Tigers fare well at home

Russellville's 17 seniors could count on one hand the number of home playoff games that the Golden Tigers have lost during their lifetime.

Dating back to 1990, which covers the life span of even the oldest of Russellville's seniors, the Golden Tigers sport a 27-4 home record in the AHSAA football playoffs.

All-time, Russellville holds a 36-7 postseason home record, dating back to the implementation of the playoff format in 1967. And including regular-season games, Russellville is 67-6 during the last 10 seasons when playing at Tiger Stadium.

Those numbers suggest that playing on their home field yields quite an advantage for the Golden Tigers. And that bodes well for Russellville in its quest for a second-straight state championship game appearance.

In a lucky unfolding of the Class 5A bracket, Russellville (11-2) will play its fourth home game in four rounds of the playoffs in Friday's semifinal match-up with McAdory (11-1). With a win, the Golden Tigers will earn a Super Six berth without ever having to travel this postseason.

Players agree they couldn't have drawn it up any better.

"That's the way we all wanted it," linebacker Jessie Green said. "Playing all of your playoff games at home is unheard of pretty much. We're pretty excited about it.

"It can take a lot out of you to make those long road trips in the playoffs. This way we can just chill here. It helps us stay calm before the game."

Green and his teammates buy into the idea of home field advantage for a variety of reasons, from the comfort of going through pre-game rituals in a familiar locker room to the adrenaline-inducing cheers of a partisan crowd.

"Just to be out there in front of the home crowd is just electrifying," defensive lineman Trent Brannon said. "It gets us pumped up."

For players, the proof is in the records.

In the semifinals, Russellville is 4-1 at home - the lone loss coming against Homewood in 2001 - and 2-3 on the road. The Golden Tigers have lost two home playoff games in the last 10 years - the other coming against J.O. Johnson in 2006. And including regular-season games, Russellville has lost twice at Tiger Stadium in Doug Goodwin's three seasons as head coach.

But Goodwin has experienced such a postseason home stand before. His 2003 Demopolis team played four straight home games but lost in the semifinals. And while the Golden Tigers coach said he'd always rather play at home, he's not sure how much of an advantage it actually presents.

"It's a lot less headache," Goodwin said. "A lot of planning goes into travel. Playing at home gives you a chance to concentrate on playing the game more than anything else. But most of us have traveled so much we're used to it, so if you travel it's not that big of a deal. I think these guys expect to win no matter where they play, at home or on the road."

Goodwin does appreciate the financial benefit of this postseason's string of home games. Aside from not having to spend money on traveling, the program has been able to compensate for some of the losses it took in ticket sales this fall as attendance suffered due to incessant rain.

"We struggled, everybody struggled at the gate this year because the weather was so bad," Goodwin said.

"But having some home games could help us make up some of that. It's a big advantage monetarily. You still have to split that gate, but you can make revenue from concessions and parking."

Goodwin also realizes that Friday's home game will have an impact on his seniors. Instead of experiencing Senior Day and then wondering when their last home game will come, Russellville's seniors know that Friday will be the last time they'll play at Tiger Stadium.

"I can't say in words how special it will be," Green said. "I've played here for four years. I love playing here. I'll always cherish it. I definitely don't think knowing it's our last (home) game is going to hurt any. It's going to be in the seniors' minds, and we're going to play that much harder."

Bryan App can be reached at 740-5730 or bryan.app@TimesDaily.com.