Golden Tigers, Red Devils face challenges in title hunts
Russellville and Vina will begin quests for state baseball championships this Friday and the task will not be easy.
Both squads will face tough competition in the northern bracket of their respective classification against either highly-ranked teams or programs with quite a bit of playoff experience.
The ninth-ranked Red Devils will host Decatur Heritage in the Class 1A bracket. Vina has a 17-8 record while Decatur Heritage comes into the series at 14-14.
Vina struggled during the Franklin County Tournament and lost to Hackleburg earlier this week.
Should the Red Devils advance, they will face either Shoals Christian or Phillips.
Vina easily handled Phillips during area play and during a tune-up game last week. Shoals Christian currently has a 12-22 record, but the team has been a title contender for much of the last decade. That kind of experience with playoff pressure could pay off big.
If Vina advances to the semifinals, they will likely face one of three teams — top-ranked Hackleburg, third-ranked Athens Bible School or sixth-ranked Ragland.
Russellville is in the same type of situation.
The Golden Tigers travel to East Limestone (26-7), a playoff tested team. Should Russellville advance it would play either Hartselle or Lee-Huntsville.
Lee has playoff experience, but has not gotten out of the first round in several years.
Hartselle is the defending state champion and holds the tiebreaker against Russellville in regular-season play.
If the Golden Tigers advance to the semifinals, they will also likely face one of three ranked teams — second-ranked Southside Gadsden, third-ranked Cullman or ninth-ranked Boaz.
The road to the title game will not be easy for either team, but Russellville faces an extra challenge because it will play on the road in the first and second rounds. Vina will host both the first and second round.
The playoffs begin this Friday and the best teams will win it all. Hopefully the teams here in Franklin County are up to the challenge.
