Alabama Playoff Preview: Ranked 5A Openers, 6A Byes

[Clay-Chalkville](https://t25ps.com/teams/al/clay-chalkville) scored 46 points last week and still lost by 18. Austin arrives with a running back who has carried the ball 49 times in a game and finished another win with 11 straight runs. The Cougars don't have to wait long to find out how their defense responds. [Saraland](https://t25ps.com/teams/al/saraland) faces a different challenge in Friday's Class 5A opening round. Visiting Pelham has won six straight and already delivered with its playoff place on the line. Both games are November 6. #24 Clay-Chalkville (AL) and #83 Saraland (AL) are ranked in the [T25PS Week 11 National Public Schools Top 100](https://t25ps.com/rankings/2026/2026-week-11-top-100). Austin at Clay-Chalkville Clay won all six Region 6 games to earn this home opener. The 7-2 Cougars beat Saraland 38-21 in last year's Class 6A final before the classification changes. That experience won't tackle Aidan Davis. Austin's senior running back carried 49 times for 251 yards and two touchdowns against Florence on October 16, according to the Decatur Daily. Two weeks later, the Black Bears closed a 35-28 win over Bob Jones with an 11-play, 53-yard touchdown drive. Every play was a Davis run. Austin is 6-4 and Region 7's fourth qualifier. Quarterback Donovan Jarman also threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score against Bob Jones, giving the Black Bears another answer if Clay sells out against Davis. Clay's problem was plain in the 64-46 loss to Central-Phenix City on October 30. Central gained 571 yards and averaged 11 yards per play. The Cougars' 24-game home winning streak ended that night. Quarterback C.J. Eldridge kept Clay scoring with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. He had thrown for 352 yards and four scores against St. Clair County two weeks earlier, as reported by the AHSAA. **What to watch:** Clay needs early-down stops that keep Davis from repeating his finish against Bob Jones. Austin has to defend Eldridge's receivers without losing him as a runner. Both defenses need to end possessions, not just slow one part of the offense. Pelham at Saraland Facing fourth-and-8 at Mountain Brook on October 22, Pelham quarterback Dylan Smith found receiver Marcus Arnold for a 24-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left. The 25-21 win clinched a playoff berth. Arnold caught both of Smith's touchdown passes that night. Now the 8-2 Panthers, third in Region 4, visit a 9-1 Saraland team trying to reach its fifth consecutive championship game. Saraland quarterback Jamison Roberts entered the postseason with 2,712 passing yards, 33 touchdown passes and two interceptions, plus nine rushing touchdowns. Running back Ayiden Pugh had 907 yards and 13 touchdowns on 95 carries in [AL.com](http://AL.com)['s November 4 preview](https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/south/2026/11/5-things-to-know-about-round-1-of-the-coastal-alabama-playoffs.html). Pelham's defense has grown into the season. An October 21 AHSAA report described a group with all new starters that allowed 16.5 points per game during the four-game winning streak entering Mountain Brook. Saraland tests that improvement on the ground and through the air. **What to watch:** Pelham can't load up against Roberts and forget Pugh. Saraland needs to finish difficult downs against Smith and Arnold, whose fourth-and-8 touchdown kept Pelham's playoff push moving. Field position matters, too: Saraland returned a punt for a touchdown against Auburn, while Pelham allowed a long kickoff return after its winning score at Mountain Brook. Elsewhere, ranked Gulf Shores and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa open the [5A playoffs](https://www.si.com/high-school/stats/alabama/football/brackets/19335). Prattville, Thompson and Central-Phenix City have 6A byes. Follow the games on the [T25PS scoreboard](https://t25ps.com/scoreboard).

Alabama 5A Playoff Preview: Austin Tests Clay’s Response, Pelham Takes Its Run to Saraland

Austin at Clay-Chalkville

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Pelham at Saraland