Alabama
Football High Live: Scores, updates from Alabama’s state semifinal games
There are few Cinderella stories remaining in the AHSAA 2025 high school football playoffs.
Class 5A Scottsboro is the only unranked team remaining in the race to get to Birmingham’s Protective Stadium next week. The Wildcats host Moody tonight.
Semifinal predictions
Mobile on deck for Super 7
Black Friday features 13 unbeaten teams and three rematches as the field narrows to the final 14 teams. Thompson and Opelika are already in the finals in Class 7A. Who joins them tonight in the other classes?
Check back frequently for highlights from across the state. At the end of the night, the complete scorelist and Super 7 pairings will be available.
Here we go. …
8:38 PM, Devils doing it: Maplesville pushes its lead over Leroy to 24-6 with 10:05 to play in the third period on a 3-yard Nehemiah McCray TD run. The Red Devils and Bears are both 13-0 in 1A this season. … Muscle Shoals’ kicker Jorge Garcia kicked a 45-yard field goal with 8:46 left in the third period to cut Clay-Chalkville’s lead to 22-13. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-15 at the half.
8:31 PM, All for naught: Tucker Tomlinson jumped on a fumbled punt return to put St. Michael in business at Jackson’s 14-yard line, but the Aggies held when the Cardinals go for it on fourth-and-10. Jackson leads 23-15 with 2:21 left in the half. … Mars Hill leads Piedmont 35-16 at the half. … Bayside leads Southside-Selma 21-8 with 8:37 left in the half. … From Opelika-Auburn News, Lanett has forced 4 turnovers and allowed Reeltown 86 yards in the first half. Lanett is up 21-0. … Addison cuts Wadley’s lead to 14-8 in the third period.
8:14 PM, No. 1 narrows No. 2’s lead: St. Michael’s Noah Moss rambled in for a short TD and Gunner Rivers hit Braedyn Walton for a 2-point PAT to trim Jackson’s lead to 23-15 with 8 minutes left in the first half. … Saraland has lost 3 fumbles, but still leads Benjamin Russell 14-7 at the half.
8:05 PM, Saraland scramble: The second-ranked Class 6A Spartans lead No. 4 Benjamin Russell 14-7 on a 10-yard scramble by Jamison Roberts. The defense set up the score with an INT. … Clay-Chalkville goes in at halftime up 22-10 over Muscle Shoals thanks to a TD pass with 13 seconds remaining. … Coosa Christian is creeping up, now trailing Pisgah 22-20. … Maplesville leads Leroy 17-6 at the half. … Plainview’s Brody Hodges knots the score with Anniston at 14 on a 1-yard run with 3:08 left in the half at Rainsville. … Moody leads Scottsboro 21-10 with 3:28 left in the half as Aidden White hauls in a long TD pass.
7:55 PM, Frye and more Frye: Clay-Chalkville quarterback Aaron Frye puts the visitors up 15-10 over Muscle Shoals with 5:40 left in the half. Frye scored on a draw dead up the middle from 5 yards out for the TD and then walked in around left end for the 2-point conversion after a huge clear out block. … Pisgah leads Coosa Christian 22-13 and Lanett is up 14-0 over Reeltown. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-7 with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. … Piedmont scores and makes a 2-point PAT, but trails Mars Hill Bible 35-16 with 2:27 left in the half. … Maplesville extends its lead over Leroy to 17-6 on a 9-yard run by Nehemiah McCray with 37 seconds left in the half.
7:47 PM, Back and forth in 1A: No. 2 Maplesville is back on top over No. 3 Leroy 10-6 after a 3-yard run by Jedaiah Works with 3:47 left before the half. … Moody leads Scottsboro 14-7 at the end of the first period. … Wadley has increased its lead over Addison to 14-0 in the second quarter. … Anniston leads Plainview 14-7 with 10:11 left in the half on Damon Pope’s 9-yard run.
7:42 PM, Stalemate, so far: No. 3 Vigor and No. 1 Williamson are tied at 14 with 10:59 left in the half in one 5A semifinal. Sammy Dunn hit Zy Wilson for a 38-yard TD pass and Dylan Jackson on an 18-yarder for the Wolves. Williamson’s Jamarcus Lett scored on a 1-yard run, Todrick Withers had a 3-yard scoring run and an Ellis McGaskin 2-point run tied it up. … Leroy leads Maplesville 6-4 with 6:09 left in the first half after a Jace Sellers 16-yard pass to Tanner Rivers.
