Oak Mountain is #1 and Vestavia Hills is #2 in the Alabama Class 6A boys high school rankings.
They have played three times this season, Vestavia has won twice, but Oak Mountain has won the most recent. Their only losses have been against each other.
They could meet again, and if they do it will be for the state championship on May 11.
Twice the games have been decided by a penalty kick shootout. Twice the shootout score has been 5-4.
The first shootout settled a 0-0 draw in favor of Vestavia in the championship game of the Lakeshore Shootout in early Febuary.
The Rebels also won for a second time in early March, rolling to a 5-1 regular season victory.
Then in the closing weeks of the regular season Oak Mountain (17-2-1) gained a measure of revenge by winning a 5-4 penalty kick shootout to break a 1-1 deadlock to hand Vestavia (24-1-1) its only loss of the season.
Oak Mountain is top ranked in the state poll, but Vestavia Hills is #5 in the NSCAA Region II poll. Oak Mountain is #8 regionally.
There are others in the 6A ranks that can spoil the run to the final for the two frontrunners. Upsets happen!
Huntsville is top ranked in the girls 6A state poll and #3 in the NSCAA Region II Poll, wth Vestavia second and Grissom third in the state. Mountain Brook is tenth in the region.
The Athens Golden Eagles completed an unbeaten regular season in the Class 5A boys at 19-0-1. Athens, behind senior Christopher Gregory, leaped over Briarwood Christian for the top spot with wins over #10 Hartselle (4-1) and Cullman (5-1).
Gregory was the North MVP in last summer’s North-South All-Star Game in Montgomery.
Spanish Fort finished the regular season tops in the girls Class 5A rankings. Briarwood Christian was second in both the boys and girls 5A polls.
The top boys team at the Class 1A-4A classification going into postseason play is UMS-Wright with a 13-5-4 record. Bayside is second on the boys side with Indian Springs ranked third.
The #1 ranked team in the girls Class 1A-4A poll is Pope John Paul II Catholic at 19-5-1, but Montgomery Academy, #2 in the girls rankings, has yet to lose and carries a 15-0-1 record into postseason play. Guntersville, ranked #3, is 11-0-2 with one game left in regular season play.