(Left) Fairview’s Parker Martin (9) hands the ball off to Eli Frost. (Right) Good Hope’s Tanner Malin (11) hands the ball off to Ethan Anderson.

Football season has ended for a lot of programs across the state.

But for a pair of Cullman County teams, the dream of winning a championship is very much alive.

Fairview and Good Hope will each host third-round clashes this Friday night. It’s the first time since 1994 that two county football squads have reached the quarterfinals in the same season — Fairview and West Point accomplished the feat back then.

See below for complete capsules on each matchup.

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% Team: Fairview (11-1, 5-1 in Class 5A, Region 7)

% Opponent: No. 7 Parker (11-1, 6-1 in Class 5A, Region 5)

% How They Got Here: Fairview defeated Fairfield (30-28) and No. 9 Russellville (35-21). Parker defeated Boaz (31-21) and No. 3 Alexandria (41-34).

% All-Time Series: First Meeting

% The Skinny: The Thundering Herd enter this game riding a five-game win streak, including last week’s 41-34 victory over No. 3 Alexandria.

Parker is back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1998, and its only loss this campaign has come at the hands of No. 2 Pleasant Grove (42-28) — the Class 5A runner-up each of the past two seasons. The Thundering Herd also boast victories against Class 4A No. 2 American Christian and Fairfield — Fairview’s first-round opponent.

Parker has scored at least 28 points in every game this season and averages 40.6 points per bout.

Quarterback William Shelton (2,123 total yards and 26 touchdowns) captains the explosive offense, while running backs Khalifa Keith (1,737 yards and 22 touchdowns) and Ju’Warren Minnifield (1,135 yards and 12 touchdowns), and wide receiver Na’Bryan Adams (705 yards and seven touchdowns) offer the Thundering Herd plenty of playmaking ability.

Linebacker Charles Gray leads Parker’s defense with 107 tackles.

The Aggies, meanwhile, counter with Parker Martin, Eli Frost, Tyler Simmons and Jameson Goble — among others. Fairview has won nine straight games, and the offense — at 43.6 points per matchup — has been even more high-flying than Parker’s this season. Ethan Bice has also stood out on the defensive side in recent weeks, and Elijah Guyton is an important figure in the kicking game.

% Quotes of Note: “It’s a huge honor and a huge blessing to be here. We look at it as another opportunity to represent our school, and we’re excited about that. This group has a fight and a mentality to prove themselves and to play at the best level possible. They aren’t willing to accept what others are saying about them. They have their own beliefs and goals in mind, and that’s what they want to accomplish.” — George Redding

“Parker is highly explosive. They can get things going and get them going fast. They do a good job defensively, too. They aren’t a high-pressure team, but they get a lot of hats to the football. We will need to eliminate explosive plays and make them snap the football as much as possible. Our goal is to put ourselves in a good position and have a chance to win the game late. To do that, we need to string together first downs on offense. We’ve got to keep the chains moving to be successful.” — George Redding

“We’re really excited, but we all know there’s more work to be done. We know we can go further, so we aren’t getting too caught up in what everyone else thinks.” — Parker Martin

“They’re going to be good — we all know that. They’re going to be faster than us, and they’re probably going to be bigger than us. We’ve just got to stay physical and play all four quarters like we have all season. If we do that, I think we’ll be in good shape.” — Parker Martin

% Game: Friday, 7 p.m. at Fairview

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% Team: Good Hope (9-3, 5-1 in Class 4A, Region 6)

% Opponent: No. 1 Madison Academy (11-1, 7-0 in Class 4A, Region 7)

% First Round: Good Hope defeated Central-Florence (27-24) and No. 4 Northside (35-21). Madison Academy defeated Hamilton (55-0) and Priceville (35-7).

% All-Time Series: Madison Academy leads 3-2

% The Skinny: The Mustangs return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016.

Madison Academy has corralled 11 straight victories since a Week 0 loss to Class 6A No. 5 Briarwood (41-17) and hasn’t allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points during that stretch.

Offensively, the Mustangs are led by running back Will Stokes. The senior standout ran for 252 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s win over Priceville and has tallied 2,366 yards and 40 touchdowns so far this season. Quarterback Carson Creehan is also counted on to make plays.

Senior Tim Spurlock, meanwhile, spearheads Madison Academy’s defense from his linebacker/safety spot. The three-star Michigan commit recorded a 21-tackle, three-sack game earlier this season for a unit that’s allowed just 11.6 points per contest.

Good Hope, on the other hand, is back in the quarterfinals for the second time since 2018.

The Raiders’ two-headed monster of Tanner Malin and Ethan Anderson has been clutch all season, while Jager Burns, Russ Wooten, Clayton Herring, Andrew Easterwood, Paydon Bagwell and others have also played key roles during the team’s superb campaign.

% Quotes of Note: “The biggest thing at this point in the season is — do your guys still want to be playing football? From what I saw last week, our guys are still interested. I think our guys have tried to give themselves an opportunity to compete every week. Sometimes, we make big plays and that kind of opens things up. Sometimes, we grind it out and play good defense and hold on. This year, our mindset has been, ‘Whatever it takes.’” — Alan Scott

“The first thing that stands out about Madison Academy is how good they are (laughs). Offense, defense, special teams — no holes anywhere. Big, strong linemen. Athletic linebackers. Their skill guys are unreal. Their running back stands out because of what he can do. We have to protect the football. We do not want to give them extra possessions. We had some gaps in special teams last week I feel we have to clean up. And their defense is stingy. So we’re going to have to try to create some things on the offensive side of the ball as well.” — Alan Scott

“It feels good knowing we’re back (in the quarterfinals), but we’re hungry for the next step. All the seniors want to go further and show the younger guys a new standard at Good Hope. We want to show people not to count us out.” — Tanner Malin

“They’re really big, very athletic, very physical. But we’re looking forward to it for sure. We’ve got to limit the big plays and take advantage of our offensive possessions.” — Tanner Malin

% Game: Friday, 7 p.m. at Good Hope

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*Stats courtesy of Dennis Victory and Daniel Boyette.