Pell City 56, Childersburg 7

Coach Keith Etheredge’s opening act as the Pell City Panthers’ new man at the helm proved to be a combination of dominant running and turnover mishaps by Childersburg, resulting in a 49-0 halftime shutout, and eventually a 56-7 victory.

Capitalizing on four early Tigers’ turnovers, six different Panthers scored touchdowns in the first half (Chris Lynch scored two touchdowns, along with scores by Christian Craton, Austin Stephens’ Marquis Posey, Hudson Hughes and Casey Smith). Childersburg’s one score occurred in the fourth quarter on a 23 yard reception long after Etheredge had cleared the field of his starters and gave his younger guys a look.

Sept. 2: Pell City (1-0) @ Gardendale (2-0)

The Gardendale Rockets come into this week having shocked the state after dispatching Class 7A’s second-ranked ranked James Clemens, leading many to speculate that Gardendale has the kind of team that will challenge for a 6A title this season.

Gardendale is known more as a defensive power, led by linebacker Steven Crowder who had 22 tackles last week against JCHS. Offensively, Gardendale has the weapons to contend. The team’s best athlete and most recruited player is wide receiver Kevin Howard, a 6’3” 200 lb. playmaker who has already received a scholarship offer from the University of Louisville, and has at least 15 other universities showing interest in him through the season. Howard is joined by the Crowder brothers (two-way player Steven and quarterback Michael), who seem to have been at Gardendale forever and who are always involved in plays for the Rockets. Last but not lease, there is the running back tandem of Demetrius King, a 6’1” speedster with 4.5 speed, and senior Omari Burton, who leads the Rockets in rushing.

Moody 8, Springville 7

Trailing 7-0 in the final four minutes of Friday’s intra-county rivalry matchup, the Blue Devils briefly left their power running game of Gabe Webb and executed a picture-perfect jump ball fade into the back of the end zone from Louie Goff to wide receiver Kyle Ivy to pull Moody within one point. Coach Jay Brown kept his offense on the field, and the courageous gamble paid off with a two-point conversion via a toss-sweep to Gabe Webb that gave Moody its first and only lead in the game. Moody’s defense was able to stifle a final drive by the Tigers for a season-opening win for the Blue Devils.

Sept. 2: Moody (1-0) @ Briarwood Christian (0-1)

Despite a lopsided defeat against Chelsea in their opening game, the Lions will prove to be a formidable opponent for the Blue Devils, with a maturing, seasoned team that went through its growing pains last year in one of the most competitive 6A regions in the state. Briarwood came through that growth last season with a playoff berth and a victory in the first round despite having a losing record during the regular season. Now that the Lions have been reclassified 5A, Briarwood coach Fred Yancey has primed his team for a very successful regular season run.

The Lions have tested leadership in senior William Gray a dual-threat quarterback who will be joined in the backfield by sophomore J.R. Tran Reno and Barrett Tindall. Mixing up the offensive attack will be Gray’s favorite target in receiver Carson Eddy.

The big question mark is Briarwood’s defense. It will be intriguing to see how Moody running back Gabe Webb fares against a defense that surrendered 43 points to Chelsea last week.

Sept. 2: Springville (0-1) vs. Mortimer Jordan (1-0)

Springville gets a huge test with its opening regional game on the road at Mortimer Jordan. Ranked fifth in the state and featuring a magnificent running back in Spencer Brown, a 225 pound wrecking ball with speed. The Pelham Panthers got a firsthand look at the senior last week, and were trampled over into the end zone five times by the Blue Devils star. Brown is currently on pace to rush for 2,000 yards this season. Springville was able to limit the effectiveness of Moody’s star back Gabe Webb last week, but Brown’s start should concern the Tigers’ defensive coaching staff.

St. Clair County 34, Lincoln 28

Despite a spirited, 48 minute effort by Lincoln, the Saints held off the Golden Bears at home last Friday, bolstered by a blistering running attack executed by Justin May and Ja’Varrius Johnson. The Saints kept feeding May with off-right tackle runs out of the I-formation, and May delivered with three touchdown runs of four, seven and two yards. For good measure, May added a late fourth touchdown on an off-left run of 11 yards for a score. Johnson kept Lincoln’s defense honest with slashing speed sweeps out of motion, eclipsing with a one yard touchdown run.

Sept. 2: St. Clair County (1-0) @ Shelby Co. (0-1)

The matchup in Columbiana may very well be a matchup in which we wait to see what breaks first – the Saints’ high-powered offense or Shelby County’s stingy defense.

St. Clair has the best offense in the county, as Lincoln was made aware in week one. The Wildcats will pose a challenge to that firepower the Saints possess. Shelby County went on the road last week and completely shut down Holt’s offense, leaving the hosts to reel into the locker room at halftime down 42-0.

The Saints’ defense will face an offense similar to their own. The Wildcats like to keep a fresh rotation of running backs in their backfield. Leading them is senior Keyvontae Mayfield, who averaged 15 yards per carry last week against Holt 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 K. Mayfield an opportunity to stay effective throughout the game. After averaging 125 yards rushing per game, Mayfield seems to be the go-to guy for the game this week.

Ashville 17, Ragland 6

Ashville’s punishing running attack behind back Kyle King and scrambling acrobatics of quarterback Landon Cornutt proved to be very difficult for Ragland, who dropped their home opener against their western neighbors.

