Gordo Greenwave

Northside took advantage of good field position, steady running and strong defense to pull off the 14-12 upset of the state's No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A. The Ram's win tonight is just the second in school history over the Greenwave.

"I get to coach with some amazing assistant coaches as well who work extremely hard for these players and I appreciate all they do for me as well. I dedicate this award to all of them and I receive it on behalf of them."

The Handley Tigers (12-1) out of Roanoke, Alabama defeated the Gordo Greenwave (13-2) 35-20 to win the AHSAA Class 4A State Championship. The Tigers defeated both tuscaloosa-area schools, American Christian Academy and Gordo, in consecutive weeks to win the championship in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Friday is the last day of high school football until August, but it could be the best. From a storybook season for a small team to two 6A powerhouses battling for bragging rights, this final day of the “Super Seven” will have it all.

After a devastating loss to end a Cinderella season, the Northside Rams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Still, Gordo, ACA, and Pickens County all won and advanced to the semifinals of the AHSAA playoffs. With the turf fields of Bryant-Denny Stadium looking green as ever, it is crunch time for the three teams if they want to catch the elusive “blue map.”

Thursday night, the one-seeded Gordo Green Wave (11-1, 6-0) defeated the one-seeded West Limestone Wildcats (11-1, 7-0) 48-13 to advance to the semifinals of the 4A State Playoffs. Under the leadership of junior quarterback Tanner Bailey, the Gordo Green Wave scored seven total touchdowns.

With less than three weeks left of high school football left in the 2020 season, Tuscaloosa and the surrounding area have been left with only four schools still in the playoff race. While the legendary “blue map” is still possible for any of these four teams- Gordo, ACA, Northside, and Pickens County- the three 4A schools are on a collision course that could happen in the semifinals or even the championship game.

As Round 2 of the playoffs looms, only one of the teams, ACA, will be playing from home. Every other team will be traveling to every corner of the state. From Madison County and Decatur in north Alabama to Opelika in east Alabama, teams around the Druid City are fighting hard to keep their hopes alive for a state title game appearance in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Six weeks after having a plate and 13 screws inserted to help heal a broken collarbone, Tanner Bailey returned and led Gordo to a playoff win on Thursday night.

Now that the regular season has concluded, excitement is buzzing in the Druid City in preparation for the Super 7 State Championships that will take place at the beginning of December in Bryant-Denny Stadium. In a season that has seen unlikely upsets, high-scoring shootouts, and many forfeits due to COVID-19, six teams remain in contention for the state title.