7:33 PM, Trojans horse: Quarterback Kade Clemmons raced 43 yards around the left side to put Muscle Shoals up 10-7 over Clay-Chalkville with 1:43 left in the first period. … Anniston takes an 8-7 lead over Plainview on a 6-yard run by Jamorris Young and a 2-point conversion pass from Damon Pope to Kaleb Moore with 5:44 left in the first. … Wadley leads Addison 8-0 after one period. … Mars Hill is rolling over Piedmont at 21-0 in the first quarter.
7:28 PM, Points and more points: Landon Duckworth hit Red Chapman with a 48-yard touchdown pass and EJ Crowell ran for a 2-point conversion to give Jackson an 8-0 lead over St. Michael. … Moody’s Jake Lowery throws to Aubrey Walker for an 18-yard score to tie the game with Scottsboro at 7 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. … Noah Cain runs 4 yards for a Bayside Academy TD with 4:22 left in the first to put the Admirals up 13-0 over Southside-Selma. … Lanett leads Reeltown 7-0 and Pisgah is up 14-0 over Coosa Christian.
7:22 PM, Safety first. And second: Maplesville leads Leroy 4-0 at the end of the first quarter after a punt snap sailed out of the end zone and then the swarming Red Devils tackled a Leroy receiver in the end zone. … Colton Harding finds Conner Vaden for a 40-yard touchdown to put Scottsboro up 7-0 over Moody with 9:58 left in the first quarter. … Jorge Garcia booted a 25-yard field goal to narrow Clay-Chalkville’s lead over Muscle Shoals to 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first. The Cougars stiffened after Jashad Samples returned Clay-Chalkville’s kickoff after its TD 75 yards.
7:11 PM, Plainview, Clay-Chalkville on the board: Owen Hope races 55 yards to put 4A No. 5 Plainview up 7-0 over No. 4 Anniston in Rainsville. In Muscle Shoals, Clay-Chalkville took the opening kickoff and worked its way to the end zone with 8:50 left in the first period. Aaron Frye hit Josh Woods for an 8-yard TD on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line. It’s 7-0, Cougars over the Trojans.
6 PM, Moving on up: Auburn commit Jaquez Wilkes continues to move up in the Best in Bama, AL.com’s list of the top recruits in the state regardless of classification. Alabama commit EJ Crowell is still No. 1 entering tonight’s game at St. Michael. See who else made a move this week on AL.com.
5 PM, Breaking down the finals: 13 unbeaten teams, 3 rematches and 1 unranked Cinderella story. Get a breakdown of all 12 state semifinal games on AL.com before they start.
AHSAA SEMIFINALS
CLASS 6A
Benjamin Russell (12-1) at Saraland (12-0)
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Muscle Shoals (12-0)
CLASS 5A
Vigor (11-2) at Williamson (13-0)
Moody (11-2) at Scottsboro (9-4)
CLASS 4A
Jackson (11-2) at St. Michael (13-0)
Anniston (13-0) at Plainview (13-0)
CLASS 3A
Southside-Selma (13-0) at Bayside Academy (12-1)
Piedmont (13-0) at Mars Hill Bible (13-0)
CLASS 2A
Reeltown (10-3) at Lanett (11-2)
Coosa Christian (11-2) at Pisgah (11-2)
CLASS 1A
Leroy (13-0) at Maplesville (13-0)
Wadley (12-0) at Addison (12-1)
This post will be updated
Alabama
Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran
Hegseth on Iran: ‘This is not Iraq. This is not endless.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said operations on Iran won’t be “endless” like Iraq.
The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.
The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.
In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.
Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.
Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks
For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.
“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”
He feels the attacks are a mistake.
“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.
Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.
“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”
Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
Alabama
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey receives Boy Scouts’ Circle of Honor
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was honored for her lifelong dedication to youth and community service during the 12th annual Black Warrior Council Boy Scouts of America Circle of Honor awards luncheon.
The ceremony, which was held Feb. 27 at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa, serves as a fundraiser for the council’s scouting program.
The Circle of Honor award is presented to people in west central Alabama whose livelihood and actions reflect the same values of the Black Warrior Boy Scouts. Recipients have also shown advocacy for youth and leadership in the community.
