Guzay honored for 3 interceptions

Staff report

The last time Muscle Shoals won a playoff game, Brett Guzay was learning the basics of football in elementary school.

It wouldn't be a gamble to bet that Trojans coach Scott Basden would like the next playoff win to come a little sooner than another nine years. Guzay helped the Trojans to their first playoff win since 2000 on Friday night with three interceptions - including one for a 27-yard TD - in Muscle Shoals' 38-20 win over Fort Payne in Class 5A.

Guzay's efforts also earned him the Alabama Sports Writers Association defensive/special teams player of the week honors for the first weekend of the playoffs. He beat out finalists Will Andre of Houston Academy and Willie Vinson of St. Jude for the honor.

Andre broke up a potential game-tying TD pass in the end zone with less than two minutes to go, preserving a 21-14 Raider win over Millry. He also drilled two field goals, including a career best 51-yarder on the final play of the first half, finished the game with seven tackles and the one pass break-up on defense. Vinson was credited with 18 tackles in a 36-34 win over Hale County and stopped what would have been the game-tying 2-point conversion with 3:30 to play.

The ASWA offensive player of the week is Reginald Foster of Goshen, who scored five touchdowns and rushed for 317 yards in a 50-32 win over Fultondale in the Class 2A playoff opener. Foster beat out Bayside Academy's Thomas Buchanan and Cherokee County's Coty Blanchard in the top three.

Buchanan helped the Admirals to the school's first playoff win ever by rushing for 136 yards with two touchdowns and catching four passes for 154 yards in a 27-14 victory against Daleville. Blanchard was 13 of 18 passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns - all to Desmond Brown - while rushing for 160 yards and two TDs in a 51-13 win over Haleyville.

UNA Football

Lions fall to fifth in final poll

WACO, TEX.- After three weeks as the No. 1 team in the NCAA Division II, North Alabama dropped to fifth in the final regular-season American Football Coaches Association poll after losing 31-28 in four overtime to West Alabama.

Central Washington finished the regular season as Division II's only undefeated team at 11-0 after a 20-6 win over Western Oregon and moved into the top spot. Northwest Missouri State, Grand Valley State (Mich.), Minnesota-Duluth and North Alabama round out the top 5.

Twenty teams in the AFCA's Top 25 Poll earned a spot in the Division II playoffs, with No. 1 Central Washington, No. 2 Northwest Missouri State, No. 3 Grand Valley State (Mich.), No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 5 North Alabama, No. 9 West Liberty (W.Va.), No. 10 Carson-Newman (Tenn.) and No. 17 Shippensburg (Pa.) all earning first round byes.

Two new teams entered the final regular season poll with Arkansas Tech appearing at No. 21 and Washburn (Kan.) jumping back in at No. 24 after a two- week absence. The Wonder Boys are making their first appearance in the poll since Sept. 19, 2006.

UNA Soccer

Lions awarded first-ever NCAA tourney bid

FLORENCE - For the first time in school history, North Alabama was awarded a bid to the Division II South Regional Tournament.

UNA (18-3-1) will face Florida Southern in a first-round matchup in Pensacola, Fla., on Friday3.

The winner plays host West Florida on Sunday. UWF is 19-0 overall and ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Lady Argonauts defeated UNA 4-1 this past Sunday in the championship game of the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

"This has been a fantastic year and we're very excited to have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament," said UNA soccer coach Graham Winkworth. "We set our goals at the start of the season to finish in the top two in the GSC and to make the NCAA Tournament. Those were big steps, since we had not played in the conference tournament since 1999 and had never made the NCAA Tournament.

"Now we have set some new goals," Winkworth added.

The other half of the South Region bracket has Florida Tech taking on Saint Leo, with that winner advancing to play Rollins.