Last week, the high school football regular season came to an end, and now Andalusia, Opp and Straughn each begin their journeys to the state championship at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the campus of Auburn University.

This year, I’ve seen these three teams put everything on the line when they step onto the field under the glorious Friday night lights.

Straughn had some ups and downs during the season, but one thing about the Tigers, they always find a way to make it into the playoffs. The Tigers face a tough road as they travel to Mobile to take on Mobile Christian, but the Tigers showed last year when they beat higher-seeded Bibb County in round one, they can win even with the deck stacked against them.

Opp rolled through the regular season and will host Hillcrest-Evergreen on Friday night. The Bobcats’ offense is explosive, and they can put up points with the best of them. Opp should have strong chance of making it to at least round three.

Andalusia’s season has been the best I’ve ever seen from the Bulldogs. They are one of the most complete football teams I’ve seen. Most teams that lose their All-State running back for most of the year, would struggle, but the Bulldogs barely skipped a beat. The road to Jordan-Hare will be treacherous, but it’s not out of the Bulldogs’ reach.

Regardless of how the playoffs turn out for our local teams, these young men and their coaches can hold their heads high.