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Playoff Football Primer: Bucs to host Thompson in semifinals

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The playoff field has been thinned, with only a few teams still left on the road to the Super 7.

Hoover (12-0) vs. Thompson (11-1)

Matchup: Class 7A semifinals. Hoover is the No. 1 seed from Region 3 and Thompson is the No. 2 seed from Region 3.Last week: Hoover survived Hewitt-Trussville 24-23 in overtime; Thompson rolled past Oak Mountain 45-7.

What to watch: This is the rematch between the teams ranked No. 1 and 2 most of the year in Class 7A, as the Bucs and Warriors meet in the semifinals for the fifth straight time. Both teams have rolled over nearly every opponent on their schedule this season. The two teams met in an instant classic game just a few weeks ago, with Hoover knocking Thompson off with a late touchdown. One of the storylines that came out of that game was the health of Thompson quarterback Conner Harrell, who missed the second half of that contest. Harrell missed the first round playoff game and came off the bench to help Thompson past Oak Mountain last week. If he is close to full health, this game should be very close to as good as the last one. 

Last meeting: Hoover knocked off Thompson on Bennett Meredith’s touchdown pass to Jabari Gaines in the closing moments, sending the Bucs to a 24-21 victory on Oct. 22, 2021. The Hoover win snapped Thompson’s five-game winning streak in the series.

What’s next: The winner gets the winner between Central-Phenix City and Auburn in the 7A championship game, which will be played at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium on Dec. 1.

Mountain Brook (11-1) at Pinson Valley (9-3)

Matchup: Class 6A quarterfinals. Mountain Brook is the No. 1 seed from Region 5 and Pinson Valley is the No. 3 seed from Region 6.Last week: Mountain Brook blew past Jackson-Olin 45-14; Pinson Valley stifled Oxford in a 20-0 shutout. 

What to watch: Mountain Brook gets a Region 6 foe for the second straight week. The Spartans jumped out to a lead but really took control of the game in the second half against Jackson-Olin last week. Pinson’s defense put together its most impressive performance of the season last week, keeping Oxford off the scoreboard completely. If both defenses perform like they are capable of, this could be a low-scoring affair. These two teams met in the semifinals last fall, with the Indians getting the best of that matchup.

Last meeting: Pinson Valley knocked off Mountain Brook 27-10 in the semifinals on Nov. 27, 2021. Mountain Brook has won two of the three meetings between the programs.

What’s next: The winner gets the winner between Clay-Chalkville and Gardendale in the semifinals next week.

Clay-Chalkville (12-0) vs. Gardendale (10-2)

Matchup: Class 6A quarterfinals. Clay-Chalkville is the No. 1 seed from Region 6 and Gardendale is the No. 4 seed from Region 6.

Last week: Clay-Chalkville dominated the second half to pull away from Briarwood and win 56-21; Gardendale withstood a late rally from Homewood to win 35-27.

What to watch: These two teams met in the regular season and the result was lopsided, with Clay blasting the Rockets in a 46-0 victory. It’s hard to envision how Gardendale can erase that big of a margin in the second meeting of the season, but Gardendale has not lost since that defeat over two months ago. The Rockets have been road warriors in the playoffs so far and will look to use that experience to their advantage. Gardendale will have a hard time slowing down Clay-Chalkville’s high-flying offensive attack, but the Rockets have their own force in LT Sanders, who rushed for 298 yards last week against Homewood.

Last meeting: Clay-Chalkville blew out Gardendale 46-0 on Sept. 10, 2021. Clay holds a 9-1 edge in the series.

What’s next: The winner gets the winner between Mountain Brook and Pinson Valley in the semifinals next week.

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