Maplesville’s football players made the trip to Auburn on Wednesday knowing they have the support of their classmates.

The Red Devils will play Hubbertville at 3 p.m. Thursday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in the Class 1A state championship game.

Before they left Wednesday morning, the players took part in the traditional “Devil Walk,” where they march through the school while classmates line the halls in a show of support.

Then, a pep rally held before students lined a road on the school campus while the busload of players rode by.

The school will be closed Thursday to allow students and staff the opportunity to attend the game.

Maplesville High School has been showing its school spirit for weeks.

There have been competitions for door decorations, but perhaps the most noticeable display of pride is the “spirit chains” that hang from the ceilings down halls throughout the school.

Pam Ousley, a teacher at the school, said she remembers spirit chains from the early 1990s, but a Verbena counterpart, Jane Cleckler, told Ousley about her school’s success with spirit chains during this season’s homecoming festivities.

Each week of the playoffs, students could purchase links for the chains for 10 cents each.

“We started that first week and went to every class, really advertised it,” Ousley said.

Each class had its own unique color, so that progress to the different chains was visible.

The class that had the longest chain was promised a pizza party.

“It really got competitive there for a few weeks; plus, it was great for decorations,” Ousley said.

Ousley’s students helped her count the money, cut the strips of paper and other tasks associated with the paper chains.

Money raised will help fund trips for the school’s FCCLA group.

“It’s been a lot of trouble, but it was really worth it,” Ousley said.

The sixth grade and kindergarten tied in the competition for the elementary school, while the junior class was the winner for the high school.

The pizza party for the winners could be held next week.

Ousley said some of the grades’ chains stretched all they way down the hall and then doubled back.

“They really had a lot of spirit,” she said.