Past recipients of the award include Terry Saban, Nick Saban, former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, scientist and philanthropist Thomas Joiner, pharmacist and retailer James I. Harrison Jr., civic leader Mary Ann Phelps and more.
Cathy Randall, a Tuscaloosa businesswoman, educator and philanthropist, presented Ivey with the award. Randall was inducted into the Circle of Honor in 2025 along with her late husband, Pettus.
Ivey said she was grateful to receive the honor by the Black Warrior Council and highlighted the importance of public service.
“I’m proud to have dedicated my life to public service, there’s no more noble calling than to uplift and empower lives,” said Ivey during the Feb. 27 ceremony.
Ivey thanked the scouting organizations, including the Black Warrior Council for its contributions to educational opportunities, economic development, and public safety.
“In particular, I’m proud of the work done by our Scouting organizations like the Black Warrior Council, who lay a foundation for successful future in both our young people and our state, thank you for all you do to build a stronger Alabama by changing lives and preparing our future leaders,” said Ivey, a native of Camden in Wilcox County.
Ivey is wrapping up her second term as governor after a long career spent primarily in government.
After graduating from Auburn University in 1967, Ivey worked as a high school teacher and a bank officer. She served as reading clerk for the Alabama House of Representatives under then-Speaker Joseph C. McCorquodale and she served as assistant director at the Alabama Development Office.
In 2002, Ivey was elected to the first of two terms as Alabama’s treasurer and in 2010, she was elected to the first of two terms as lieutenant governor. On April 10, 2017, Ivey was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th governor after the resignation of Robert Bentley. She filled out the rest of Bentley’s term before winning the gubernatorial election in 2018 and she was re-elected in 2022.
She will leave office at the end of this year.
She is the first Republican woman to serve as Alabama’s governor but she’s the second woman to hold the state’s top executive office. Tuscaloosa County native Lurleen B. Wallace, a Democrat, became Alabama’s first female governor in 1966.
Circle of Honor luncheon raises nearly $200,000
Also during the ceremony, retired DCH Health System administrator Sammy Watson, who served as the event’s emcee, announced that the council had raised $197,000 through the luncheon that day.
Proceeds from the lunch will be used to expand Boy Scouts programs, making them available to over 3,000 young people in west central Alabama.
The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s leading outdoor education and character development program. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@usatodayco.com. To support her work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News.
Alabama
Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. steps down after 13 years on the bench
SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) – After more than a decade serving Alabama’s fourth judicial circuit, Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. is stepping away from full-time service, closing a chapter that spans nearly four decades in the legal profession.
Pettaway was elected to the bench in 2012 and served in several counties including Dallas, Wilcox, Perry, Hale and Bibb counties, the largest geographical circuit in the state.
Now, he says, it was simply time.
“I never wanted to serve in that capacity forever,” Pettaway said “And plus, I wanted to also make room for some younger, brighter minds to come forward.”
Before becoming a judge, Pettaway practiced law in Selma for nearly 30 years after being licensed in 1985. During that time, he handled cases that helped shape Alabama law; something he says he didn’t fully appreciate until colleagues reflected on his impact.
“I handled several cases which actually affected and changed the direction of the state of the law in our state,” he added. “And I didn’t realize I did all that.”
Friends and fellow legal professionals once presented him with research showing his involvement in Alabama Supreme Court cases that made significant changes in state law; a moment he describes as both surprising and humbling.
During his time on the bench, Pettaway says one of his priorities was maintaining professionalism and respect within the legal system.
He often referenced the Alabama State Bar’s Lawyer’s Creed — a pledge attorneys take promising to treat even their opponents with civility and understanding.
“In that creed, you are promising that you’re gonna treat even your opponents with civility and with kindness and understanding.”
Pettaway says he believes the legal profession — and society at large — must continue working toward a culture rooted in respect and service.
Although stepping away from full-time duties, Pettaway says he is not completely leaving the legal field. He has transitioned to retired active status and plans to assist with cases when needed, while also returning to private practice.
He says this new chapter is about balance.
After decades shaping courtrooms across five counties, Pettaway says he is focused on health, perspective and trusting the next generation to carry the bench forward.
Governor Kay Ivey has appointed former Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones to serve the remainder of Pettaway’s six-year term.
Jones previously served as senior chief trial attorney under District Attorney Robert Turner Jr. and has also led the Fourth Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.
The transition marks a new era for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, while closing a significant chapter in its recent history.
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