AHSAA playoffs: Hillcrest's season comes to an end against Saraland, 31-21

For the second consecutive year, Hillcrest football saw its season coming to an end against Saraland in the Alabama High School Athletic Association playoffs.

Last year, the Patriots lost 56-31 in the second round of the playoffs, while Saraland went on to win the Class 6A state championship. On Friday night, the Patriots fell 31-21 at Spartan Stadium in the third round of playoffs.

Hillcrest was first to score on Friday night, with DeCorrin Thomas diving into the endzone to give the Patriots the early 7-0 lead. Saraland quickly responded with a touchdown run of its own by Santae McWilliams Jr to tie the game at 7-all at the end of the first quarter.

From then, the Spartans put up 21 unanswered points to take the 28-7 lead halfway through the third quarter. Hillcrest attempted the comeback, behind a touchdown pass from Bryson Kimbrough to Jackson Henderson and another to Chemar Moore, but it was to no avail as Saraland claimed the victory and advance to the semifinals of the AHSAA playoffs.

"My heart breaks for them," Hillcrest coach Jamie Mitchell said. "They did everything in the world we asked them to. They gave every ounce they could. There should not be a head down in that locker room. Defensively, they did everything we asked them to do. We held (Saraland) to 31 points and we just got whipped on the offensive side of the ball."

COACHES TELL ALL: Coaches confidential: Football coaches reveal where they think the Super 7 should be held

ROUND 3 PREVIEWS: Tuscaloosa area high school football predictions for third round playoff games

The loss marks the end of Mitchell's third season at the helm of the Patriots' program and the end of another successful season for the Hillcrest team. For the second straight season, the Patriots finished the regular season undefeated and won the 6A-Region 4 title. They also made it to the playoffs for the fourth straight season and made it to the quarterfinals for the second time under Mitchell.

While the loss stings, there is no doubt the Hillcrest program will continue with its success in years to come. The Patriots will lose 34 seniors to graduation this year — a majority of its starters — but they return plenty of underclassmen who have seen ample time on the field.

One of those returners is junior quarterback Bryson Kimbrough, who went 71-for-108 for 1,587 yards and 12 touchdowns through 11 games this season. The Patriots will also return sophomore wide receiver Kahden Smith, who accounted for more than 600 yards of offense and seven touchdowns through 11 games, along with freshman running back Christian Richey, who was leading the Patriots offense earlier this season with 341 yards rushing and five touchdowns through eight games.

"We are graduating 34 seniors," Mitchell said. "It is the heart and soul of our team. We just have to pray for our player development and having guys ready to go. It's going to be tested like never before."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA playoffs: Hillcrest falls 31-21 to Saraland in quarterfinals