Rough and tumble: Maplesville players practice on Wednesday at George Walker Jr. Stadium. MHS and Billingsley are preparing for a semifinal playoff game on Friday. For more photos from the buildup to the game, see Page 6.

No matter what happens Friday at Billingsley’s Mims Field, a Chilton County area team will compete for a Class 1A state championship next week.

Billingsley will host Maplesville at 7 p.m. Friday for a state playoffs semifinal game.

The winner will move on to the Super 7, to be played at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Maplesville, a perennial power, fell to Pickens County in last year’s 1A state championship game, which was played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Billingsley, meanwhile, is trying to reclaim its place among the state’s elite teams in the classification. The Bears won the 1997 state championship but hadn’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs again until this season.

Maplesville last, and only, state championship came in 1996.

The two teams met earlier in the season, with Maplesville claiming a 54-0 victory.

The Red Devils have won 11 consecutive games against BHS, and the Bears haven’t scored on the Devils since 2008.

The teams have prepared this week under unusual circumstances, with Autauga County schools out all week and Chilton County schools closed after Tuesday.

Coach Brent Hubbert’s Maplesville program is no stranger to practicing the week of Thanksgiving.

Billingsley coach Tyson McLean is dealing with the holiday for the first time but said he doesn’t consider it a challenge.

“We’re keeping the schedule the same,” McLean said about practice. “We’re trying to keep everything as normal as we can.

“We’re happy that we’ve got to work on our week off, and the players are happy that they’ve got to practice on their week off.”

Billingsley turned the football over seven times in its loss to Maplesville on Aug. 29. McLean said the Bears will have to avoid similar mistakes in order to have a chance to win.

“We didn’t give ourselves an opportunity to win,” McLean said about the regular season game but added that he thinks the team has improved. “I think they’ve grown together as a team this year.

“I think our guys will be ready. I think they’re excited about the challenge.”

Fans on both sides of the field will look to see who lines up under center for Billingsley.

Quarterback Thomas Nichols suffered a separated shoulder in last week’s upset of top-ranked Brantley. Dalton Davis stepped in and led the Bears to the win.

McLean said he will make a “game-time decision” about whether Nichols will be able to play. The coach said Davis is a capable player at the position if needed.

“That’s why you get your backups some experience,” McLean said. “We have confidence in [Davis]. If he has to, he’ll come in and get the job done.”

From watching film of their previous games, Hubbert agreed that Maplesville will face an improved Billingsley squad.

“There’s definitely a lot more confidence right now,” Hubbert said. “They just beat the No. 1 team in the state.”

Though the two schools are traditional rivals, and there is much excitement surrounding Friday’s game, Hubbert said the contest will be decided the same way as others.

“It’s still football,” Hubbert said. “It’s going to come down to blocking and tackling.”