Pell City 44, Brewer 0

Senior running back Chris Lynch’s three rushing touchdowns, including an electrifying 98 yard score at the end of the first half, coupled with a Panther defense that gave Brewer’s struggling offense no room to breathe. These factors were the catalysts that led Pell City to a 44-0 beat-down of the Patriots last Friday, which gave the Panthers their second regional win.

Pell City’s running game kept Brewer on their heels all game, drumming up over 300 yards rushing and finishing off the Patriots early, building a 28-0 lead going into halftime. Lynch finished the day with 184 yards on the ground and scored three of the Panthers’ four first-half touchdowns.

Touchdowns were also registered by Hunter Craton in the first half, followed by a touchdown reception to Marquis Posey from quarterback Hudson Hughes and a late touchdown run by Collier Slovensky.

This Week: Pell City (3-1) vs. Anniston (0-4)

After a strong first showing at the start of the season, Bulldogs quarterback Marrio Dobbins has struggled after replacing the starting quarterback before the season began. The dual threat quarterback has been under pressure very quickly all season, indicating a suspect offensive line that Pell City’s defense can exploit. Senior running back #34 E.J. Heard III is very versatile coming out of the Bulldogs’ read-option spread offense, catching passes on the flat and breaking tackles in the open. The Panthers may want to put a spy on Heard.

Springville 21, Curry 6

Springville burst into the win column for the first time this season in style, with touchdowns on highlight-reel worthy plays that thrilled the hometown fans during homecoming.

Springville got on the scoreboard with a terrific run by Jordan Byrd, who came out of his own end zone and shed two tacklers before racing down the Springville sideline for a 97 yard touchdown run. The key differences against Curry were another rushing touchdown later in the game and a blocked punt resulting in a touchdown.

This Week: Springville (1-3) @ Shelby County (2-2)

After the euphoria of their first victory, Springville’s defense, led by linebacker Alex Hutcheson, has a daunting challenge this week facing the Wildcats in Columbiana. Shelby County has a stable of running backs that go after their opposition in unrelenting waves. Leading them is senior, Keyvontae Mayfield, who is gaining more than 140 yards per game this season and has proven to be a very effective replacement for older brother Jamarius, who was the team’s best player last season. Running backs Chance McNeal and Jeremiah Crenshaw are shuttled in to contribute to the offensive attack and give Mayfield an opportunity to stay effective throughout the game. Springville may be inspired by Moody’s performance two weeks ago – a bend and not break performance by their defense that allowed over 250 yards rushing but still found a way to beat Shelby County.

Woodlawn 28, Saint Clair Co. 10

The bright spots for Saint Clair County last Friday were their special teams. Grayson Beatty split the Woodlawn coverage team wide open with a 92-yard kickoff return and Kylee Harrell closed out the half with a picture-perfect field goal from 33 yards. Unfortunately, the Saints offense stung by five turnovers and the Colonel’s rushing attack in front of their home fans was too much for them last Friday, as Woodlawn posted their first victory in two seasons and handed St. Clair their third loss of the season.

Quarterback LaQuarrius Wilson and running back Reginald Gates misdirected and gashed St. Clair’s defense all night, rushing for over 200 yards and accounting for three touchdowns through the night. St. Clair’s offense was shaken by its string of turnovers, being held to 130 yards total offense and only 35 yards on the ground all night.

This Week: St. Clair Co. (1-3) @ Saks (2-2)

Saks is riding high on a two game winning streak, having dispatched White Plains and Ashville the previous two Fridays by a combined score of 90-12. Saks has a triple threat out of the backfield in number 8 junior, Will Fletcher, number 5 senior, Rodney Reddick and number 3 sophomore, Johnathon Cobb. Cobb takes the snaps and runs zone-read for the Wildcats most of the time. Saks starts out of a three-back flex formation and lines up Reddick all over the field. Saks will run right at the Saints all night. Question is, can St. Clair’s defense stop them even though they know its coming?

Pleasant Grove 33, Moody 0

Moody’s offense got on track only a couple times Friday night, but couldn’t find a way into the end zone as Pleasant Grove’s offense led by Quarterback Caleb Jackson mastered a balanced attack running for one touchdown and passing for a second on their way to handing Moody their second regional defeat.

Please refer to our weekly coverage of Moody football by St. Clair News-Aegis beat reporter Willie Strickland for more information about the Blue Devil’s game last week against Pleasant Grove.

This Week: Moody (2-2) @ John Carroll (0-4)

Moody’s offense have a bittersweet visit at John Carroll this week, going up against Coach Logan “Cola” Colafrancesco, who was Moody’s offensive coordinator on Coach Jay Brown’s staff for the previous four seasons. The Cavaliers are toiling through a 14 game losing streak, and are struggling to stop all offenses they face, surrendering more than 52 points per game this season. This should be pretty straightforward this week for the Blue Devils – Gabe Webb left, Gabe Webb right, and the occasional play-action pass should take care of business this Friday.

Handley 14, Leeds 7

Handley quarterback, Rhett Fetner ran four yards into the end zone and threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to wideout Jay Brown to put Handley up 14-0 in the first quarter on their way a stunning upset of ASWA number one ranked Leeds last Friday. Handley’s defense was slicing through the Greenwave’s offensive line all night and applied relentless pressure on Leeds’ quarterback Zach Roberts, who managed to lead the Greenwave’s offense to only 158 yards total in the game. Leeds fortunes appeared to be changing in the third quarter when Chandler Teems recovered a fumble for Leeds and returned it inside the 10 yard line. The short drive that ensued ended with a two yard run into the end zone by Gyderious Rogers to narrow Handley’s lead to seven. Unfortunately for Leeds, Handley’s swarming defense did not allow any more points for the rest of the game.

