It was an uncharacteristically slow start for Maplesville, but the Red Devils eventually found its groove and carried the momentum to a 49-28 home victory over Linden in the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.

Maplesville did not grab its first lead in the game until midway through the second quarter, but wound up maintaining the lead the rest of the way.

Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, the Red Devils needed a spark and it was Ryan Morrow that provided it with a 26-yard down to the Linden 30-yard line.

Christin Brown later punched in a touchdown from three yards out to tie the game at 7-all at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams countered one another with scores during the second quarter, as Maplesville led 21-14 at halftime following a 36-yard touchdown run by Morrow and a 14-yard scoring strike from Brent Schoener to Tristen Thetford.

When Linden had success in the first half, it was due to getting the quarterback outside the pocket and taking advantage of an aggressive Maplesville defense by throwing over top.

Schoener was on target all night for the Red Devils and was a major reason why the Red Devils were eventually able to open up the margin of victory with two of his three touchdown passes coming in the second half.

He connected with Michael Harris and Chaz Morris, both from 21 yards out.

Morrow was destined for a big game from the start and finished with 181 yards on 17 carries, while Brown had 89 yards on 11 carries.

Morrow and Brown both had a pair of touchdowns to go with the yards they racked up.

With the win, Maplesville took the first step in another state title run and will now turn its attention to hosting Talladega County Central, which defeated Houston County 39-7, in the second round.