Playoff Football Primer: Spartans ready for semis

After Friday night’s slate of games, the state championship participants in Classes 1-6A will be known.

One of the 6A teams will come from the semifinal game at Willie Adams Stadium on Friday night, as Mountain Brook visits Pinson Valley in the season’s penultimate game.

Pinson Valley (10-2) won back-to-back state titles in 2017 and 2018 under the direction of Patrick Nix, who is now at Central-Phenix City. The Indians were utterly dominant both years and nearly got back to that stage last fall, falling to eventual champ Oxford in the semifinals.

In the Indians’ first year under Sam Shade, they have improved each week. Pinson began the season with a big loss to Hewitt-Trussville and suffered a narrow defeat to Ramsay at the season’s midway point. But since that loss on Sept. 25, Pinson Valley has been nothing shy of dominant. Along the way, the Indians have notched convincing wins over Clay-Chalkville to win the Region 6 title, and then Arab, Shades Valley and Oxford in the playoffs. 

The most surprising of those results was a 34-2 rout of Oxford last week in the quarterfinals. Oxford’s only loss of the year came to Thompson in the season-opener. The Yellow Jackets even knocked off Central-Phenix City at the end of the regular season and had otherwise put together a dominant season of their own.

Now, Pinson Valley welcomes Mountain Brook on Friday night with a trip to the state championship on the line. The 6A title game will be played at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.

Mountain Brook (12-1) is in the semifinals for the first time since 2010 and the eighth time in school history. The Spartans last made the state championship game in 1996, when they lost to Jeff Davis. Mountain Brook has two state titles in the program’s history, in 1975 and 1976. 

The Spartans are coming off an impressive 21-10 win over Pinson’s chief rival, Clay-Chalkville, last week in the quarterfinals. Mountain Brook has maintained a ground-and-pound approach all season, complementing a stout defense with a ball-control offense. 

That offense is led by quarterback Strother Gibbs, who head coach Chris Yeager calls an “iron horse.” Gibbs has been outstanding in the postseason, which has included a 38-7 win over Muscle Shoals and a 6-0 victory over Gardendale before the win over Clay. His tough running style has frustrated every defense the Spartans have played all season. Mountain Brook’s only loss this year came to Thompson in a game Gibbs missed due to injury. 

Mountain Brook’s defense has allowed 17 total points in the postseason and has pitched three shutouts throughout the season.

Mountain Brook and Pinson Valley have met twice before, with the Spartans winning meetings in 2000 and 2001. 

The winner gets the winner between Saraland and Spanish Fort in the 6A title game.