Alabama
Alabama high school football predictions: Experts pick the state semifinals
Thompson and Opelika are already in next week’s Super 7 championships at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium.
The other 12 finalists will be decided Friday night in the Class 1A-6A semifinals.
Breaking down the semifinals
Round 4 news, notes, schedule
Thirteen teams are still undefeated heading into Round 4. The most surprising semifinalist is Scottsboro in Class 5A. The Wildcats are the only unranked team remaining. They host Moody with a chance to reach the finals.
Here is how the AL.com experts pick this week’s semifinal games:
CLASS 6A
Benjamin Russell (12-1) at Saraland (12-0)
Ben Thomas: Saraland 35-28
Dennis Victory: Saraland 42-28
Randy Kennedy: Saraland 35-33
John Vella: Saraland 36-24
Gerhard Mathangani: Saraland 31-28
Simone Eli: Saraland 34-20
Thomas Ashworth: Saraland 41-39
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Muscle Shoals (12-0)
Ben Thomas: Clay-Chalkville 21-14
Dennis Victory: Clay-Chalkville 31-30
Randy Kennedy: Clay-Chalkville 17-14
John Vella: Clay-Chalkville 32-30
Gerhard Mathangani: Clay-Chalkville 35-28
Simone Eli: Clay-Chalkville 27-17
Thomas Ashworth: Muscle Shoals 24-23
CLASS 5A
Vigor (11-2) at Williamson (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Williamson 20-12
Dennis Victory: Williamson 19-18
Randy Kennedy: Williamson 22-21
John Vella: Williamson 27-18
Gerhard Mathangani: Williamson 24-23
Simone Eli: Vigor 23-17
Thomas Ashworth: Vigor 24-23
Moody (11-2) at Scottsboro (9-4)
Ben Thomas: Moody 42-21
Dennis Victory: Moody 38-21
Randy Kennedy: Moody 41-24
John Vella: Moody 31-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Moody 38-31
Simone Eli: Moody 30-16
Thomas Ashworth: Moody 37-28
CLASS 4A
Jackson (11-2) at St. Michael (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Jackson 41-34
Dennis Victory: Jackson 51-50
Randy Kennedy: Jackson 43-42
John Vella: Jackson 40-33
Gerhard Mathangani: St. Michael 28-27
Simone Eli: St. Michael 38-35
Thomas Ashworth: Jackson 38-37
Anniston (13-0) at Plainview (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Anniston 28-17
Dennis Victory: Anniston 22-21
Randy Kennedy: Anniston 30-20
John Vella: Plainview 24-16
Gerhard Mathangani: Plainview 27-24
Simone Eli: Anniston 28-20
Thomas Ashworth: Anniston 34-23
CLASS 3A
Southside-Selma (13-0) at Bayside Academy (12-1)
Ben Thomas: Bayside Academy 31-23
Dennis Victory: Bayside Academy 24-22
Randy Kennedy: Bayside Academy 31-27
John Vella: Bayside Academy 30-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Bayside Academy 21-17
Simone Eli: Bayside Academy 24-23
Thomas Ashworth: Bayside Academy 34-31
Piedmont (13-0) at Mars Hill (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Mars Hill 38-30
Dennis Victory: Mars Hill 28-21
Randy Kennedy: Mars Hill 34-33
John Vella: Mars Hill 36-32
Gerhard Mathangani: Mars Hill 28-27
Simone Eli: Mars Hill 31-28
Thomas Ashworth: Mars Hill 37-35
CLASS 2A
Reeltown (10-3) at Lanett (11-2)
Ben Thomas: Reeltown 21-16
Dennis Victory: Reeltown 28-27
Randy Kennedy: Reeltown 20-19
John Vella: Reeltown 27-21
Gerhard Mathangani: Lanett 21-18
Simone Eli: Reeltown 34-27
Thomas Ashworth: Reeltown 31-27
Coosa Christian (11-2) at Pisgah (11-2)
Ben Thomas: Coosa Christian 33-17
Dennis Victory: Coosa Christian 35-28
Randy Kennedy: Coosa Christian 37-30
John Vella: Coosa Christian 39-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Coosa Christian 27-24
Simone Eli: Coosa Christian 42-21
Thomas Ashworth: Coosa Christian 20-16
CLASS 1A
Leroy (13-0) at Maplesville (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Maplesville 35-27
Dennis Victory: Maplesville 28-14
Randy Kennedy: Maplesville 20-10
John Vella: Maplesville 35-24
Gerhard Mathangani: Maplesville 14-7
Simone Eli: Maplesville 21-14
Thomas Ashworth: Maplesville 24-6
Wadley (12-0) at Addison (12-1)
Ben Thomas: Wadley 41-28
Dennis Victory: Wadley 38-28
Randy Kennedy: Wadley 35-15
John Vella: Wadley 45-30
Gerhard Mathangani: Wadley 21-18
Simone Eli: Wadley 38-17
Thomas Ashworth: Wadley 38-24
STANDINGS
Last week, overall
Ben Thomas 16-4, 212-68
Dennis Victory 15-5, 211-69
Randy Kennedy 14-6, 210-70
John Vella 15-5, 207-73
Gerhard Mathangani 13-7, 202-78
Simone Eli 16-4, 200-80
Thomas Ashworth 17-3, 198-82
Alabama
Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Peanut Field Near Florida-Alabama Line : NorthEscambia.com
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in an Alabama peanut field near the Florida state line on Friday afternoon.
