMS-Wright and Terry Curtis upset Region 3 winner Demopolis in the first round to deliver a 21-7 defeat as the fourth seed for the second year in a row.

Citronelle continued their best season in years, earning a 14-9 win over Shelby County for their first playoff win since 2008.

UMS will sign Andalusia and head coach Trent Taylor. Curtis has a 7-2 record against Taylor, including three wins in the playoffs. Curtis also boasts a 23-2 record in second-round games at UMS

Vigor will play the three seed from region two, Eufaula. No one other than 7A Baker has been able to keep up with Vigor, and even that game could have gone either way. Vigor is in a comfortable spot in the second round barring a huge upset.

Williamson, like Citronelle, is having one of their best seasons in more than a decade. The Northside win gave them 10 wins and a playoff win. The last time any of these things happened was in 2007.

The toughest test for the Lions and Wildcats will come this week as they each draw two of the most successful programs of the past decade.

Williamson travels to Central Clay County to face Danny Horn, the all-time winningest coach in Alabama history, and his undefeated Volunteers.

Clay County has the pedigree and playoff experience on its side. Horn has won eight championships during his two stints at the school, but they have not advanced past the second round since 2020.

Antonio Coleman is in his third season at Williamson and has breathed new life into the program. The Lions posted six shutouts and gave up double figures only twice. They combine the second-best defense in 5A with the tenth-best offense. Central Clay is 2nd in 5A in scoring and 4th in scoring defense. The Lions are not used to this position and Central Clay County is more than comfortable. Williamson will have to play their best game, but their best game is more than capable of taking them to the next round.

Citronelle has an even tougher draw, despite being the home team, as they welcome Montgomery Catholic to town. The Knights have gone 63-5 since 2020, the best record of any team in any classification. During that time, they have played in three different classifications, starting in 3A to 4A and now 5A, without missing a beat. They are on a 25-game winning streak and are the defending 4A champions. They are averaging a 5A best 48 PPG while only allowing 6.2 PPG.

Citronelle and second-year Head Coach Jason Rowell are a little different. The Wildcats are averaging 25.6 PPG while allowing 15.3 PPG. Their two losses came against Williamson in overtime 28-26 and Vigor 32-6.

Physical on both sides of the ball, Rowell’s team has shown strength and perseverance all year long on its way to the school’s best record since 2004.

The Wildcats haven’t backed down from anyone all year, and their front seven, led by defensive end Jeremiah Connolly and Zach Morgan and linebackers Timmy Rivers and Bryon Cochran, have been tough on opponents all year.

Montgomery Catholic will be led by freshman quarterback Kingston Preyear, something an experienced defense could use to their advantage.

The playmakers for Citronelle’s offense, led by Eli Owens, Keyshawn Williams and James Reid, will need to play their best game of the year to keep their season alive.

St. Michael and Pleasant Grove: A showcase of offensive talent in 4A

4A region one has seen some of the most talented and explosive offenses this season with St. Michael and Jackson. Both teams are led by star quarterbacks, Gunner Rivers at St. Michael and Landon Duckworth at Jackson.

WS Neal and Mobile Christian defeated Orange Beach for the third and fourth seeds in the region.

Mobile Christian, the reigning 3A champion, came close to Tallassee in the first round, while WS Neal edged him on the road against St. James.

Jackson defeated Bullock County 55-0. The Aggies looked like a team on cruise control. Duckworth was 7-10 and passed for 184 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 50 yards and another score. Star sophomore running back EJ Crowell had just six carries in the win. The defense scored three touchdowns after recovering fumbles.

St. Michael jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Handley in the first quarter before trading touchdowns the rest of the way to win 63-40.

While Rivers and the passing attack have drawn most of the attention this season, junior running back Noah Moss has been the workhorse for the Cardinal on offense all year. Moss finished with 204 rushing yards, 103 receiving yards and 6 total touchdowns. It wasn’t River’s most efficient game (46% completion), but he still put up 260 yards and four touchdowns on the Tigers.

WS Neal will take on four-seed Fairfield in round two. The Tigers upset Dale County in the first round, 33-21. Neal is 5-2 after losing its first four games of the season, while Fairfield is 3-2 after a 5-1 start. Head Coach Hugh Fountain has his team rolling and they have a chance to keep the momentum going at home. Jackson would have to sail past the two region four seeds in Bibb County at Legion Field.

St. Michael draws the matchup that has the potential to be one of the most exciting games in all classifications as they travel to take on Pleasant Grove.

The region four winner has been on a tear since losing his opening match to 6A Mcadory 35-38, winning nine in a row by a margin of 411-75. They kept that momentum going in the first round, hanging 61 points on Straughn in a 40-point blowout.

Head Coach Darrell LeBeaux is in his seventh season as Pleasant Grove’s head coach and has lost in the third round, the semifinals and finished second three times, all in 5A. Now they are in 4A. The Spartans are averaging 44.6 PPG while allowing 11.3 PPG, good for 2nd and 3rd respectively in 4A.

St. Michael Head Coach Phillip Rivers is in his fourth season and has taken the young program to new heights each year. After their first playoff appearance in 2023, the Cardinals opened a new stadium, hosted their first playoff game and won their first playoff game. St. Michael ranks 5th in 4A with 39.1 PPG and 32nd in PPG allowed with 26.6.

Rivers ranks first in 4A in passing, but Pleasant Grove’s Kaleb Freeman is third with 2,360 yards, 32 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The two sophomores also have a roster of playmakers to get the ball to.

The Cardinals have two of the top three receivers in 4A in junior Brody Jones and junior Tucker Tomlinson. Jones leads 4A in receiving yards and was a jack-of-all-trades for Rivers, catching 82 passes for 1,258 yards and 13 scores while chipping in 424 return yards.

The star receiver is joined by another big target in Tucker Tomlinson, who has thrown in 14 touchdowns on 912 receiving yards, good for third in 4A. Tomlinson also contributes on special teams, adding 278 return yards.

On the other side of the court, Freeman has one top target: senior Tremell Washington.

Washington is 2nd in 4A with 1,247 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 58 catches. He’s also a weapon for the Spartans on special teams, with 554 return yards and four touchdowns.

Moss is the third-leading rusher in 4A with 1,353 yards and 22 touchdowns, along with four receiving touchdowns for 442 yards. In seventh place is senior Collin Moore of Pleasant Grove. The running back has 1,256 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 165 carries.

The game promises to be a high-scoring affair between two of the best young quarterbacks in the state and two coaches hungry for the next step. Whoever’s defense can force a mistake can make the difference in this mistake, but there should be plenty of points anyway.