Alabama's Playoffs Open Friday: Pelham at Saraland, Unbeaten Reeltown Hosts J.U. Blacksher, and Parker's 40.7 Points a Game

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Alabama's Playoffs Open Friday: Pelham at Saraland, Unbeaten Reeltown Hosts J.U. Blacksher, and Parker's 40.7 Points a Game

The first round of the 2026 AHSAA football playoffs is Friday, Nov. 6. Pelham visits Saraland, 10-0 Reeltown hosts J.U. Blacksher, and MaxPreps No. 21 Prattville has a bye.

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Alabama's high school football playoffs start Friday, Nov. 6, and this year there is no Class 7A. Public schools now play in Classes 1A through 6A, with private schools split into Single-A and Double-AA, as High School On SI laid out. The two highest-ranked teams in the state in MaxPreps' national Top 25 do not play this week at all.

Pelham (8-2) at Saraland (9-1), Class 5A

Pelham brings an 8-2 record to Saraland (9-1) in the 5A South bracket. The AHSAA notes Pelham's 8-2 ties the best regular season mark under second-year coach Ross Newton. SI singled it out as one of the opening round's best games.

J.U. Blacksher (7-3) at Reeltown (10-0), Class 2A

Reeltown is one of the state's unbeaten teams and opens at home against a 7-3 J.U. Blacksher team, per both the AHSAA and SI brackets.

Mae Jemison (5-4) at A.H. Parker (9-1), Class 5A

The numbers favor the home side. According to MaxPreps data, Parker has scored 407 points and allowed 130 in 10 games, 40.7 a game on offense and 13.0 on defense. Mae Jemison has scored 224 and allowed 171, an average of 24.9 to 19.0, in nine games. The AHSAA lists the same 9-1 and 5-4 records.

Prattville and Thompson Wait

Prattville (10-0) is No. 21 in MaxPreps' national rankings and Thompson (8-1) is No. 25, per MaxPreps data (see Prattville on MaxPreps). Both have first-round byes in the expanded 24-team 6A field, the AHSAA said. In the second round, the Spain Park and Buckhorn winner goes to Prattville, and the Hoover and Bob Jones winner goes to Thompson, according to SI.

The Super 7 state championships are Dec. 2 to 5 at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile. Follow the bracket on BallerTube's high school football page.