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robinsonakr
AHSFHS Forum Master
114 Posts |
 Posted - 10/05/2021 : 10:55:14
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I got to thinking the other day. What team(s) just had awful regular seasons but somehow clinched a spot in the playoffs and made a run to make the championship game and win or just make the championship game.
I thought I remembered the 1999 RE Lee team from Montgomery having one of these years. They went 4-6 in the regular season but clinched a playoff spot and made a run. They lost to Clay Chalkville by 3 in OT ironically to finish 8-7.
But I was just curious if there any other teams to do this...have an awful regular season but make a run in the playoffs and make/win championship.
Just something fun to look at.
http://www.ahsfhs.org/teams2/gamesbyyear.asp?Team=Lee%20Montgomery&Year=1999 |
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kodyaufan2
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
254 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2021 : 11:36:37
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Okay so I did some digging and here's what I've found so far.
-Also in 1999, Courtland went 4-6 and ended up winning the state title in 1A.
-In 1994, Carrollton went 5-5 and ended up winning the state title in 1A.
-In 1986, Gadsden started 1-5 and finished 4-5 before going on to win the state title in 5A.
That's all I could find for teams that finished the regular season at or below .500 and went on to play in the state championship game. |
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robinsonakr
AHSFHS Forum Master
114 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2021 : 13:14:36
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| Wow! That was fast! Thanks! Those were some pretty good playoff runs! So there were two teams in 1999 that struggled in the regular season only to make the title game! Thanks again! |
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mcslate
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
289 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2021 : 13:26:29
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Guess we don't see too many of these anymore with the transformation of 3-5 team areas into 7-8 team regions.
Makes you wonder if there was some kind of missing context behind the slow starts. Like maybe an All-State QB or RB misses the first month or so of the season and then returns in October. |
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kodyaufan2
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
254 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2021 : 14:08:31
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| Also of note, in 1997, Winterboro went 2-7 with a forfeit win (so they only won one game on the field) and not only hosted a first round playoff game, but won it and made it to the second round. They finished the season with a record of 3-8. |
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TheMUBM
AHSFHS Moderator
624 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2021 : 15:48:10
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| Also have to take in context. Living in North Alabama, I remember that Courtland team well. Every team they lost to (and almost all being very competitive) were teams from larger classifications. They only had 3 teams in their area, them included. |
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YoungBallCoach
Forum Member
44 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2021 : 06:23:28
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| I know this isn't Alabama related, but I thought it was a funny nugget to share. I coach in Tennessee right now. A few years ago Stratford High School went 2-8 in the regular season, made the playoffs, and made it to the semifinal round before being beaten and finishing 5-9. Weirdest thing I've ever heard of, and this was just in the past 5 years. |
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TheMUBM
AHSFHS Moderator
624 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2021 : 12:21:21
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Not exactly on topic but talking about odd and/or interesting occurrences in high school football, two come to mind.
In 1990 and 1991, Courtland and Speake were in a two-team area. So basically regardless of performance or record, both were automatically in the playoffs.
And speaking of Speake (no pun intended), in 2008 the Lawrence County school system announced consolidation which led to the closing of Mount Hope, Speake and Hazlewood. Speake, who hadn't had a lot of success in football, were in a region with powers Hubbard and Hazlewood. Speake ended up finishing third in the region having lost regular-season games to both of the juggernauts. However, in the playoffs, Speake made an epic run which included knocking off Hazlewood in the second round and ended up in the State title game. They were summarily trounced by Sweet Water, but still a heck of a way for a program to go out, by making it's first State title game.
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Edited by - TheMUBM on 10/06/2021 12:21:44 |
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kodyaufan2
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
254 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2021 : 12:57:08
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quote:
Originally posted by TheMUBM
Not exactly on topic but talking about odd and/or interesting occurrences in high school football, two come to mind.
In 1990 and 1991, Courtland and Speake were in a two-team area. So basically regardless of performance or record, both were automatically in the playoffs.
On that note, don't forget that last year we had the region with Keith, Linden, J.F. Shields, and Central Hayneville where they were the only 4 schools in the region that fielded teams, and therefore all four were guaranteed to make the playoffs. |
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Sloth Nationzz
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
265 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2021 : 14:37:53
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| JF Shields did not win a game on the field and still made it. 2020 was a wild year. Especially that region that had the state champion in it. |
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spartan91
AHSFHS Forum Superstar
202 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2021 : 18:52:35
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| Lee almost did the same thing in 1990. They went 4-6 on the field and made it all the way to the semis before losing a close game to Murphy. |
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Losing regular season then making title game
