This weekend should be one for the record books. Not only will Crenshaw County football fans be rewarded with yet another week of high school football, but also Santa Claus will be coming to town on Saturday and the Southeastern Conference championship game will be played later that night.

Man talk about a great weekend.

Brantley will continue its quest for the Alabama High School Athletic Association's Class 1A state title Friday night after surviving the quarterfinals last week.

The third-ranked and undefeated Bulldogs (13-0) edged out American Christian Academy 17-16 last Friday night in Tuscaloosa to advance to the state semi-finals. The irony of the win is that it's exactly what the Patriots did to Brantley last season.

American Christian eliminated Brantley from the playoffs last year in the quarterfinals and what do you know, by one point. It's funny how things or events can come back to bite you.

For the fans in attendance, they experienced only the second game in what diehard fans call "football weather." The chill was in the air, but the heat could be felt on the field.

The Bulldogs' defense played an exceptional game in the fourth quarter taking a lot of pressure off the offense and was a huge key in the win. The coaching staff made some great adjustments in the final minutes of the game that really paid off.

For you Bulldog fans, you know that staff loves to take gambles.

Anyways, as for Brantley's offense, it once again got the job done and made the plays necessary to keep the game out of reach. Well, at least one point out of reach.

Having attended a high school game or two and sometimes three each Friday night for the past 13 weeks, this game was one of the most exciting witnessed. The fans and cheerleaders were into the game and if you were watching closely you could see an overweight reporter jumping for joy as well. The players and coaches got the job done and made this year's trip home from T-town a lot more enjoyable.

Now the Bulldogs have to focus at the next task at hand, defeating Sweet Water in the battle of the Bulldogs and advancing to the Super Six in the big city of Birmingham. Sweet Water (11-2) defeated previously undefeated Loachapoka 35-7 last Friday night.

It's a no-brainer that all the teams across the state in their respectful classifications are strong competitors. It's just a matter of which team plays the closest to perfect.

Brantley will need to jump out on top early in hopes of shaking Sweet Water's young squad. The Bulldogs were able to do this last week, but missed a couple of opportunities to pad their early lead.

Sweet Water has a potent offense, so Brantley's defense must stand strong.

Other than that, turnovers and penalties could be the deciding factor.

Prestridge's Pick: Brantley.

Adam Prestridge is editor of

The Luverne Journal. He can be reached at 334-335-3541 or by e-mail: adam.prestridge@luverne journal.com