Last Week:  

Pell City 24   Albertville 13 

Saint Clair Co.28   Fairfield 14 

Leeds 42   Childersburg 20 

Ragland 27   Winterboro 6 

John Carroll 21   Springville 14 

Wenonah 42   Moody 0 

Hokes Bluff 47   Ashville 14 

Wadley 57   Victory Chr.   7  

This Week: Pell City (5-2) @ Oxford (8-0) 

Region 7’s playoff bids sets up for a big showdown in Oxford this week where the undefeated Yellowjackets look to win their ninth straight game this week in order to lock up a regional championship. Oxford’s roster is once again bristling with FBS college talent that has dominated opponents in all aspects of the game. Defensively it starts with their base nickel package with three down linemen, led by senior defensive end TaCorrie Russell, arguably one of the best defensive linemen in the state. Supporting their defensive line is a rock-solid secondary led by strong safety (#8) senior Jordan Swain and a great cornerback in (#3) senior Junito Allen.  

On the offensive side, the Yellow Jackets have a seasoned and big offensive line anchored by guard (#75) Clay Webb, a 6’4” 300 lb. lineman who has been capturing a lot of attention from college programs. Skill players are abundant in Oxford. One of the most surprising up-and-comers is their junior quarterback (#2) Abe Peoples who has developed dramatically all season. The featured running back Pell City needs to key on and contain is (#1) Tye Smith-Lindsay. 

Pell City should secure a playoff position this year, and the team along with their coaching staff will know the quality of opponents they will be facing after Oxford. The goal for the Panthers this week is to try and stay competitive as long as they can with the Yellow Jackets and work toward finding a way to challenge these top teams on the field. 

This Week: Moody (3-4) vs. St. Clair Co. (5-2) 

After starting out smoking hot and entrenching themselves in the ASWA Class 5A top 10 for the first half of the season, St. Clair County struggled through their most difficult part of the season before bouncing back with a huge regional win last week against Fairfield. Moody’s season has been a story of ups and downs, starting the season with a victory and compiling a 3-3 record before running into a wall last week in their loss to Wenonah. 

Blue Devils football is a defense-first brand of physical play. They are led by senior defensive end (#40) Ethan Jeff, supported by linebackers (#55) Ethan Mills and (#32) Mason Shockley, who make up the core of a unit that loves to snuff out their opponents’ running game. Offensively Moody relies on the run with two effective running backs in their big back (#30) Jordan Mason and the smaller, shiftier (#3) Rashad Clark. This run-first approach gives quarterback Karson Buckner the opportunity to utilize his arm for quick strike and play–action passing. 

The Saints are significantly better than the squad Moody faced last season. There is no defensive player in the region bigger or ‘badder’ than nose guard Jalen Cunningham (#55) who is a 6’5” 360 lb. Goliath who has owned almost every interior offensive front thrown at him this year. Lined up behind Cunningham is a very talented core of defensive talent including linebacker (#34) Skyler Mizzell and the dynamic duo of safeties in (#9) Garrett Sanders and (#8) Grayson Beatty. The most improved part of St. Clair’s team compared to last year’s squad is their offense. Dual threat quarterback senior (#10) Jayce Fisher has been very productive on the ground when he is not throwing dimes downfield to his remarkable receivers Beatty and (#1) Ja’Varrius Johnson. 

This is a county rivalry game at Moody giving the Blue Devils all the incentive they need to play a hard-nosed, competitive game. The Saints have a lot to play for now that the playoffs are around the corner and they jockey for a home game in the first round, and their team is the clear favorite – but be on upset alert. 

This Week: Springville (1-6) @ Corner (4-4)  

Springville travels to a regional opponent who are in a last-gasp battle for a playoff spot and who possess a productive attack that is scoring nearly 30 points per game this season. The Tigers’ defense will need to find a way to battle through a robust Corner offensive line led by junior guard Ethan Creel that fronts a very strong three-headed running attack with quarterback (#5) Skylar Lara, along with running backs (#26) Eric Millwood and (#23) Nick Bashear who are all capable of  getting hot and taking over a game. The Yellow Jackets’ passing attack will not be the focus of Springville’s defense this week, but the secondary needs to be aware of an effective receiver downfield in senior (#11) Caleb Brasfield. 

