By, Johnny Sanders and John Goolsby
TRUSSVILLE – Of the five Tribuneland teams, three have made it to the second round in the 2024 AHSAA Football Playoffs.
Hewitt-Trussville dropped a road game to former offensive coordinator Juan Johnson at Baker (Mobile) in a 17-14 overtime thriller that ended on a bad snap on a fourth and goal at the one-yard line in the second extra period.
Center Point lost on the road as well, falling 29-8 to the Boaz Pirates in a game that saw the Eagles up 8-7 at halftime but the home team got it together late and pulled away after a few mistakes and a plethora of penalties against George Bates’ boys.
Still fighting for that blue map are the Leeds Greenwave, who beat Guntersville in another game that had an exciting finish when Conner Nelson hit Taylon Gaiter for a 68-yard touchdown with 17 seconds to play to get the 35-28 win.
Also left in the playoffs, after a 49-7 whipping of the Arab Knights, are the red-hot Moody Blue Devils, who may be playing as good as anyone in the state.
Lastly, the defending 6A state champion Clay-Chalkville Cougars took it to the Gadsden City Titans 33-3 to stay alive in their quest for another title.
Here is your guide to the second round of the playoffs for Tribuneland teams:
Leeds Greenwave at Fairview Aggies: The Aggies come into this one ranked in the top five in 5A football, with an undefeated 10-0 record. They won a close one, as did the Greenwave, over Carver Birmingham by a score of 15-12. Conner Nelson and company look to end the Aggies’ winning streak on the road Friday night. It looks to be a big offensive matchup as Fairview has the fifth-ranked offense in 5A and Leeds is ranked eighth. The Leeds defense sits at 34th while the Aggies are 15th. The two teams have never played each other. The winner of this game will play the winner of the Corner vs Boaz game.
Moody Blue Devils at Wenonah Dragons: The Blue Devils absolutely dominated Arab in round one with dominant defense and the dangerous combination of Charlie Johnston to Josiah Dozier. They look to carry that momentum across town to Wenonah, where the Dragons are coming off of a close first-round win over Russellville, 30-28 in overtime. Moody is well-balanced with the sixth-ranked offense and fifth-ranked defense in 5A. Wenonah will challenge the Blue Devil offense with 5A’s seventh-ranked defense while their offense is 27th. The two teams have played twice with the Dragons winning both games. The winner of this game will play the winner of the Ramsay vs Scottsboro game.
Clay-Chalkville Cougars at Muscle Shoals Trojans: The defending champs seemed to be heading in the wrong direction at the end of the regular season with losses to Oxford and Vestavia Hills in two of their last three games. Being challenged by coach Stuart Floyd, the team responded with a 33-3 thrashing of Gadsden City in round one that saw the Cougars score in all three phases of the game. The Trojans spent round one smashing the Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils 52-7. This one will pit strength against strength as the Trojans boast the top-ranked offense in 6A, taking on the fourth-ranked defense in the Cougars. Clay-Chalkville brings the fourth-ranked offense in the class while Muscle Shoals has the 27th-ranked defense. The two teams have played twice with the Cougars winning both by a combined 79-41. The winner of this one will take on the winner of the Parker vs Mountain Brook game.