The pilot and a student made the landing in the field after experiencing engine trouble, approximately 0.7 miles south-southwest of the runway at the Atmore Municipal Airport. There were no injuries.
The 2023 Diamond DA 40 NG plane belonging to Skywarrior Flight Training of Pensacola did not sustain any apparent damage.
For more photos, click here.
The incident occurred just north of Old Bratt Road, which is also known as State Line Road in Florida. The Florida-Alabama state line is generally considered to be along the middle of the roadway.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday, and Alabama Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron has consistently been touted as one of the first 10-20 overall picks among analysts’ various mock drafts.
On Friday, CBS Sports released its final mock ahead of this weekend’s festivities in Philadelphia. Analyst Mike Axisa sees Lebron going to the Texas Rangers with the 16th overall selection.
Among college players, Lebron lands between Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick at No. 14 and one spot above Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian in CBS Sports’ final analysis.
Axisa said of the possible Rangers-Lebron fit:
“The Rangers have a thing for ‘famous’ prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker), and Lebron is one of the most famous prospects available this summer. About 18 months ago, he was the favorite to go No. 1 overall, but some uneven performances (and Cholowsky’s breakout) cooled that talk. Lebron has some of the loudest tools in the draft class. We’re talking speed, power, athleticism, the works. Approach and plate discipline concerns have held him back, though.”
ESPN sees Alabama’s Justin Lebron among top 12 MLB draft picks
In the final MLB mock draft by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel on Friday, Lebron goes 12th overall to the Los Angeles Angels. LSU outfielder Derek Curiel is taken one pick above Lebron by the Washington Nationals in McDaniel’s draft forecast.
“With a new interim head of baseball operations in John Mozeliak, who is mostly hands-off with the draft, the belief is that the scouts will get to make this pick. That doesn’t mean all prep upside because that’s not really what the board is giving them, but I could see the Angels selecting a college hitter with less polish and more upside, such as Lebron, who is a nice value here.” –Kiley McDaniel, ESPN.com.
Could Justin Lebron be a top-10 pick in 2026 MLB draft?
For The Win, part of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group, unveiled its 2026 mock draft on Friday. Wajih AlBaroudi has Lebron going as high as No. 8 overall to the Athletics and said:
“Lebron is a dynamic athlete whose only glaring flaw is his patience at the plate. If he can clean that up, he’ll be a fixture atop the A’s lineup.”
Keith Law’s final mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required for full access) has Lebron taken with the 15th overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Justin Lebron career stats at Alabama
Lebron batted .313 with a .414 on base percentage, 45 home runs, 39 doubles and 158 RBIs in three seasons for the Crimson Tide. He stole 69 bases in his collegiate career. This past season, Lebron hit .277 with 16 homers and 13 doubles as Alabama won 42 games and reached the College World Series for the first time since 1999.
Where to watch the 2026 MLB draft: time, TV channel, streaming
The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft begins Saturday in Philadelphia. Per Major League Baseball, rounds 1-4 start at noon CT. The first 10 picks will be televised on NBC and will stream on Peacock. Picks 11-40 can be seen on MLB Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Rounds 5-20 begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CT and can be seen on MLB.com.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
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