Playoff picture less clear in 3A Region 4
Published 10:30 pm Wednesday, October 22, 2003
By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
While the playoff field for Class 3A Region 1 was set two weeks ago, the picture is a lot more cloudy for Region 4. Those regions are paired against each other for the opening round of the playoffs.
The top two spots in Region 4 have been determined. Tarrant (6-0 in region play and 8-0 overall) wrapped up the region championship and a number one seed with its 51-0 victory over Francis Marion Friday.
Aliceville (5-1 in region play and 6-2 overall) clinched the second seed and a home playoff game with its 15-14 win over Midfield Friday.
There is a three-way scramble between Midfield, Oak Grove and Northside for the final two playoff spots.
Midfield and Oak Grove are both 4-2 in region play and 6-2 overall, while Northside is 3-3 in region and 5-3 overall.
Midfield travels to Northside Friday. A Midfield win would clinch a playoff berth for both itself and Oak Grove. It would also give Midfield the number three seed and Oak Grove the fourth seed because Midfield won the head-to-head game.
If Northside wins, it could cause a complicated three-way tie for the final two spots because the teams would have split their head-to-head meetings. Oak Grove could avoid that scenario with a win, but it would have to win on the road at Tarrant.
One playoff matchup is set. Straughn, which finished fourth in Region 1, will travel to Tarrant when the playoffs begin November 7.
One other certainty is the loser of Friday's W.S. Neal-T.R. Miller game will earn a ticket to Aliceville in the opening round.