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The Playoffs are finally upon us. Three out of five Chambers County teams will compete for a shot at a state title; Lanett High School, Chambers Academy and Springwood School. Let’s take a look back at the season and what to expect in the first round of playoffs.

Lanett High School:

The Panthers secured a playoff spot with their last game of the regular season, by beating no. 4 ranked Ranburne. It has been an impressive inaugural season for head coach RJ McDonald who has worked with a young team.

Lanett’s season has been marked by high highs and low lows. They won three of their first four games, including a dominant performance against cross-county rival LaFayette and shut out their first region opponent, Loachapoka, 13-0 who is now the No. 2 seed in the region.  

This was followed by a four-game losing streak against, including two close games against Horseshoe Bend and No. 7 Coosa Central bringing their region record to a precarious 2-3. The playoff hopes for the Panthers seemed dim going into the deciding game against Ranburne. Both teams were competing for a spot in the tournament, but Lanett came out on top winning 48-14. 

The Panthers have their work cut out for them as they take on undefeated Cottonwood on a long road trip down to the Bear’s stadium. While it has been almost 20 years since the two teams met on the field, the circumstances were similar. Both were playing in a first-round playoff game in 2005. The Bears would go on to win 53-15. 

The Bears have been nearly flawless this season. Their defense has kept almost every team to a single touchdown. They average 46.2 points in a game and over 400 yards per game. Lanett’s O-Line, which has been a standout part of their game, will have their work cut out for them as the team averaged two sacks a game. The Bears’ quarterback, Braylon Morris, can be a threat on the ground and in the air. 

Lanett hopes to change the tide in Game 1. They have gone 0-4 for away games this season so far. Playing an undefeated team at home will be a tough task. 

Chambers Academy:

The bar is always high for the Rebels. However, coming off of a state title Chambers Academy had a target in their back this season. 

Their season started off rocky, losing to Starkville Academy in Mississippi. Since the opening game, the Rebels have pitched a perfect game winning nine straight games. They now head into Game 1 of the AISA AA playoffs at home against Clark Prep.

While they started the season relying heavily on the run game under new quarterback Landon Hand, they have diversified their game as the season progressed. Hand continued to improve, having one of his best passing games of the season last week with 100 percent completion, 91 yards and a touchdown in the books. He also ran for a touchdown. 

The run, however, remains incredibly strong, led by running back Luke Tarver. The senior is more likely than not to walk away from a game with at least one touchdown and over 100 yards. He is also effective on the defense, racking up multiple tackles and forced turnovers on that side of the ball. 

The offense runs deep, with other go-to’s like Jacob Norgard, TJ Daniels and Eli Wharton, bringing different styles and impressive abilities. 

The defense has held every team, with the exception of Starksville to two touchdowns. Both the lineman and secondary have been productive forcing and making turnovers. They have shared the wealth, with the whole unit putting up high numbers. 

A side of the game that has plagued Chambers is turnovers. 

“We will have a good game plan [against Clark Prep] and hopefully we will execute and play clean in the turnover game,” said Jason Allen, head coach.

Clark Prep has gone 1-9 on the season and 0-4 on the road. Their sole win of the season came at the final game against Jackson Academy 49-30. Interestingly, the last time the two teams met, Chambers lost 21-24 in 2022 also in the first round of the playoffs.

“Each week is magnified in its importance because it could be your last if you don’t play well,” Allen said. “Clark Prep, who came in here two years ago and knocked us off in the semifinals.” 

Springwood School:

The Wildcats were scheduled to play their first playoff game at home on Friday night. However, Meadowview forfeited due to concerns over player safety, according to Springwood head coach Joey Burch. 

With only eight teams in the AISA 8-man tournament, Springwood now gets an automatic bye to the semifinal game which will be played on Nov. 14. They will play the winner of the Lakeside and Macon East matchup on Thursday. 

Springwood has seen continual success under the 8-man system. They, like Chambers, saw a tough loss to start the season. They lost 55-36 against non-region opponent Southern Christian. They continued to get stronger throughout the season, only stumbling against Cornerstone Christian. The Knights beat them in a reunion of last year’s state title game. The two teams are expected to meet once again in Montgomery. 

The Wildcat’s offense has been on a tear, particularly in the second half of the season, scoring over 75 points in the last four games. The big story of the season has been CJ Johnson, who has averaged a whopping 273.6 rushing yards a game and 26.3 receiving yards. The next highest rushing leader, Jax Cheeny has 28.1 yards per game.

He has been one part of the dynamic Johnson brother duo, the other half being his brother, Senior Greg Johnson who is the team’s receiving and sack leader averaging 41 yards per game and 13 sacks. 

It will be two off weeks for the Wildcats before an important semifinal game. The Wildcats will still have home-field advantage on Nov. 14, as the No. 2 ranked team.