Last Week’s Scores

 (5A) Moody 17 (6A) John Carroll 6   

(1A) Victory Chr. 38 (1A) Coosa Chr. 27   

(4A) Anniston 20 (6A) Pell City 14   

 (4A) Saks 30   (5A) Saint Clair Co.  20

(5A) Shelby Co. 18   (5A) Springville 15

(3A) Piedmont 41   (4A) Leeds 19

(3A) Ohatchee 30   (4A) Ashville 0

(2A) Tarrant 32   (1A) Ragland 7

Source: Talismanred.com

 

This Week: Pell City (3-2) vs. Cullman (4-2)

Cullman’s first half of the season was much like their 2016 campaign. Losses to Hartselle and Oxford this season dampened the high expectations for this year, then came the unexpected announcement that long-time head coach of the Bearcats Mark Britton would be retiring after 17 years as head coach at Cullman. Now the Bearcats are dedicating their season to their coach, and Pell City has to face the team on a two-game winning streakand looking to run the table in honor of Britton. 

Cullman still has a potent offense with a backfield that may be the most talented collection of skilled players in the region. Led by the dynamic quarterback senior (#8) Fletcher Jennings, the Bearcats have a tandem of running backs that have been rampaging down the field for the past two seasons. Both senior (#27) Ezra Burks and sophomore (#25) Jayden Sullins have the ability to take over a game if either or both get hot coming out of the backfield – as Sullins did in the final quarter two weeks ago against Fort Payne.

The Bearcats well-balanced through the air as well. Jennings has no shortage of receivers to go to, but his favorite targets seem to be Sullins out of the backfield, along with senior wide receivers (#12) Carson Freeman, (#3) Reese Harbison and (#11) Dylan Finch.

Cullman has had to rebuild their offensive line, which lost four of their five starters to graduation. The Bearcats have had a downward dip in scoring because of this transition, but they are gelling around senior Tyler Nunnelley, who was the sole returning starter from last year’s squad.

Pell City fans should anticipate a high scoring, close game at home this week. Cullman will score on the Panthers, but Pell City can score too, especially against a Bearcat defense that has improved this year, but is still vulnerable.

 

This Week: Springville (0-5) vs. Hayden (2-3)

After a rocky 0-2 start Hayden has collected two important regional wins and will be seeking their third at Springville this week. Springville’s struggles continue, but one thing to look forward to is that Friday’s game should be competitive because Hayden lost most of their offensive talent from last year to graduation. Curry now runs primarily a Wing-T attack, featuring senior running backs (#27) Caleb Wilson and (#41) Austin Turner. In the “4” position, flanking the left side of the line and given the ball on inside zones and speed sweeps will be junior (#9) Jay Burrow, who also plays cornerback on defense.

This game will be won or lost by Springville’s defensive preparation. The Wing-T is a game of attrition, and Springville’s defense will need to be prepared to squeeze the box, have its defensive linemen dig in and get low, and make sure that its backers be able to pick up early coverage on the occasional pass play.

 

 

This Week: St. Clair Co. (4-1) @ Briarwood Christian (5-0) 

The Saints face their most daunting challenge of the entire season as they travel to Briarwood for an epic matchup of Class 5A Region 5’s top two teams. Head-to-head St. Clair coach Matt Glover is 1-5 against Briarwood throughout his career, so getting a victory over Lions’ coach Fred Yancey and keeping the Saints unbeaten in regional play would be a significant achievement.

Ranked #2 in 5A football by the Alabama Sports Writers Association weekly poll, Briarwood has a 4-3 base defense that has executed flawlessly all season. St. Clair County’s offensive is bristling with talented players, but it will be of little help if the boys up front don’t get after the Lions’ defensive front, get a hat on each man and beat them (or at least neutralize them) with leverage and technique. Briarwood has dominated the interior gaps against every opponent thus far and will look to do it again when they host the Saints.

