Last Week: Fort Payne 23, Pell City 21

This Week: Pell City (5-4) vs. Helena (3-6)

Having secured a playoff spot last week, the Panthers host a final game at home this Friday with an opponent from Shelby County that is tested from a season of fierce completion in Class 6 Region 3. Offensively, the Huskies are rich with talent. Senior quarterback number 13 Riley Davis is a tall pocket passer who has a very accurate arm on short and intermediate routes. Davis is blessed with two excellent wide receivers – senior number four Jake Busby is the threat across the middle for slants and square-ins, while junior number one, Justin Stuckey is the speedy deep threat as well as the Huskies’ dangerous special teams returner. Balancing Helena’s offense is a strong running attack led by senior running back number two Devan Walker who has a very strong core and will need to be wrapped up by Panther defenders because of Walker’s propensity to break through leg tackles. Walker has proven to also be a great check-down receiver out of the backfield for Davis.

Pell City’s offensive line will have to execute well to keep the Panthers strong running attack effective against the Huskies. Senior defensive tackle number 39 Justin Watson receives support from senior outside linebackers number 18 Cade Pugh and number 23 Justus Edwards. Helena’s defense is known for crippling the middle of the line with Watson and containing the edges with their linebackers. The Huskies are difficult to go long on because of their very athletic senior safety number 10 Nash Adams.

Last Week: Wenonah 48, Saint Clair Co. 0

Last Week: Fairview 21, Springville 17

This Week: Saint Clair Co. (2-7) @ Springville (1-8)

A Saints win this Friday would lead to a county sweep by the squad from Odenville and the undisputed top 5A team in the county, while Springville looks to finish the season buy doubling their wins from a year ago. Springville’s improving offense and solid defense will not make this game easy. St. Clair Co. has been banged up with injuries, notably star running back Justin May has succumbed to injuries earlier this season but is expected to be back near full strength for the finale. Surprising no one has been the stellar play of Grayson Beatty who has led his offense in crucial drives and scores in their wins.

The Tigers have become a more competitive team these last two weeks, and throughout the season Springville has shown a capacity to play outstanding defense. The Tigers are likely to send linebackers Alex Hutcheson and Joshua Leatherwood on blitz schemes to disrupt the mesh point of the Saints’ read-option attack. Blitzing is vulnerable to speed sweeps and hot screens, which will fall on Springville defensive ends Grayson Allen and Cornelius McDonald to harden the edge and drop back into hot coverages.

Last Week: Fairfield 37, Moody 30

This Week: Moody (2-7) vs. Plainview (6-3)

The final home game for Moody brings the Plainview Bears who enter this week with a winning record and a (still as of yet unknown) playoff seeding in the Class 3A state tournament. Plainview’s best athlete is quarterback and strong safety number 15 Bailey Dukes. Remarkably tough and very coordinated, Dukes is the one guy the Blue Devils’ defense will likely put a spy on. Dukes has a very talented target in junior tight end number 34 Jacob Wooten. Whether he is lead blocking or going out on seam routes, Wooten will give Blue Devil linebackers like Bubba Green a lot to think about on Friday.

Moody’s strength all year has been its running game through the three and four holes as well as off-tackle. This opponent should suit that strength. The Bears defense has a great core in middle linebacker in senior number three Colton Farmer, but support at the second level is a little hard to find and Moody may enjoy one of the few times they will have a significant size advantage up front this season.

Last Week: Leeds 49, Munford 25

This Week: OPEN

Last Week: Ashville 35, White Plains 21

This Week: Ashville (3-6) vs. West End Walnut Grove (5-4)

Ashville ends their season this week with the Class 2A, playoff-bound West End Patriots. Having studied game film all week, the Bulldogs coaching staff must be staying up late trying to figure out a way to slow down West End’s all-purpose athlete, number six Andre Little. The Patriots have one of those types of athletes that can beat you all by himself. Little takes direct snaps, runs down the field at blazing speed, out-jumps coverages on peak balls as a receiver, returns punts and kicks, runs around defenses on jet sweeps, etc., etc.

Ashville’s Hunter Huckbay is going to have to stick to Little like glue to minimize the damage he can cause. One way to do this is to drop into zone coverage and watch Patriots quarterback number 12 Payne Stencil’s eyes as he tends to telegraph where he is throwing the ball. Jumping routes on a quarterback who floats his passes could be a boon to the Bulldogs defense. If Ashville can stack seven in the box to stop the running of senior number four Jordan Main and take advantage of the Patriots’ defense, then a home victory at the end of the season can be snapped up by Ashville.

Last Week: Winterboro 48, Victory Christian 32

This Week: Victory Christian (4-5) @ Vincent (1-8)

After missing the playoffs by a whisker, Victory Christian’s new goal is to finish the season .500 by winning on the road against Vincent. Defensively Vincent is a sieve – eight of its nine opponents scored over 40 points on them. Their best defensive perform this season was in Week seven against winless Woodland, who had been shut out by half of their opponents this year. Vincent gave up 27 points to Woodland … to winless, virtually scoreless Woodland.

Victory Christian has never beaten Vincent in its history. Because of the Yellow Jackets struggling defense and overall young roster, the Lions can end that history Friday night. The Lions potent passing attack is just the recipe for success. Defensively, the Lions should key in on the young but strong running back in freshman number 21 JT Youngblood. Vincent’s very young tailback is going to become a very special player very soon, but the Lions’ defense should be able to bottle up that backfield and limit the Yellow Jackets’ time of possession.

Last Week: Ragland 49, Appalachian 28

This Week: OPEN