When the Foley Lions, Fairhope Pirates and Daphne Trojans look at their 6A playoff first round pairings, they undoubtedly see a tough road into the second round.

Fairhope (9-0, 6-0) won Class 6A’s Region 2 and won the right to host Region 1’s fourth-place team, the Murphy Panthers. Murphy is no ordinary four seed, though, and the unbeaten Pirates shouldn’t overlook them.

The Pirates have had a dream season and will very likely finish the regular season with a 10-0 record, but they haven’t faced a team with the speed and power of Murphy. The Panthers torched Foley for big play after big play in the season opener behind senior wide receiver Solomon Patton, a University of Florida commitment. And without standout running back Jamal Woodyard, who is out for another four-to-six weeks with a leg injury, the Pirates might not be able to match Murphy’s big play ability.

The Daphne Trojans (4-5) finished third in Region 2 and must travel to Theodore to face the Bobcats, who have also had an impressive season. And Foley (4-5) must travel to face Region 1’s top team, the Davidson Warriors, who split halves with the Lions in a pre-season jamboree game.

In Class 5A Region 1 nothing is settled. Five teams are vying for four playoff spots and all are tied for first place.

Baldwin teams Spanish Fort and Gulf Shores are in the mix with Vigor, LeFlore and St. Paul’s. So here is the breakdown: Gulf Shores beat St. Paul’s and LeFlore, Spanish Fort beat Vigor and Gulf Shores, Vigor beat Gulf Shores and St. Paul’s, LeFlore beat Spanish Fort and Vigor, and St. Paul’s beat Spanish Fort and LeFlore. Got that?

The Bayside Academy Admirals (6-3) finished third in 3A Region 1 and will travel to face Daleville in the first round. The Admirals would have finished second in the region if Luverne had beaten Straughn last week or if they had beaten Cottage Hill earlier this season.

Nevertheless, the Admirals have been winning on the ground behind running backs Thomas Buchanon, Chris Ives and Ryan Owens. Quarterback Camp Campbell has been very consistent for the Admirals as well. Bayside defeated Central-Hayneville on Friday to finish 5-2 in region play.

Eric Mann is the Sports Coordinator for Gulf Coast Newspapers.