The cold weather won’t slow down the intense action on the Alabama gridirons during the Super 7 State Football Championships. All the brackets are locked in for the title games with great talent taking the field, for the 2023 class, one last time, in hopes of etching their names in the state’s history books.
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4A Andalusia vs Cherokee County
Game Date: Dec. 2
The Rundown: Andalusia got sweet revenge from a regular season loss (45-23) in the semifinal round downing Montgomery Catholic 29-26. As top seed, Cherokee County has steamrolled through the playoffs thus far with double-digit wins in all four contests.
Andalusia: The Bulldogs worked to a 13-1 record with a high-scoring offense (40 ppg) and a stingy defense (15 ppg). Senior leadership on defense is provided by three-star tackle Jaeden Jackson. Taking on the Warriors will be a spotlight game for four-star tailback J’Marion Burnette, if he is healthy. Burnette is credited with 1,428 yards off 172 carries with 16 touchdowns in 10 games played this season, missing the Bulldogs’ last game. In the semifinal win, Dorean Crittenden went beat mode carrying the rock 45 times for 216 yards with two scores. Another player to watch on offense is senior receiver Kaden Denson.
Cherokee County: The Warriors also advanced off a beastly ground performance with Jacob Cornejo covering 307 yards with two touchdowns off 29 totes. The win for Cherokee County erased a Week 4 (17-14) loss to Oneonta.
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5A Charles Henderson vs. Ramsey
Game Date: Dec. 1
The Rundown: Ramsay outlasted Pleasant Grove winning 20-27 to advance. Charles Henderson cruised to the state title game knocking out Faith Academy 27-12.
Ramsay: The Rams’ offense is a balanced attack producing 2,730 yards in the air and 2,440 on the ground. The rushing leader for Ramsay is junior Ashton Ashford. Ashford carried the load against Pleasant Grove coming up with 203 yards and two TDs off 23 carries. Sophomore QB Kameron Keenan was on point last time out completing 8-of-11 for 197 yards with one TD and one INT. Need a yard, running behind three-star Vanderbilt commit Anthony Miles is a really good option.
Charles Henderson: The Trojans’ offense rolled behind juniors Parker Adams, Jywon Boyd, and Zach Coleman in their win against Faith Academy. Adams threw for 139 yards with a touchdown while Boyd and Coleman combined for 108 yards on the ground with one trip into the end zone.
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6A Saraland vs. Mountain Brook
Game Date: Dec. 2
The Rundown: Saraland, a two seed, scratched and clawed their way to the championship game surviving a third-round test against Homewood (57-56) then upended Theodore 21-6 to advance. Mountain Brook, also a two seed, hit the playoffs on all cylinders romping all.
Saraland: The Spartans also avenged a regular season loss (27-26) pushing past Theodore the second time around 21-6. Santae McWilliams did a little bit of everything for his team rushing 22 times for 126 yards with a score and hauled in two passes for 14 yards getting into the end zone a second time. The underclassmen laden squad was steady on defense led by junior Jamison Curtis with 10 tackles against Theodore.
Mountain Brook: The playoffs have been a time to shine for junior tailback Cole Gamble. Gamble added three more rushing scores to his 17 total in the playoffs against Muscle Shoals. The Spartans fed the star tailback the rock 24 times seeing 193 yards produced on the ground.
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7A Auburn vs. Thompson
Game Date: Nov. 30
The Rundown: After four seed Dothan upset Foley 42-28 in the opening round, Auburn had a clear run to the semifinals before edging Central 14-13 in a thriller. Thompson had an easier road to the title game producing double-digit wins in all three games.
Auburn: Davis Harsin, son of former Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin, the backup QB for Auburn High School, will be in familiar territory in the championship game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The engine that drives the Tigers’ offense is four-star senior center Bradyn Joiner, an Auburn commit, and quarterback Clyde Pittman.
Thompson: Is a four-peat in the works? Thompson has reigned over Alabama’s 7A division and has the talent on both sides of the ball to capture a fourth consecutive trophy. The defense is led by four-stars Peter Woods (Clemson) and Tony Mitchell (Alabama). On offense, three-star Michigan State lineman commit Stanton Ramil is a road grader. Underclassmen to watch for on the Warriors’ roster are defensive back Kaleb Harris and quarterback Zach Sims, and 2025 four-star defensive back Anquon Fegans.
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Super 7 3A-1A State Championship Matchups
3A Saint James vs. Piedmont
Game Date: Dec. 1
2A Comer vs. Fyffe
Game Date: Dec. 2
1A Leroy vs. Pickens County
Game Date: Dec. 1
