The stakes are as high as it gets in the Ardmore-East Limestone rivalry, as the winner will make the playoffs and the loser is likely eliminated from postseason contention.

According to information from both coaches of East Limestone and Ardmore, the situation is that their game and the impending West Point-Brewer game will determine who the 3 and 4 seeds are for the upcoming state playoffs.

Russellville and Fairview are squaring off this weekend with the regional title on the line, as the winner gets first place and the loser will finish at No. 2.

Ardmore is trying to make the playoffs after putting themselves in a good position by winning their first two regional games.

East Limestone is trying to make the playoffs after rallying the past two weekends to give themselves a shot to be postseason-bound.

Ardmore and East Limestone, despite not always being in the same region as they are now, have played each other frequently in a rivalry matchup that has been competed on the gridiron 53 recorded times, with East Limestone leading the overall series 32-21, according to the online database for the Historical Society for Alabama high school football.

Ardmore is attempting to defeat East Limestone for the first time since 2008, although the schools took a hiatus from their matchups from ‘10 to ‘14.

They are also trying to accomplish this on the road, with the game taking place at East Limestone’s home field.

For East Limestone, they are in their first year under head coach Clint Woodfin and have salvaged their season after winning their third game and second regional game against West Point the previous weekend to put themselves in a position to defeat Ardmore and move into the top 4 of Classification 5A Region 8.

Woodfin is pleased with how his group has rallied to the point where they are playing better each week and keeping their playoff hopes intact for the Ardmore game.

“The rivalry is really strong. We are definitely excited to have them come to our place. I have a lot of respect for (Ardmore’s) Coach Snider,” Woodfin said of the upcoming game.

“I know he will have those guys schooled up ready to play, so for us, it is about making sure we can stay focused on getting better every single day.”

Coach Snider echoed much of the same and he knows a win against East Limestone will require laser focus from his group.

“Ardmore and East has always been a pretty big rivalry, being so close to each other in the county,” Snider said. “You add to it that you have playoffs on the line, it really is a situation (where) it’s a huge game for our program.”

The rivalry matchup will feature two teams who enjoy running the ball and using that to complement the passing game with big plays from receivers.

For East Limestone, they will rely players such as Xavier Edwards and Alex Mason in the run game, with Jake Cochran in the passing game.

Mason is getting hot at the right time, scoring multiple touchdowns the past two games for the Indians.

For Ardmore, they will rely on a committee of rushers, with backs and receivers all getting their touches.

However, leading the way is Thomas Colston, their bruising back who has rushed his way to 100 yards multiple times this season.

In what is set to be the game of the year in the county – as far as implications go – updates on each score and the final result will be provided in The News Courier and online at enewscourier.com.