Each week the Lions’ offense has improved under the leadership of quarterback Michael Hiers, who may have one of the most precise arms in Alabama high school football. Hiers will be joined in the backfield by junior running back (#9) J.R. Tran Reno, a dangerous runner who has also blown up defenses as a passing running back out of Wildcat. Mixing up the offensive attack will be Heirs’ go-to playmaker in receiver (#5) Carson Eddy and Hiers’ deep threat in junior slot back (#24) Jay Kynerd.

This has been a spectacular year if you are a St. Clair County Saints student, alum or fan. Every week seems to have one great matchup after another. This week’s showdown with a regional championship on the line is the best game yet.

 

This Week: Moody (2-3) @ Woodlawn (0-5)

Usually people see ‘Woodlawn’ on their schedule and think about an easy blowout victory and an opportunity to rest starters for the remaining season. There are valid reasons why to think so – the Colonels have won only four games over the past four-plus seasons, two of which were against a Class 2A opponent. However those other two wins came last year – against St. Clair County and Moody. The Colonels are a young team who have already had success against Moody, so expect a competitive matchup this week.

Woodlawn’s Coach Bates loves a strong defense. The Colonels have an outstanding two-shell in (#5) strong safety Jonifer Latham and (#3) free safety Tramaine Sims. Woodlawn’s biggest challenge is their defensive front. They have had difficulty stopping the run this season, so Moody’s ground game can exploit this weakness. The Colonels do not get beat over the top, and the team likes to grind out low-scoring affairs. The Blue Devils need yards and points this week – and Moody can expect their first regional win this week.

 

This Week: Leeds (5-1) vs. Holtville (1-4)

Leeds and Holtville are on two different trajectories – the Green Wave looks to remain undefeated in its region while the Bulldogs are trying to secure their first regional win. Those things won’t change after this week. Holtville is overmatched in all aspects of the game by Leeds.

Holtville does have some interesting young guys on their roster, starting with sophomore quarterback (#10) Drake Baker, who at 6’4” and 205 lbs. looks like a quarterback out of central casting. Baker’s targets will have to beat the Green Wave’s fantastic secondary to have any hope of generating some offense, but junior wide receivers (#15) Dajon Reeves and (#7) Jaderrick Carter give Holtville are worth looking at on film before this week’s matchup.

 

 

This Week: Ashville (2-3) @ Jacksonville (3-3)

Jacksonville has taken a step back this season, having lost its first three games and surrendering 30 points per game. A big reason for that is that Jacksonville’s offensive ground game took a hit with the graduation of Niko Richmond and Taye Ackles.

Jacksonville’s base offense is Ace out of spread and runs a zone-read offense. Lining up behind a big and impressive offensive line, Jacksonville’s running attack is built around senior (#25) Macey Carr, who has great size and the young speedster sophomore (#22) Rontarius Wiggins. The Golden Eagles also have some capable receivers on short and intermediate routes (most notably junior wideout (#15) Jewels Gray). 

Defensively Jacksonville has some good players providing outside pressure in defensive ends (#17) Josh Bell and (#50) Cameron Parker, backed up with a very good outside linebacker in (#7) Jalen Trueblood, but the interior is a little squishy. Ashville will have some success if they run an inside zone and iso at Jacksonville this week.

 

This Week: Ragland (1-5) @ Victory Christian (4-2)

This matchup of the county’s 1A teams in Ragland this week will feature Victory Christian Senior quarterback Harrison Cheatwood‘s high flying offense supported by athletes like Senior running back Michael Venkler (#21), tight end Tanner Aldridge (#23) and wide receiver Brantley Bonner (#15) who are averaging 35 points per game.

Ragland has been a talented, yet inconsistent team this year. Senior quarterback Noah Hollingsworth (#2) has shown the ability to be an explosive force on offense (an example is his five touchdown passes against Coosa Christian on September 15. Adam Sanders has proven to be an elusive runner capable of breaking off big gains and Hollingsworth can target wide receiver Braxton Thomas (#3) and senior tight end Jadon Ball (#37) when he is not taking the ball himself downfield. This week will be a score-fest in this regional matchup.