By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

By this point in the season, the playoff picture has begun to take a solid shape. Some teams are definitely in and some teams are most assuredly out by this point. But there is a third group, a fringe group, full of teams that could still go either way. Here are four teams still with a chance to still see the postseason, ranked in order of plausibility.

 

1. Briarwood, (2-4, 2-2)

Region 3 of 6A has one team at 4-0 in Homewood who will most likely end the season undefeated in region play and hold home field advantage through the playoffs. There are two teams in Jackson-Olin and Walker both standing at 3-1 while Minor and Hueytown are both 2-2 along with Briarwood. That’s five teams vying for four spots. Both Minor and Briarwood still have region bottom dwellers Pelham and John Carroll on the schedule, which are a combined 0-12 on the season, as well as each other. What that most likely means is whoever wins that Oct. 16 matchup, a home game for the Lions, will see the postseason.

 

2. Thompson (2-4, 1-3)

Thompson is hanging on to just a thread of hope at this point for a postseason berth. It is still mathematically possible for the Warriors to make the playoffs, and some hope is better than none, right? Thompson has three 7A Region 3 games left against Hewitt-Trussville, Tuscaloosa County and Oak Mountain and has to win them all. That puts the Warriors at 4-3 in the region. This scenario also gives Thompson a crucial head-to-head win over Hewitt-Trussville on the chance there turns out to be a cluster of 4-3 teams in the region all jostling for a playoff spot.

 

3. Shelby County (2-5, 1-3)

The Wildcats are another team that has a theoretical shot to make the playoffs, although they need some help. First, Shelby County has to beat Sylacauga and Tallassee in the next two weeks, otherwise it will miss the playoffs yet again. Then, if Sylacauga loses to Central Clay County, currently unbeaten in the region, on Oct. 16, all the sudden Shelby County is 3-3 with a head-to-head win over Sylacauga in a bid for the fourth playoff spot in 5A Region 3.

 

4. Oak Mountain (2-4, 1-3)

Both Oak Mountain and Thompson are not making the playoffs. Can’t happen. Both the Eagles and Warriors need to reel off three straight region wins, and the two play each other on Oct. 23 in the final region game of the season. Oak Mountain’s two remaining games between now and the Thompson game are Mountain Brook and Spain Park. The Eagles also need some help, and need either Hewitt-Trussville or Vestavia Hills to lose its three remaining region games, as both have head-to-head matchup wins over Oak Mountain and are both currently 3-1 in region play, but hey, crazier things have happened.