Chambers Academy to play Southern in state title game Friday

Published 6:43 pm Wednesday, November 20, 2019

For the last five years, there has been one consistent in AISA football: Chambers Academy will be playing in the state championship.

The Rebels reached their fifth straight state title game by defeating Wilcox Academy 36-13 on Nov. 15 in the AISA Class A semifinals.   

Friday’s matchup will be the eighth matchup in school history between Chambers Academy and Southern Academy. Chambers leads the series 4-3, with the last matchup in week five.

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In that game, Braxton Allen terrorized the Cougars for 215 yards. Payton Allen added 104 yards in the air and a touchdown in a 42-21 Chambers victory.

Outside of their one loss on the season, the Rebels have dominated opponents, outscoring their opponents by 214 points this season.

Since both Allens have the ability to be game changers, the Cougars can’t focus on just one player.

“They complement each other really well,” said Chambers coach Jason Allen. “We’ve had several games this year where teams will try and take one of the two away, but it’s been really hard to take both away because of what we do and what our scheme does.

“One of them is going to step up. We know that.”

Both teams have high-powered offenses, as they have combined for more than 900 points this season. The running game is the focal point for both offenses.

“We have to make sure they don’t nickel and dime us and get off the field on defense,” Jason Allen said.

Since their only loss of the season, the Cougars have dominated their opponents, allowing just 60 points in their last six games. Thirty-four of those points came in one game.

“They’ve improved defensively,” Jason Allen said. “They’ve gotten sounder, and they do a good job against the pass.”

They have scored less than 40 points just one time since that loss.

“This is a championship setting and anything can happen,” Jason Allen said. “Just because you beat someone one time doesn’t mean you’ll beat them again.

“Our guys are really hungry to defend their championship no matter who they’re playing. We’re just excited to present Chambers and this area.”

The Rebels title defense starts Friday at 1 p.m. at Troy University. 

“It takes a lot of poise when you get in a championship setting,” Jason Allen said. “You need to make sure that you play solid football and keep your mistakes to a minimum, and what I mean by that is self-imposed mistakes… the things you can control, you definitely need to control.”