The West Alabama Makos will be playing for the conference championship on Saturday, May 25 in Gadsden against the Alabama Steelers.

The Makos are 5-5 in their first season in the National Development Football League, and head coach Taylor Bates said he is happy with how his team has played during the season.

“I feel like we’ve played well,” he said.

“We have some of the players believing in themselves and the team, and they’ve stuck with it.”

Bates added that he and the team have accomplished some of the goals they came into the season with.

“My main focus was to get these guys to keep the faith, believe in themselves and don’t give up,” he said, “and many of them have done that. I never gave up on them, and I think they started to see that. I’m always positive with them, and it’s catching on with some of them.”

If the Makos are able to win their conference, they will be just two wins away from the league championship.

Bates said the top three teams in the league from last year left the league, so it opened the door for the Makos to make a run this year.

“Everything has lined up for us,” he said. “Those teams leaving gave us a boost, and a chance to get where we are.”

The team is made up of players 18 and older from Demopolis and the west Alabama area.