BIRMINGHAM — They say that history repeats itself.

Addison High football coach Randy White can confirm that notion after leading his Bulldogs to its first Class 1A championship since 1976.

The team that Addison beat that cold Friday night was the very same team that Addison played on Friday afternoon at Legion Field.

The result was the same and the score ironically was just six points away from being exactly the same.

In 1976 Addison beat Brantley 21-6 for the title, and this time the Bulldogs used their time-consuming offense to take a 21-12 victory.

It was an eerie feeling for Brantley's Mickey Kilcrease to see Addison walk away with the blue championship trophy again because he was on the 1976 team that played Addison for the title.

&#8220When I saw who we were playing for the state championship, that was the first thing that came to mind was that '76 game,” Kilcrease said. &#8220And I thought this was our year just like I did back then, too.”

Brantley coach David Lowery also was hoping that history would not repeat itself on Friday, too.

In his first year as coach of the Bulldogs, he led them to a perfect 14-0 record heading into the Class 1A championship game with Hazlewood only to fall in the title game.

Lowery has yet to taste a victory in a state championship game, but he said that doesn't mean that Brantley didn't have a great season.

&#8220I would love to be back here again next year playing for a state championship,” he said. &#8220It doesn't matter who you play as long as you get that chance.”

Brantley certainly looks like an early favorite to do just that since it loses just one starter on defense and returns more than 2,000 yards in offense with all three of the Bulldog running backs returning for their senior season.

Brantley, indeed, had a great season. Sure the kids took the loss hard, but that's a good thing. A coach once told me that if you come away feeling hurt or cry after a loss, then you didn't give 100 percent.

The tears of disappointment that this Bulldog team shed on Legion Field Friday afternoon were deserved. This team gave all it had and then some.

It just so happened that history had to repeat itself some 29 years later.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. Call him at (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.