Headed for the playoffs

By Staff
Fourth seeds Hartselle and Priceville face tough foes in playoffs Friday
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle’s 5A Tigers and Priceville’s 4A Bulldogs will face uphill battles in the first round of the state football playoffs Friday night when they go on the road to take on Cullman’s Bearcats and Saint Clair County’s Saints.
The Tigers are seeded fourth in Region 8 with a 4-6, 4-3 record and the Bearcats are seeded first in Region 7 with a 10-0, 7-0 record. The two trams met in the sixth week of the season with Cullman getting off to a fast start and finishing with a 45-20 win.
The Bulldogs are also seeded fourth in Region 7 with a 6-4, 4-3 record and the Saints are Region 6 champs with an 8-2, 7-0 record.
Both Hartselle and Priceville struggled early in the season against tough opponents and appeared to be out of the running for the playoffs.
The Tigers were down 0-3 after losing to Austin, Decatur and Russellville but bounced back with wins over regional opponents Athens, Muscle Shoals Brewer and West Point to extend their season.
The Bearcats had little trouble handling the Tigers in their first meeting after scoring back-to-back touchdowns on their first two possessions. The Tigers were never able to get closer than seven points.
The Bulldogs had to win four of their last five games to get into the playoffs. They clinched a berth by defeating West Lawrence 26-6 and closed out their season last Friday night with a resounding 52-26 home win over Falkville.