This Week: Leeds (4-1) @ Piedmont (5-0)

It is always a real pleasure to watch these two top-tier teams square off year-in and year-out, and the 2016 edition is no different. Coming off of a 48-18 thrashing over Pleasant Valley, Piedmont enters this week with a perfect 5-0 record and a number 1 ranking on top of the ASWA 3A football poll. Proven, outstanding leadership out of senior quarterback Taylor Hayes will be expected as he lines up behind an enormous offensive line led by two 300-pound heavies in senior tackles Mason Langley and Krae Keener. Hayes snaps nearly every play out of shotgun, and is called on with a lot of designed quarterback keepers. Keying on Hayes will be difficult, considering the weapons he has around him. Number 28, Austin Brazier is a tough running back and great quick release out of the backfield when he is not leading his linebacking corps on defense. Hayes also has downfield threats in receivers Austin Brazier (number 10) and T.J. Fairs (number 1). Hayes will also have the zone-read option with flashy tailback number 2 junior Lee Stanley.

Saks 39, Ashville 6

Ashville surrendered two early touchdowns to Saks, the first after a costly interception on the Bulldogs opening drive and a second scored by Saks quarterback Laderrick Bell, who stretched and wore out Ashville’s defense all night. Trailing 14-0, Ashville came to life when running back Kyle King scored on a 75-yard touchdown run that kept Ashville in the game well into the second quarter. Unfortunately, the Wildcats would score on a 65 yard touchdown run by Rodney Reddick on the next offensive play. Unfortunately, this closed out Ashville’s opportunities to get back into the game before the first half ended. Saks made the most of its opportunities, including a freakish ricochet and interception off Ashville quarterback, London Cornutt that would turn into a 74 yard pick-six near the end of the game.

This Week: Ashville (2-2) @ Ohatchee (5-0)

Ashville’s road matchup is against the explosive offensive 3A powerhouse Ohatchee, whose 242 points so far this season only trails 6A Minor High School in scoring productivity. The Bulldogs’ defense will be facing an experienced and deep cadre of skill players, starting with senior quarterback number 14 Taylor Eubanks, who is as accurate as any blue-chip recruit. Eubanks is complemented with two high quality running backs in senior number 3, Austin Tucker and junior number 2, Jesse Sellers – Tucker is the pounder while Sellers is the speed demon out of the backfield. Downfield, Ashville will be stretched by number 5 senior, Chase Widgeon.

Wadley 33, Ragland 27

It appeared that on Friday night that number 1 wide receiver sophomore, Jalen Byers had his coming out party, scoring two touchdown receptions from quarterback Stoney Merritt in the Purple Devils’ hard-fought loss last Friday.

Byers first touchdown was an inside bubble that put the young receiver in a position to race 48 yards down the sideline for a score. Merritt found Byers later in the game after Byers popped up off the turf and found a soft spot in the end zone for a ten yard completion from Merritt. Braxton Thomas also contributed with an acrobatic, bobbling catch from 26 yards out on a flag route into the end zone and a two-point conversion completion off of a halfback option pass by Jadon Killings. Killings also ran the ball into the end zone off of a two-yard speed sweep during the game.

This Week: Ragland (2-3) @ Tarrant (1-3) * gamesite at Fultondale HS

Tarrant’s trademark is a powerful, physical running team. This year is no different, with the offense lining up in a two-tight I-formation, the ball will be hammered forward by a heavy offensive line and a trio of running backs. Leading the way is number 2 senior, Jovon Covington, an elusive tailback averaging nearly 90 yards per game. Rotating in with Covington is number 7 junior running back, Jawuan Dowdell, who has a great outside burst and muscular core to shed tacklers. The young and developing quarterback sophomore Coryell Taylor also can count on junior number 24, D’andre Sandlin to keep a fresh rotation in the backfield.

Talladega Co. Central 48, Victory Christian 19

After spotting TCC a 16 point lead early in the game, Victory Christian closed the gap to 16-13 when quarterback Harrison Cheatwood floated a perfect 21 yard pass over Ethan Carlisle’s shoulder for the Lions first score. This was followed by another touchdown pass late in the second quarter in which Harrison rolled right, then threw across his body to find David Smith in the corner of the end zone to close on the lead.

The Fighting Tigers responded with 16 unanswered points that bookended halftime and stretched the lead to 32-16, too far for the Lions to come back against TCC’s tough defense. The Lions did manage one more touchdown thanks to a long kickoff return by Garret Dorroh.

This Week: Victory Christian (3-2) @ Coosa Christian (2-3)

Victory Christian’s high powered attack outmatches Coosa Christian’s struggling defensive unit, which gave up 62 points to Ragland two weeks ago. There are a couple of standouts on Coosa’s roster – notably their middle linebacker and leader of their defense in number 54 senior, Mikey Green and Coosa’s one effective offensive weapon, running back number 21 senior, Dawson Ashley, who is the main reason why Coosa has scored 33 and 21 points in their last two games. Look for Coosa to keep it close early, but Victory Christian would be wise to attack early and often to not give the Conquerors any hope.