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Andalusia (6-4) will begin the Class 5A AHSAA state playoffs with a first-round home matchup against Elmore County (7-2) on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

This will be the third all-time meeting between the two teams and the first in 13 years. The series is tied 1-1 with the Bulldogs winning a quarterfinal game in 2006 and the Panthers claiming a round one contest in 2011.

Head Coach Trent Taylor said one of the goals at the start of the year was to make the playoffs.

“This group has certainly had peaks and valleys along the way, but it shows a lot about what they have been able to accomplish. It’s a new season now, and we will take it one week at the time. You don’t know if this is a one-and-done thing, or it could go anywhere from two to five weeks. It’s guaranteed this week, so let’s make the most of it. You show up to put the work in Monday through Thursday and hopefully go out to execute on game day,” Taylor said.

Region 2 second seed Andalusia enters the playoffs for the 30th time in school history with an overall record of 43-26 and is 17-12 in the first round. Region 4 third seed Elmore County makes its 23rd appearance with a 27-19 mark and is 13-9 against opening-round opponents.

The Bulldogs took last week off and had initially prepared for a road rematch with Beauregard.

“I’m just learning about Elmore County to be honest. We worked mainly on us during the open week and found out between 6:30 and 7 p.m. last Friday our opponent had changed,” he said.

When the AHSAA announced Charles Henderson had forfeited five wins, Andalusia moved from the third seed to the second seed.

“Elmore County looks to be more even man front on defense, whereas Beauregard was more of an odd man front. From an offensive standpoint, they have a lot of run-pass option (RPO) and gap schemes. They are not all that different than some of our other opponents this year. We will prepare for Elmore County and get to be in the confines of home, which is convenient for us and our fans,” Taylor said.

The winner will play Demopolis or UMS-Wright in the second round next week.