After a thrilling quarterfinal victory, Andalusia (12-1) turns its attention to a rematch with Montgomery Catholic (13-0), at Cramton Bowl, in the 4A semifinals Friday, November 25, at 7 p.m.
They will meet for the fourth and second time this season. The series is tied at 2-2 between the Knights and the Bulldogs.
Andalusia is 4-6 all time (1-3 home, 3-3 on the road) in semi-finals. Montgomery Catholic is at 1-2 (0-2 home and 1-0 road) in round 4.
“We’ve been there, and we played Montgomery Catholic. We are aware of what we face, which is both a positive as well as a negative. Going to Montgomery will be like walking across the street from where we’ve been for the past two weeks. Although playing at Cramton Bowl is nice, once it starts, it will still be a football field.” Head Coach Trent Taylor stated.
Since the matchup last month, he doesn’t see any difference in Catholic.
“We took the week off following that game, and have now played three more weeks. It’s amazing how different teams look from week 7 to the day you reach the playoffs. It’s a huge difference to see them late because you have more confidence. They played a lot of football, but it wasn’t enough to win the second half. We will do the same things that allowed us to succeed this year. It might work out better this time around for Andalusia.
Andalusia will be making its sixth appearance in the semi-finals under Taylor.
It speaks volumes about the tireless work of our assistant coaches. It’s a thankful grind, as well as about the community and our kids. You can be in trouble for the playoffs if you don’t do what is required starting in week 1. It’s wonderful to be at this stage, but we also know that the final goal is still ahead. We must keep our eyes on ourselves and be ready for every opponent. Nothing is better than getting up at 5 AM to practice, and then sitting down to watch football. Although it is a worthwhile goal, it is not the ultimate goal. He said that there is no doubt that our men will go out and put in a tremendous effort.”
Taylor called the quarterfinal match the greatest comeback in program-history.
Anniston was a big reason that we didn’t play well in the first period. The last two weeks have seen some long drives, but playoff football is a South game regardless of your classification. It is the luck of the draw in some years, no matter where you are at home or on the roads. Anniston was home to a great football team, with many talented athletes at different positions. All year, our mantra has been to play every play. I reminded them of that at halftime. I am proud of my kids and feel that we have learned a lot about life, as well as athletics. Although we had our moments, we are able to move on. Enjoy the moment, and you can move on to the best 4A football team.
Tickets cost $12 plus a processing charge and must be purchased through GoFan
The 4A state championship match at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium will be played Friday, December 2, at 11:15 a.m.
The article Bulldogs rematch Knights in semi final appeared originally on The AndalusiaStar-News.
