WAAY 31 Big Game Friday Night's Playoff Game of the Week is Center Point (7-3) vs. Hartselle (8-2).
The regular season is over, and whether you're a region champ or the last team in, everyone is starting fresh in the playoffs. This week, the Hartselle Tigers are looking to prove that last year's run was just the beginning as they host the Eagles.
After posting back-to-back perfect regular seasons in 2021 and 2022, the Tigers saw their shot at another 10-0 start come to an end in Week 0 as they fell to Austin. But the team would win their next five games, including a thriller over Oxford which showed head coach Bryan Moore all he needed to know about his squad.
“You know we were down 21-7 with six minutes left and came back and won,” Moore said. “I thought that was something that said, ‘Look man, this team -- regardless of the situation, regardless of how the game is going -- is going to fight and believe.’ And I think it makes a huge difference. I think it was sort of the biggest moment for our football team and program maybe over the last four years.”
The Tigers finished the regular season 8-2, clinching a spot in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. That set up their third-ever meeting with the Center Point. Both of the previous meetings came in the playoffs, including the Tigers’ second-round win last year.
“Super athletic, very well coached, Coach Bates does a great job with them,” Moore said of the Eagles. “They’re going to come in expecting to win. They play in a really tough region -- they play Clay and Oxford and those guys and have seen some tough environments so this will not shellshock their kids, but we’re excited. They’ve got a great football team, it’ll be one of the best first-round matchups in the state.”
This season, resiliency has been key for the Tigers, who at one point were playing without all four quarterbacks on their roster but never gave up.
“I think it’s created quite a bond with this team. I think this team has an opportunity, if they play well, to go deep in the playoffs again,” Moore said. “A lot of it has to do with overcoming those failures and overcoming those injuries and having to bounce back. I think it goes a long way, especially in November.”
Now with the chance to show what they’re made of, Moore believes his team is ready to leave it all on the line.
“Here at Hartselle, some kids will go on to play college football, but not a ton and so this experience is everything and so they’re willing to do anything to make it the very best they can.”
The Tigers will kick things off against Center Point on Friday night at J.P. Cain Stadium.
