Hillcrest Patriots

With Hillcrest’s huge win over Northridge last week, the doors of Region 4 of 6A were opened wide for an arms race involving almost all of the teams in the region. Now that we’re in October with only four weeks of the regular season left, its “put up or shut up” time for teams on the edge of a playoff berth.

Friday night, the Hillcrest Patriots (5-1, 2-1) took down the cross-town rival Northridge Jaguars (6-1, 3-1) 49-21.

After several teams took the week off last week to prepare for the second half of the schedule, most of Tuscaloosa county is back and ready for more area play. Three different 6A Region 4 matchups might be the difference makers for teams to make a playoff run. In addition, several surprise teams have matchups that could affect their comeback seasons.

Up against an undefeated Hillcrest (4-1), it was a battle of the mind to see who would remain unphased in a high-stakes game that came down to the very last second...again.

Last week, Tuscaloosa-area schools didn’t look great. Besides a miracle in Wetumpka by Hillcrest, west Alabama was full of blowouts. Still, this week provides several big area matchups that could be big statement wins for a few schools in a rut.

On the first college football Saturday for the ACC, Tuscaloosa natives likely saw the 2019 Hillcrest graduate, Jay Bramblett, shine on special teams as the starting punter for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Hillcrest Patriots (4-0, 1-0) took on the Wetumpka Indians (2-2, 1-0) and escaped Hohenburg Field with a 35-30 victory on one of the wildest final plays you'll ever see.

While the thermometer still registers in the high-eighties, going into week four makes it feel more and more like fall and football season. Not all Tuscaloosa-area schools are competing in area matchups, but there are still some big games to look out for.

As another electric week of high school football in the state of Alabama comes to an end, some teams in the Tuscaloosa area are looking fierce early on.

Hillcrest picked up its first win in 6A Regional play as it defeated the Brookwood Panthers 49-14.