Cornutt hustled on both sides of the field for 24 yards and the Bulldogs opening touchdown three minutes into the game, which he followed with an 18 yard touchdown pass to Nathan Phillips only after a Russell Wilson-esque backfield scramble to elude Purple Devils’ defenders. Ashville’s Hunter Huckbay added a 27 yard field goal to the score.

Ragland did manage to avoid the shutout thanks to a one yard scoring sweep by senior Jadon Killings.

Sept. 2: Ashville (1-0) @ Anniston (2-0)

Ashville’s success at stopping the passing attack of Ragland’s Stoney Merrett may be difficult to reproduce this week on the road at Anniston. The emergence of Bulldogs quarterback Marrio Dobbins as a passing and running threat proved to be a pleasant surprise to Anniston fans after their starting quarterback got injured before the season began. Dobbins led a Bulldog offense that put up five touchdowns against a very tough and higher classified Sylacauga squad last week, who they took into overtime. Dobbins’ performance and how the offense responded to him has injected much optimism in the Bulldogs’ coaches and players. Ashville needs to be prepared for a team that will be coming after them from the opening kickoff.

Sept. 2: Ragland (1-0) vs. Talladega Co. Central (0-2)

Ragland’s matchup with Talladega Co. Central is filled with question marks. Last season’s 30-14 loss leaves Ragland wanting more, but their struggles on offense against Ashville has raised new concerns. As for TC Central, their team has become shrouded in uncertainty after their very talented quarterback Darrell Maple was seriously injured at the end of last week’s loss to Talladega High School. The Fighting Tigers are very dependent on the passing game Maple delivered for his team, and with him out it is difficult to see how that will bode for the Fighting Tigers.

Leeds 33, Cleburne Co. 18

The fifth-ranked Green Wave continued their winning ways last Friday, despite an early scare when they went down early against Cleburne Co. before running off four consecutive touchdowns later in the game to give Leeds a two touchdown margin of victory.

Leeds showed great balance on offense, with two receiving and two rushing touchdowns during the game. The turnover bug bit the Tigers midway through the first quarter, leading to scores by Jaylen Washington and Gaitlin Roberson. Leeds receiver Torrence Pollard also took in a long passing play for a touchdown, and running back Tyler Rose returned to his running form of last year and added a touchdown on the ground for Leeds. A late first half touchdown by Cleburne County closed the Green Wave’s lead to 11 by halftime, but the Tigers struggled against Leeds’ defense in the second half and couldn’t come back.

Sept. 2: Leeds (2-0) vs. Elmore Co. (2-0)

Forget that the Panthers from 2015 were throttled by Leeds by the score of 49-0. A retooled offense and a 2-0 regular season start must serve as a wake-up call for the Green Wave. Leeds coach Lee Gibson will certainly not let last year’s game allow his boys to become complacent, so look for the Green Wave’s defense to key in on Elmore County’s offensive threats.

Elmore County can strike their opponents with a variety of weapons, beginning with senior quarterback Will Venable, who plays with a style and poise reminiscent of former Alabama quarterback Jake Coker. Lined up behind Venable is sophomore running back Donovan Jones. Weighing in at 200 pounds and possessing a battering-ram style of running the football, the Green Wave defense must get to Jones before he gets into space and starts running downhill. The Green Wave’s excellent secondary will get tested when they have to deal with junior Terrence Head, who is a 6’3” tall, fast and graceful wideout who will be widely recruited next year. Complementing Head will be deep threat Tyrec Belyeu, who burned Alabama Christian Academy last week with a scorching sixty yard touchdown reception.

Victory Christian 56, AS Deaf 8

Victory Christian’s annual matchup against the Silent Warriors gave the Lions the opportunity to right the ship after their opening game loss to Sumiton Christian last week.

ASD was unable to generate any offense for nearly all of the first half and the Lions made the most of it, with junior quarterback Harrison Cheatwood putting on a show with three touchdown passes in the first half, two to his favorite target Ethan Carlisle and one to Ethan Johnson. Stalled drives and turnovers by ASD also led to touchdown runs by Daniel Barber (who also scored a touchdown on special teams) and Ashton Love (who also scored on a run for a two-point conversion). ASD did manage to get on the scoreboard shortly before the end of the first half with a long touchdown pass, but the scoring quickly dried up for the Silent Warriors as Victory Christian went on to expand their lead in the second half.

Sept. 2: Victory Christian (1-1) vs. Donoho (1-1)

After beginning the season with an impressive victory against Jacksonville Christian Academy, Donoho suffered a severe blowout last week, losing 55-13 to Horseshoe Bend. The Lions need not worry about previous results by Donoho, and focus on what is clearly shown on game film – that the Falcons have an explosive running attack.

First there is the all-purpose wunderkind senior Garrett Steed. Even his name sounds like he is ready to cleat his way through your defense. Steed blew up coverages last year with five kick and punt returns that went for touchdowns. Steed also is a terrific tailback, and could easily top 200 all-purpose yards in the first half if VCS is not careful. Steed is joined in the backfield by Mitchell Baker and John Hutto, who will give defenses fits all year. The Lions have got to bottle up that backfield to beat the Falcons. Defensively, VCS will be challenged by outside linebacker Tej Patel, who is very aggressive and possesses great technique to blow through o-lines and get to quarterbacks.