Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MONTGOMERY – The AHSAA semifinals produced five high schools that have advanced to the AHSAA Super 7 State Football Championships for the first time.

The newcomers – Class 1A Wadley, Class 2A Clarke County and Cleveland, Class 5A Pike Road  and Class 6A Hueytown – all posted semifinal victories Friday night and were among the 14 boys’ football finalists on hand at Saturday’s Super 7 Championship Coaches’ Meeting held at the AHSAA Office.

The 2021 Super 7 gets underway Wednesday at 3 p.m., with the inaugural Girls’ Flag Football Tournament championship. Hewitt-Trussville (10-0) meets Smiths Station (10-2) in the finals. The Class 7A Super 7 Championship Game kicks of the boys’ action at 7 p.m., with two-time defending state champion Thompson (12-1) facing unbeaten Central-Phenix City (13-0) at 7 p.m. The Warriors, playing in their fourth straight 7A championship game, is the only defending champion to reach this year’s finals.

Classes 1A, 3A and 5A Super 7 championships will be played Thursday, and Class 2A, 4A and 6A close out the 56th AHSAA state football playoffs on Friday. All eight games will be televised live by the AHSAA TV Network and live-streamed over the NFHS Network. The AHSAA Radio Network will also broadcast all the games over its statewide network or radio affiliates as well as over the internet.

On Wednesday, Piedmont (12-2) faces Montgomery Academy (11-3) at 11 a.m., in the first game of the tripleheader. Sweet Water (13-0), which comes in with 10 state titles to its credit, meets Wadley (13-1) in the Class 1A finals at 3 p.m., and Pike Road (13-0) battles Pleasant Grove (12-1) in the 5A championship at 7 p.m. Piedmont has four state titles and Montgomery Academy has one previous state crown.

Friday’s schedule kicks off at 11 a.m., with Oneonta (13-1) meeting Vigor (13-1) in the Class 4A championship game. Clarke County (12-2) and Cleveland (12-2) square off at 3 p.m., in the 2A finals, and Hueytown (13-1) meets Clay-Chalkville (14-0) in an all-Jefferson County showdown in the 6A championship at 7 p.m. Pleasant Grove, playing in its third straight Class 5A state championship game, is also a Jefferson County school.

Oneonta’s storied program has won four state titles and has won 706 games since starting football 114 years ago in 1907. Vigor has three state titles and Clay-Chalkville has two. Oneonta and Cleveland are also located in Blount County. Hueytown is averaging 52.4 points per game while Clay-Chalkville is averaging 48.6.

The last time two teams from the same school system met in the finals was in 1996 when Clay County beat Lineville 42-0 in the first Super 6 Class 2A state championship game at Legion Field. Montgomery County schools Sidney Lanier and Robert E. Lee met in the first AHSAA Class 4A state championship game in 1966 at Cramton Bowl. Banks and Huffman, both Birmingham City School System schools, also played in the 1972 Class 4A state championship game.

Clarke County Coach Stacy Luker (230-101), who was selected to be inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021, has coached five state championships – all at his own alma mater Sweet Water. Thompson Coach Mark Freeman (232-52) has eight state crowns to his credit – two at Thompson, two at Spanish Fort and four at non-member school Bessemer Academy. Piedmont Coach Steve Smith (270-78) had led the Bulldogs to four state titles.

Overall, the 14 head coaches have collectively won  21 state championships with Central’s Patrick Nix (2), Sweet Water’s Pat Thompson (1), and Montgomery Academy’s Robert Johnson (1) capturing the other four. Johnson’s state title came at a non-member school.

SUPER 7 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1

CLASS 7A

Central-Phenix City (13-0) vs. Thompson (12-1), 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 2

CLASS 3A

Montgomery Academy (11-3) vs. Piedmont (12-2), 11 a.m.

CLASS 1A

Wadley (13-1) vs. Sweet Water (13-0), 3 p.m.

CLASS 5A

Pleasant Grove (12-1) vs. Pike Road (13-0), 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 3

CLASS 4

Vigor (13-1) vs. Oneonta (13-1), 11 a.m.

CLASS 2A

Cleveland (12-2) vs. Clarke County (12-2), 3 p.m.

CLASS 6A

Clay-Chalkville (14-0) vs. Hueytown (13-1), 7 p.m.