Postseason begins as seeds take shape for high school football

High school football across multiple states moved from regular-season finales into postseason play Thursday and Friday, Oct. 30 and 31, as hundreds of games determined final seeds, league titles and playoff berths from Alabama to California and South Florida. The weekend featured marquee matchups, upset results and the opening rounds of district and sectional tournaments that will shape the next month of competition.

In Alabama, the final week of the regular season produced high-stakes contests and widespread interest. An unofficial tally from state coverage counted about 103 games on Thursday and 52 on Friday, with roughly 110 teams idle for the weekend. Among the headline matchups, Class 4A No. 1 St. Michael hosted UMS-Wright as the Cardinals pursued an undefeated regular season, while unbeaten Deshler visited unbeaten West Morgan in a Region 7 showdown. Vestavia Hills hosted reigning 5A champion Montgomery Catholic in a warmup ahead of the postseason. State reports also noted a personnel development when LeFlore High School announced hours before its final game that coach Michael Perry had been relieved of his duties; Perry had been in his first season as coach.