AUBURN, Ala. – Spanish Fort’s 37-16 win over McAdory last week in the 5A semifinals gave the Toro seniors a chance to do something that no other senior class in the school’s short six-year history has done: play for a football state championship.

While the school holds championships in baseball, cross country and track and field, the Toro football team had not advanced out of the semifinal round until this year. After just five years of varsity football, the Toros will go for that first football championship today at 7 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn against Briarwood Christian.

The chance to play for the 5A championship is what the Toros have been working hard for all season long, according to senior linebacker Blake Dees.

“We are going to Auburn now,” Dees said after the Toros’ win over McAdory. “It feels amazing going to Auburn. This is the first time Spanish Fort has ever been. Six years running and now we are going.”

Senior center Reese Dismukes, an Auburn commitment, said he was confident that the Toros would beat McAdory and advance to their first state championship game.

“We were bound and determined,” Dismukes said. “I didn’t have a doubt in my mind.”

Toro coach Bryant Vincent followed a 4-6 campaign in his first season 2007 with 11-2 and 11-3 the next two seasons. Now in his fourth year, he leads the 12-2 Toros into the 5A championship game. The Toros lost in the semifinals last season, something that Vincent and Dismukes both said inspired them this season.

“Obviously this is a very special moment,” Vincent said. “We got here last year and were up 28-21 with about two minutes to go and we let it slip away from us. So we came into this year hoping to get back to this spot and we are very very fortunate to get back to this spot. We wanted to make the most out of this opportunity and we did that.

“Our guys on offense, defense and special teams played every play to make it to Auburn. I couldn’t be more proud of our coaches, community and players.”

The Toros have played Briarwood once, a 21-7 win in the 5A quarterfinals in 2009.