Last week’s scores 

(6A) Pell City 28   (6A) Southside Gadsden 21 

(5A) Saint Clair Co. 29   (5A) Pleasant Grove 20 

(4A) Ashville 21   (4A) Oneonta 14 

(4A) Leeds 42 (4A) Dadeville 14    

(1A) Ragland 67   (1A) Coosa Chr. 25 

(5A) Shelby Co.  27 (5A) Moody 21    

(5A) West Point 49  (5A) Springville 7 

(1A) Victory Chr.  49   (1A) Appalachian 35 

Ashville (2-1) @ Saks (3-0)  

Running back (#3) Johnathon Cobb           

Ashville’s winning record is in jeopardy this week as they go on the road to play high-flying Saks. The Indians continue to dominate their opponents offensively, averaging over 35 points per game, while fielding a defense that has shown improvement over last year’s team, evidenced by their 34-0 shutout victory against White Plains last week. Saks operates a very well balanced offense, led by dual threat quarterback Senior (#2) LaDerrick Bell, who operates a high-octane zone/read offense. The Indians are a run-first offense, with a big and strong offensive line led by Senior right guard/ defensive end (#55) Jordan Brooks, a 285-pound athlete who blows open running lanes for Bell and his two go-to running backs – (#3) junior Johnathon Cobb (#8) senior Will Fletcher. Last season Ashville had to contend with a lot of Wildcat (the formation) – which allowed the Bulldogs the option of stacking the box with eight bodies. This year the outside linebackers will have to contend with a robust passing attack. Bell thrives with the quick game – spreading the field horizontally with bubble screens to his backs or hitch and slant routes to wide receiver (#4) Brent Clark. 

The Bulldogs need to have a balanced attack to succeed. The Indians will line up defensively in a 5-3 formation with defensive ends lingering on the outside for containment leverage and the ability to pick up backs to cover play-action routes or fall back into coverage using zone-blitz. Look for Ashville quarterback Landon Cornutt to do what Saks does – widen the field with hot routes, slants and hitches against one-on-one matchups. If Cornutt can spread the field, than they can move the ball against Saks and keep the game competitive. 

Leeds (4-0) @ Handley (0-3)          

Second ranked Leeds visits Roanoke to face off against a Handley team that is frankly outmatched on both sides of the football. The Tigers have a young offense that is developing its identity – and it won’t be much fun developing it against the seasoned and polished Green Wave squad. Handley’s quarterback duties fall on sophomore (#8) Corey Bell, who has shown some promise this season. Featured in the backfield is Junior (#4) Cadarious Burton, a strong and athletic running back who will provide most of the running attack. The Tigers also have a promising speedster in sophomore running back (#5) Devontae Houston, who will try to outrun the Green Wave’s flanks in limited action. Through the air Bell’s preferred target is senior wideout (#15) Quay Patterson.  

Handley’s defense downsized this season, resulting in a vulnerable interior. The core of Handley’s defense is solid with senior defensive tackle (#50) Tykeon Wilkes and senior middle linebacker (#52) Dammon Morgan managing the ‘A’ gaps. Fortunately for Leeds the running lanes off-tackle are exploitable. Look for Leeds to chew up a lot of yards and clock by running off-tackle this week. The Green Wave fans should look forward to another 3-4+ touchdown rout of a regional opponent. 

Moody (1-2) vs. Pleasant Grove (2-1)          

For the second year in a row Moody put on a gutsy performance against Shelby County and showed that the Blue Devils are a tough-as-nails squad that will fight through all 48 minutes to achieve victory – or go down swinging until the final whistle.  

Moody will need to have that approach as they host a Pleasant Grove squad who got stung last week against St. Clair County and are itching for a fight. The Blue Devils will be facing a formidable Spartans defense. Moody struggled two weeks ago against the technique and precision of Briarwood’s defense; this week it is the sheer speed of Pleasant Grove’s that should give the Blue Devils offense a test. The Spartans cover a lot of space in their base 4-3/Cover-2 defense, which will constrict and stack up if Moody gets away from their passing game. The Spartans’ defense is vulnerable to a balanced attack, as Fairfield and St. Clair’s offenses have proven over the past two weeks. 

Moody’s defense needs to be playing at the peak of their abilities this week, because Pleasant Grove’s offense is loaded. 

Freshman quarterback (#13) Zyquez Perryman continues to surprise opponents with his athletic prowess. Supporting Perryman in the backfield is a running attack with a strong one-two punch in (#7) Kobe Gunn and (#23) Donovan Minter. Moody’s challenge will be to keep Perryman from getting outside his tackles and throwing downfield on rollouts or scrambles. His favorite targets include fellow freshman (#2) JaMaryon Furlow and junior (#12) Caleb Jackson. 

The Spartans are young, hungry and good. Moody cannot afford a third regional loss this early in the season. Beating Pleasant Grove at home puts Moody back on the road to a possible postseason appearance.  

Pell City (2-1) @ Brewer (2-2)           

Brewer has shown itself to be a mixed bag so far this season. The Patriots opened the season hot with wins against Randolph and Westminster Christian then were upended in regional play with big losses against Oxford and Albertville.  

