Finally it feels like football weather.

Of course this would come at the end of the season.

Thanks Mother Nature, good timing.

I say the end of the season. I’m wrong, it’s the end of the regular season.

Next week, athletes at Greenville and McKenzie will begin practicing for other sports as basketball teams take to the hardwood.

But, for Fort Dale, Georgiana and a newcomer to the Advocate sports pages, Lowndes Academy, life goes on.

Since LA is the new team in this section, here’s what’s been going on with them. The Rebs are the single A East champions. They will also be at home during the first round of the AISA playoffs and will host Cornerstone Christian in the first round.

Coach Art Sullivan and his squad have dropped two games this season. The first came to Lakeside Academy 8-0 and then an overtime loss to AAA Hooper Academy. Despite those losses the Rebels came on strong and posted several wins in a row including a 70-0 dispatching of Dixie Academy.

Moving up in class to AAA, the Fort Dale Eagles will travel to Edgewood Friday night. I had the opportunity to drive down to Mobile for the first half of the Fort Dale vs. Mobile Christian game Friday and the Eagles impressed me.

They were coming into the game off a two game losing streak, with losses to Morgan and AA Patrician.

Don’t let that fool you. Morgan was the region’s runner-up and Patrician is an AA playoff team. But Friday the Eagles actually played to their potential.

And, as a result, posted 35 points and 364 yards rushing.

The Eagles will land in Elmore Friday night for a meeting with Edgewood Academy. Edgewood had to knock off Pike Liberal Arts from Troy for the right to stay at home. Pike Lib, in turn will finish as the East region’s No. 3 and will travel to Morgan Friday night.

Now, switching gears from the Indie circuit to the public record.

Georgiana is in the playoffs. Keith York and his squad of Panthers had one goal last Friday night and that was to beat Washington County.

They did that.

They needed Excel to choke against a tough squad from Southern Choctaw.

They did just that.

Georgiana is in a tough bracket though. The Panthers will open against 2A Runner-up Luverne.

This is not going to be an easy game. The Tigers, as I have been informed several times have their program running like a small colleges and it’s obviously working.

Mike Dubose fell from grace at the University of Alabama.

Whether he fell or was the scapegoat in a bigger conspiracy is all relative. He has found a home in Luverne and if he wins the state championship this year, he can go on and order the Dubose for Mayor signs.

But, they have to get through a scrappy Panther squad.

That’s the playoff picture for this area.

Good luck to all the teams that have made it to this point. Playoffs are a different animal than the regular season. It’s all or nothing, one or done, or whatever clever sports clice` that can be thrown in there.

With the high school football portion of this column finished it’s time to turn the focus to the next level college football.

In the SEC, there is a huge game tomorrow. Both of these squads have something to prove and when’s it’s all said and done Rocky Top will be playing loud and proud.

What? Notre Dame and Tennessee is not the big game in the SEC?

Oh, yeah, Auburn’s playing Open this weekend. That should be a good game. No wait, the real big game, Alabama is playing Miss State.

This game is going to be interesting due to the fact that you have two guys who competed for the Alabama job.

Let’s just do a little quick rationalizing. Sylvester Croom, the guy that was passed over is at Mississippi State struggling. Granted the Bulldogs did knock off the Gators, but they did lose to Maine also. Now Mike Shula, the cat that got the Bama job isn’t having that easy of a season either.

The Tide has lost to Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina this season.

I bet Mal Moore is seeing UTEP in the top 25 and wishing he’d let Mike Price stay in the crimson and white instead of running him off because he got caught at a strip club.

Oh well, go Miners.

Back to the Tide and Dawgs. This game should be interesting as the Tide is playing for a bowl bid.

It may be a bowl bid to the Angel Soft Toilet Bowl, but hey, it’s a bowl game and that’s all that the Tide fans care about.

But, back to the important game. Tennessee is very brave for scheduling an out of conference team this late in the season and their gamble will pay off. Rocky Top will be sung multiple times during this game.

It’s always good when Notre Dame loses.

It’s that simple.

Griffin Pritchard is the sports editor for the Greenville Advocate. He can be reached at 382-3111 ext. 122.