Playoff football is here, and there were some very exciting games to watch across the state of Alabama, with one of them being the Minor Tigers hosting the Arab Knights.
Coming into the first round of the AHSAA 5A State Playoffs, Minor finished with a regular season record of 7-3, while Arab held an 8-2 record. However, records didn't matter as it was a win-or-go-home situation.
In this case, Minor escaped this game with a close 26-21 victory. They were led by running back Kamari Bell, who rushed for well over 100 yards and scored two touchdowns. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds.
Scoring started early with Minor taking a 6-0 lead on their first drive. Arab, on the other hand, struggled to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball until the second quarter. They finally found the end zone, taking their first lead of the game, 7-6. Unfortunately, their lead lasted about 30 seconds, with Minor quickly marching down the field, scoring, and recapturing the lead 12-7 heading into halftime.
The second half contained many more big plays. Minor tried to take control of the game, but every time Minor found a way to score, Arab was right behind them, attempting to claw their way back.
The Tenacious Tigers of Minor High School controlled the line of scrimmage for the majority of this game, which allowed them to consistently move the ball down the field and take a lot of time off the game clock in the late moments of the game. And with Arab being down two scores, there just wasn't enough time left for them to make a comeback, falling short by a final of 26-21.
Minor, winning their first playoff game in 10 years, will face off against the Florence Falcons on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. CT. With Florence coming off a dominant 35-21 win against St. Clair County, this will be another tough test with the season on the line.