Brewer appears on offense to be a bit one-dimensional. Lining up mostly in ace formation out of the spread, Brewer’s quarterback (#6) Zach Self has been doing most of the heavy lifting for their offense, and is more than capable of breaking open big runs against 6A defenses. Look for Pell City to use one of its linebackers to spy on Self and shadow him for the entire game. Neutralizing Self will pretty much neutralize Brewer’s running attack.   

Defensively, Brewer is led by senior cornerback (#8) Zach Kodra, who can shut down any receiver he is assigned to. Kodra is the best athlete on the team, with great lateral movement and a strong core. Kodra will also line up at wide receiver in Friday’s game, and will be Self’s downfield threat in their passing attack.  

Pell City is in a tough region – and they have to win the games they are supposed to win. The Panthers are better than Brewer and it is their responsibility to take care of this opponent. 

Ragland (1-3) @ Wadley (3-0)           

Last week Ragland’s offense roared to life – just in time for their faceoff against the best team they will face during the regular season. The Purple Devils are on their way to visit Wadley, who are lingering just outside the ASWA top 10 for 1A schools. Wadley is a championship contender with great depth and talent. 

Ragland’s biggest challenge is dealing with Wadley’s depth on offense. Once again the Bulldogs have a collection of outstanding veteran running backs and slot backs. Ragland will be facing some familiar faces from last year including seniors (#10) Quae Drake WR 6’2″ 170lbs, (#7) Coby Nunn FB 6’0″ 200lbs, and slot-back (#3) Kerrion Birdsong. Joining that trio will be junior running back (#1) Trevor Cameron, who ran for five touchdowns last week, and sophomore running back (#20) Caden Messer. Senior quarterback (#12) Connor Fordham is back, and has developed a supportive passing attack to go along with Wadley’s relentless running game. 

This is gut-check time for Ragland’s defense. The Purple Devils’ offense has shown it can score a bunch of points if given the opportunity. Wadley, with arguably the most potent running attack in all of 1A football, does not give opposing offenses much time on the field to get things going. Ragland will need to take advantage of every opportunity (3-and-outs, turnovers, etc.) Wadley gives them to keep the game from getting out of hand. 

Springville (0-3) @ Curry (2-1)  

As Springville continues to struggle this season, they will be playing on the road against a Curry squad that is much improved from last year’s team. The Yellow Jackets opened their season with two shutout victories, which is a sobering challenge to Springville, who are averaging less than 10 points per game so far this year. Last week Curry lost in a gutsy fight against Hayden in overtime, leaving the Yellow Jackets in a position where they want to continue to prove they belong in the postseason this year. 

Springville’s defense is in for a very challenging night. Curry’s offense is led by junior (#13) John Moon, who has proven this year to be a complete quarterback with a nice touch on the ball. Curry knows how to spread a defense thin. Springville’s defense will have to contend with multi-position athletes in (#1) Wendall Ball, (#2) Colton Aaron and (#30) Colton Burton – who have sliced up defenses with speed sweeps, end-arounds and downfield passes delivered by Moon’s arm. Once Curry spreads a defense thin with these athletes, running lanes open up for their power runner (#3) Peyton Luster. 

Most football fans in the reading area want Springville to improve and put up some ‘W’s. At this point of the season, however, Curry might be just too much. 

St. Clair County (3-0) vs. Woodlawn  (0-4)    

The Saints are off to the best start anyone could hope for, and this week they get a regional opponent at home that is struggling to find any traction.  

Averaging less than nine points of offense per game, the Colonels have not developed an offensive plan to compete with the Saints. Woodlawn does have some good football players on offense, most notably senior quarterback (#7) Lonie Ravizee and slot backs (#1) Keyshun Parks and (#2) LaQuarrius Wilson, but the new coaching staff under George Bates have only begun to resurrect a team that is currently being outscored each week by nearly four touchdowns. 

Woodlawn’s strength last year was in their defense, but that too has suffered some setbacks. The Colonels are in good hands – Bates led Minor to two quarterfinal appearances in the past two years, and posted 11 victories during Minor’s 2016 campaign. Woodlawn’s defense has an effective linebacking duo in (#3) Tramaine Sims and (#15) William Edwards, but they have to do too much work to stop up the Colonel’s defensive front, which is not very effective at stopping the run.  

It is simple math: The Saints know how to score while the Colonels have yet to crack that code. St. Clair County’s undefeated season will remain intact. 

Victory Christian (3-1) vs. Talladega County Cen (1-2)    

TC Central suffered a setback last week against Wadley, but is looking to redeem themselves as they come to Pell City to take on Victory Christian.  

For the casual football fan looking for something to do Friday night, this may be the most fun matchup of the weekend. Two great quarterbacks with very different styles will be playing one another for a very important regional win. Darrell Maple, who is the Mr.-do-everything, Lamar Jackson-mini-me of 1A football, leads the Fighting Tigers. Maple’s thrilling offensive talent is buttressed by senior running back (#22) Kylen Cross, who can gain lots of yards against pretty much anybody. Contrast that with Victory Christian’s tall pocket passer Harrison Cheatwood. who flings the ball all over the place and has the wheels to run north-south to extend drives. Both teams have great skill players and enough numbers on their roster to play a full game without getting gassed. Look forward to an exciting shootout this week.