Cold Springs’ Christian Crandall, fully decked out in Eagle regalia, and teammate Evan Scott soak in the scene at Thursday’s community-wide pep rally for the playoff-bound football squad.

Fear not Cullman, Fairview, Good Hope, Hanceville and Holly Pond. Just because you’re at home for this year’s prep football playoffs doesn’t mean you’re doomed to suffer the same fate for the rest of eternity.

But don’t take my word for it.

Take the words of Cold Springs, Vinemont and West Point, a trio of Cullman County squads currently reaping the perks of a postseason berth after at least a year away from the playoff party.

For Vinemont, there’s only been a one-season break between 11th games. For Cold Springs and West Point, however, the wait has been even longer. With respective 10- and six-year hiatuses coming to a close, it’s not surprising why there’s been so much buzz out of the programs and their fan bases all week.

Try to grab a table at the Brandin’ Iron in West Point either of the last two weeks? I did — and failed miserably, learning fairly quickly that arriving an hour before a playoff-clincher against Lawrence County was pretty poor planning on my part.

And good luck finding room to maneuver between the high school and elementary buildings at Cold Springs early Thursday evening. The site was covered up with folks from all over Bremen backing their Eagles at a community-wide pep rally that proved just how a capable a tiny town is of providing titanic support to the student-athletes it loves to watch compete.

The last local playoff representative simply can’t relate to any of its Cullman County counterparts. With five straight postseason appearances — and a whopping 27 in the last 30 years — Addison is past the point of simply expecting to be in the hunt. In Bulldog country, it’s always state title or bust, a familiar script that isn’t receiving any edits as Addison prepare to host a first-round showdown versus Cleveland.

Though the Dawgs will have the advantage of playing inside their beloved A.G. Hicks Stadium, dispatching the Panthers will be no easy task. Same goes for West Point at Parker, Vinemont at Lauderdale County and Cold Springs at Gaston, a gauntlet of games made that much harder by the hostile road environments that surely await each visitor.

Parker (5A) and Lauderdale County (3A) didn’t luck into their Nos. 5 and 7 rankings, and one of Gaston’s three losses was to 2A No. 1 Fyffe. One of its seven wins was a 35-28 affair against Cleveland, which has been a tough nut to crack with dual-threat quarterback Peyton Gilliland at the offensive helm.

It’d be silly to expect the entire local quartet to advance, but a win or two aren’t completely out of the question.

For what it’s worth, I think Addison and Cold Springs have the best shots at surviving. The Bulldogs’ postseason track record speaks for itself, and the Eagles aren’t new to the business of converting doubters to believers. Who’s to say the no-quit kids at both Blue and Gold programs can’t pick up a few more followers with the first-round triumphs they’ll seek on Friday night?

Not me.

For anyone on Cold Springs, Vinemont and West Point needing further motivation, here’s a nugget that might do the trick. As I embark on my fourth prep football playoffs with The Times, I’ve yet to see a team not named Cullman or Addison claim a postseason victory.

I’d love to see that change. This week, preferably.

The alternative? I’ll leave that to Don Farley. The coach uttered these words as a challenge when West Point was on the brink of elimination, but they still ring true three weeks later.

“It’s either playoffs or basketball season.”