Football playoffs: Red Raiders host first postseason game since 2016
Nov. 10—Playoff football returns to Ogle Stadium on Friday night.
For the first time since 2016, the Red Raiders have a home playoff game.
It's Decatur (9-2) vs. Gardendale (8-3) in the Class 6A second round. The winner advances to play the winner of Muscle Shoals (9-1) at Parker (7-4) in the quarterfinals.
Decatur opened the playoffs last Friday at Fort Payne with an impressive, 31-8, win. Senior Jyron McDaniel returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass.
"It's pretty exciting to think we get to have a playoff game at home," McDaniel said. "When you get in the playoffs you never know what's going to happen. There's no guarantee that you will get a home game, but we do."
Despite the solid season record, Decatur finished third in Class 6A, Region 7 behind Hartselle and Muscle Shoals. That forced the Red Raiders to go on the road for the first round.
"It's a long bus ride back from Fort Payne and we did some celebrating," senior quarterback Ellis Dickman said. "We celebrated the win and getting to play at Ogle at least one more time. That means a lot."
The last time Ogle Stadium hosted a Decatur playoff game was on Nov. 4, 2016 vs. Cullman. The Red Raiders beat the Bearcats, 35-10, and were eliminated the next week by eventual 6A state champion Ramsay, 34-6.
A lot has happened since that playoff win over Cullman. Four days after the game, Donald Trump was elected president. Decatur High has since moved to a new campus across the street on Somerville Road.
Ogle Stadium itself has undergone major changes. After 50 years of being shared by two schools, it returned to being home to only Decatur in 2018. The grass playing surface gave way to a turf field painted green, red and black. A giant D in the middle of the field proudly proclaims who is the home team.
"It's going to be a lot of fun to have a playoff game at home," Decatur head coach Jere Adcock said. "This team deserves to have one. They have been through a lot, especially these seniors."
Decatur's seniors won a total of six games over their sophomore and junior seasons. The ninth win of this season secures a spot in the field house for a team poster.
The last team to secure a team poster was the 2016 team that finished 10-2. That team was led by two first-team All-State players in running back LaDarius Woods and linebacker Josh Marsh.
Only a triple-overtime loss to Austin kept that team from having an undefeated regular season.
This year's team can match the 2016 team's record with a win over Gardendale and also put Decatur in the third round for the first time since 2014.
Gardendale will be a challenge. The Rockets feature senior quarterback Tyler Nelson who ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns in last Friday's 31-14 win over Oxford. Last year in the first round of the playoffs at Hartselle, Nelson ran for three touchdowns in a 35-28 win.
"He's a special player who you can't take your eye off on any plays because he can burn you in a hurry," Adcock said.
This will be Gardendale's second trip to Decatur this season. The Rockets lost at Austin 17-10 on Sept. 23.
"We've watched the film of that game and I've talked to Coach (Jeremy) Perkins about what their plan was," Adcock said. "They were able to run the ball and keep sustained drives. They did a great job of containing him and limiting his runs. Hopefully we can do the same."
— david.elwell@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @DD_DavidElwell.