Springville’s offense has steadily improved as the season has progressed, and an opportunity presents itself since the Yellowjackets’ defense has shown weaknesses that can be exploited. While middle linebacker junior (#18) Trent Shedd has proven himself over the past three years to be Corner’s undisputed leader on defense, there is only so much ground he can cover with the soft spots that are found in the defensive line in front of him.  

Springville comes into this game as a road underdog, but can sneak up on Corner if they are able to generate a consistent and grinding running attack this week. 

This Week: Leeds (7-1) @ Tallassee (7-1) 

The Green Wave play an important road game this week against a Tallassee team that is playing some of the best football in 4A this year, having only dropped one game the entire season. Tallassee at home will give Leeds all they can handle with a very potent offense matching up against Leeds’ powerful and stingy defense. 

A closer look at the Tigers reveals a well-balanced attack behind an impressive offensive line. Led by the experienced and dangerous senior quarterback (#18) Casey Baynes, Tallassee has had a lot of success running out of their two back I-formation set featuring junior running backs (#24) Jalen Johnson and (#5) Markevious Matthews – who both run with power and speed. Bines also can rely on exceptional wide receivers. Deep routes, back-shoulder receptions and 50/50 balls are the domain of 6’3” junior wide receiver (#1) Kalvin Levett. While Levett ties up the secondary on pass plays, Bines has a second target on intermediate and slant routes in senior (#3) Demarkion Ferguson.  

The Green Wave’s defense is going to be stretched and tested by Tallassee’s ability to stretch the field and misdirection. This is the night when Leeds’ defense, who match up very well with Tallassee’s front, can apply their will and overpower their opponents during all four quarters. Leeds has proven to be a remarkably strong and well-conditioned bunch, which will be the difference this week if Leeds is to grab hold of first place in the region.  

This Week: Ashville (2-5) @ Cherokee Co. (3-4) in Centre 

Don’t let Cherokee County’s record underestimate how good this very talented football team is in this week’s Region 5 matchup. This week’s home team is stacked with talented players and Ashville will have to play their best football if they want a shot against the Warriors. 

If Ashville’s offense is on point, it can run up a lot of points against the Warriors athletic, yet inconsistent defense and could lead to an exciting scorefest. The Bulldogs defense has the tall order of trying to minimize the impact of arguably the region’s most exciting playmaker in of Cherokee County’s most senior quarterback Tyren Dupree, who has scorched defenses on the ground and through the air for the past two seasons. Dupree is a dynamic scrambler and explosive explosive runner out of the Warriors’ wide variety of designed quarterback draws. Dupree is complemented with two excellent playmakers in the backfield in senior running back (#2) Sid Perry and junior (#12) Austin Pruett. The trio has been able to gain over 250 yards on three separate occasions this season. If that is not enough to keep Ashville’s defensive coaches up at night, there is still the potent duo receiving threats of wide receivers (#7) Demarcus Barrington and (#5) Julian Latty. 

Cherokee County, like Ashville, will line up many of their athletes on both sides of the ball. Pruett is also the standout safety on the Warriors defense, and is joined by the very talented middle linebacker (#33) Riley Russell. While talented, these two defensive players are the standout players in a relatively thin lineup. Ashville has its own share of offensive weapons, and can do some real damage if they play at a high level and avoid miscues. 

The home team Warriors is about a two touchdown favorite this week, which translates to this: a well-executed performance by Ashville can keep them in the game to the end. 

This Week: Ragland (3-5) @ Donoho (2-5) 

Positioning themselves for an elusive playoff spot, Ragland faces a tricky game this week when they face the down (but not out) Donoho Falcons. The home team Falcons started the season with a talented roster and high hopes, but some unfortunate injuries and heartbreakingly close losses leaves Donoho wounded – and dangerous.  

Donoho’s struggles have been on offense this season, though they have had a couple breakout games where the offense roared to life in stretches. Blake and Grant Steed are notable athletes  on the team, but the rest of the offense has struggled, particularly the offensive line which has had trouble protecting the backfield this season. 

Donoho’s strength can be found in their defense, led by outside linebacker (#4) Tej Patel, who is very aggressive and has been coached up to frustrate and shred opposing offenses. Ragland’s offense has the guns and the guts to outlast and exhaust the Falcons defense as long as they stay on the field and horizontally stretch the field. 

Expect Donoho to challenge Ragland early in the game, but the Purple Devils’ defense should be able to quarantine the Falcons’ offense and allow Ragland’s offense to dominate the second half against a worn-out opponent. 

This Week: Victory Christian (4-4) – open