Judging by the volume of the pads popping and the coaches yelling, Thursday evening must have seemed to fans as if they were watching games that counted.

Instead, Chilton County, Isabella and Maplesville were only preparing for the upcoming season as they played practice games at Tiger Stadium.

Maplesville won both its games—34-0 over Isabella and 13-7 over CCHS—behind a balanced offense and a stingy defense.

The Red Devils ran for 170 yards—including 70 yards on two carries by Damian Mitchell—against Isabella, and quarterback Colby Chambers threw for 55 yards and one touchdown on 2-of-3 passing.

Each team played two quarters against the other two opponents.

Michael Seaton ran for 37 yards and a touchdown, and teammate Austin Dennis added 32 yards on two carries as Chilton defeated Isabella, 21-0, in the first contest of the night.

Quarterback Chance Britnell completed five passes in 10 attempts for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

In the most anticipated showdown of the night, CCHS and Maplesville didn’t disappoint.

Maplesville methodically drove down the field on its first possession and scored on a 6-yard run by Brintain Hill.

CCHS answered with a 5-yard scoring run by Richard Hilliard.

Hilliard was a beast on the other side of the football as he recorded 19 tackles in what amounted to one regulation game.

The game winning score was Hill’s 4-yard run with 4:16 remaining on the clock.

The Tigers drove to Maplesville’s 12-yard line on the ensuing possession but turned the ball over on downs as the clock expired.