Round two of the of the Alabama high school football playoffs is complete, and Cherokee County’s last flame was extinguished when R.A. Hubbard defeated Cedar Bluff 36-29 in Courtland Friday night. The Tigers end their season with a record of 9-3.  Hubbard (11-1) will travel to Lynn (11-1) for round three this Friday. 

Cordova did their best to wrestle the 3A title out of hands of the Piedmont Bulldogs. During the battle, the crown may have got dinged up a bit. But in the end it still remains in the Bulldogs’ possession at the Field of Champions.  The Bulldogs edge the Blue Devils 28-21.   

For three years in a row the Blue Devils have fought over the big blue trophy given. Cordova took home “Big Blue” in 2007, then lost to Leeds in 2008 and came up short to Piedmont in that memorable 2009 classic, in overtime. Realignment brought the Blue Devils north and the rematch with the Bulldogs in this year’s second round. 

Piedmont (11-1) will now meet the Plainview Bears (8-3).  The Bears dropped down from 4A in 2009 and are the second seed out of Region 7, behind Madison Academy. The Bears’ three losses were to Sylvania (34-33), Madison Academy (17-7), and a season-ending setback to 2A Fyffe (22-13).  Plainview’s playoffs wins have come against Colbert County and Pisgah.   

Fort Payne (12-0) enters the quarterfinals for the first time in school history after dispatching Arab, 23-14.  Coach Paul Ellis and the Wildcats have set numerous team and individual records on their way to recording the most victories in a season. The Wildcats take their untarnished record on the road to meet the second-ranked Briarwood Christian Lions.  Briarwood (11-1) advanced by slipping past No. 3 Walker, 21-14. The Lions’ only loss was to Class 6A Vestavia Hills.   

Class 6A Region 7 champ Gadsden City managed another win last week. The Titans (9-3) were pushed to the limit by Oxford before securing a 23-21 win and a ticket to Mountain Brook and a clash with the Spartans (10-2).  Both teams have faced common opponents Shades Valley and Hoover. The results were unremarkable, with Gadsden City handling Shades (42-14) and losing to Hoover (33-10).  The Spartans dropped Shades (37-11) and lost to Hoover (24-3).    

There were some powerful second round matchups that played out into fall classics around the state. Here is a sampling of those games. 

In Class 5A, second-ranked Briarwood Christian scored the winning touchdown with 1:19 left to defeat the third-ranked Walker Vikings, 21-14.   

Glencoe held the most potent offense in Class 3A to a field goal, but it wasn’t low enough as the Hamilton Aggies put out the Yellow Jackets 3-0. The Aggies were posting nearly 47 points per game but they could not dent the goal line against the stout Yellow Jackets.  Glencoe managed to pick off four passes in the game but was unable to turn any of the miscues into points.   

Class 3A Gordo (11-1) came from behind to upset third-ranked Handley 20-14. Handley was a Class 4A semifinalist in 2009 and dropped down a classification this year.      

In Class 1A, No. 3 Linden (11-1) routed previously unbeaten McKenzie, 47-14. Linden has ended their last two seasons to eventual state champions Sweetwater (2008) and Brantley (2009).  Next up for the Patriots is a date with top-ranked Maplesville.     

Here are the 2010 quarterfinal pairings are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 19. Kickoff time for all games is 7 p.m.

CLASS 1A

Maplesville (12-0) at Linden (11-1)

Saint Jude (11-1) at Sweet Water (9-3) 

R.A. Hubbard (11-1) at Lynn (11-1)

Addison (10-2) at Parrish (9-3)

CLASS 2A

American Christian (11-1) at Elba (11-1)

Cottonwood (12-0) at Leroy (11-1) 

Sulligent (10-2) at Lineville (9-3))

Tanner (11-0) at Reeltown (11-1)

CLASS 3A

Gordo (11-1) at Trinity (11-1), Montgomery

Leeds (12-0) at Bayside Academy (9-3), Daphne  

Plainview (8-3) at Piedmont (11-1)

Madison Academy (10-2) at Hamilton (12-0)

CLASS 4A

Bibb County (11-1) at Escambia County (9-3), Atmore

Dadeville (12-0) at Thomasville (12-0) 

Deshler (10-2) at Anniston (10-2)

North Jackson (12-0) at Fayette County (10-2), Fayette

CLASS 5A

Vigor (8-4) at McAdory (10-2), McCalla

Hueytown (11-1) at Spanish Fort (10-2) 

Russellville (11-1) at Hartselle (11-1)

Fort Payne (12-0) at Briarwood Christian (11-1), Birmingham

CLASS 6A

Wetumpka (10-1) at Daphne (12-0)

Stanhope Elmore (10-2) at Davidson (11-1), Mobile 

Hoover (12-0) at Clay-Chalkville (9-3)

Gadsden City (9-3) at Mountain Brook (10-2).