Huntingdon to face Berry in 1st round of playoffs

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon football team will play at Berry College on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. (Central) at Valhalla Stadium.

Both teams enter the game ranked in Division III national polls. The Hawks (9-1) are 24th in the American Football Coaches Association poll and Berry (10-0) is 19th. The next AFCA poll will be released on Monday. Berry is also ranked 18th by D3football.com.                                                

This is the first playoff appearance for Berry, which played its first season of football in 2013. This is the third straight playoff appearance for the Hawks and the fourth overall.

"Being back in the playoffs means a lot," senior defensive back and team captain Anthony Wood said. "At the start of the season, we didn't want to be the class that didn't make it to the playoffs. A lot of players before us helped establish our program and we wanted to help it keep growing. We're excited about the opportunity we have in front of us."

This will be the first meeting between the Hawks and Vikings. Berry earned its playoff berth by winning the Southern Athletic Association.

"It's nice to be standing here for a third straight year, because there were a lot of years we weren't standing here," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "Each year we've made the playoffs has been special and it's been an accomplishment. We're excited about getting to play Berry this year. We have a lot of work to do to get ready, but we're excited to have the opportunity."

Ticket prices for Saturday's game will be $10 for adults and $5 for students with a valid student ID. Children two years of age and younger will be admitted free.

Additional playoff information will be posted on Huntingdon's website on Monday.