The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs defeated the No. 11 Oregon Ducks 49-3 in their opening game to show the nation that the defending champions will still be a program to contend with in 2022.
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.”
With their 27-21 victory over the Mobile Christian Leopards (9-2, 5-1) Friday, the American Christian Patriots (12-0, 7-0) have secured a trip to round three of the playoffs. Leading the way for the Patriots was quarterback Hunter Sute, whose 173 passing yards and two touchdowns led to an uncharacteristically low-scoring game for ACA.
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.
The American Christian Academy Patriots (8-0, 6-0) are one of the strongest teams in the Tuscaloosa area. One of the leaders of the Class 4A Region 3 Champion Patriots is cornerback and wide receiver Kamari Lassiter. The senior athlete has been a major factor in his team's success and recently was invited to the All-American Bowl.
Friday night, the American Christian Patriots (8-0, 6-0) dismantled the Dallas County Hornets (3-5, 3-3) 47-16. From start to finish, ACA dominated with over 330 total yards and seven total touchdowns. This eighth straight win secured ACA a third straight region title.
High school football has finally returned this season. American Christian Academy (1-0, 0-0) from Tuscaloosa played a home non-conference game against Parker (0-1, 0-0) football team from Birmingham, Friday night.
Tuscaloosa native and American Christian Academy standout athlete Kamari Lassiter announced his top-six college choices on Twitter this evening and it was filled with big name football programs. Lassiter is a 6-foot, 185 pound cornerback who the 247Sports Composite ranks as the number 11 recruit in the state of Alabama. He narrows down his top-six schools to Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida State and Georgia Tech.
American Christian Academy Head Football Coach, Chris Smelley, joined The Gary Harris show this morning to talk about his Patriots. Smelley discussed his goals of winning a state championship, his two top players, several rule changes and how his time playing for Steve Spurrier has impacted him as a coach. You can listen to the entire interview on our Soundcloud or Tide 100.9 Youtube Page.