Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

As the dust settles on the 2023 Alabama high school football regular season, three perennial playoff programs in Chilton County will continue its seasons into the state playoffs. All three programs have moved their games to Nov. 9 to combat the off day on Nov. 10 for Veteran’s Day.

2023 will be the 20th consecutive playoff appearance for Maplesville High School, and the 38 out of the last 39 years.

Maplesville sits at 6-3 in the regular season and 6-1 in AHSAA Class 1A Region 4 play. That matched the Red Devils up with the three seed from Class 1A Region 1 Choctaw County High School in the first round.

“We won’t be looking down the road to our first-round opponent yet, but we will definitely use (the Nov. 3 game against John Carroll Catholic High School) to get ready for it,” Maplesville head coach Brad Abbott said.

Thorsby High School extended its playoff streak to seven years by capturing the two seed in AHSAA Class 2A Region 4 play. However, this will be the Rebels first home playoff game since 2018.

The Rebels finish their season at Billingsley High School on Nov. 3, then will turn their attention to their first-round matchup with Chickasaw High School, the three seed from Class 2A Region 1. Thorsby head coach Daryl Davis said he does not know much about Chickasaw, but knows they are an athletic team that will pose some challenges.

“It is huge for our school, the community and a lot of times you make the playoffs you have to go far where just parents are about all that will make it there,” Davis said. “It is big for the school and for the boys, and we have tried to stress that to the team and to the seniors.”

Isabella High School also extended their playoff streak to eight seasons placing third in Class 2A Region 4 play. Head coach Tate Leonard has reached the state playoffs every year at the helm leading the Mustangs.

Isabella will be the only team traveling in the first round visiting St. Luke’s Episcopal School, the two seed from Class 2A Region 1. Leonard said his team has had a playoff mindset in recent weeks, and they will continue to have that going into their final regular season game against Keith High School on Nov. 3.

“The last few weeks we have had that playoff mindset that in every game we played was like a playoff game, and it was do or die to get our minds right and focused,” Leonard said. “That is how we have been treating the last few weeks, and we have had some road games the last few weeks. That is how we are trying to get ready for the road in the playoffs, just go ahead and have that mindset.”

All kickoff times for the first-round playoff games on Nov. 9 are set for 7 p.m.