After a fairly quiet week, all five of the area teams are taking the field. Reeltown has rescheduled their game to Thursday this week. Three of the four area schools that played last week lost, with Reeltown defeating Horseshoe Bend and Dadeville on a bye. With playoffs and the offseason looming, it is officially win or go home season.
Thursday, October 13
Reeltown at Luverne
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Glenn Daniel Stadium, Luverne
Series: Luverne leads 2-0
Synopsis:
This matchup could very well be Reeltown’s best of the year. Luverne is sitting at 5-3, 4-1 and have put up three shutouts on the season. Since entering region play, Luverne has only dropped one game, and that was against undefeated Highland Home. Luverne’s offense puts up a lot of points, but defensively the team surrenders a lot too. Reeltown is much more balanced, scoring over three times as much as they give up. The Rebels have not faced a test like Luverne since Goshen or Tallassee and probably need to be careful of having this game become a trap game. If Reeltown wins, the Rebels have a date with Highland Home which should decide the region.
Friday, October 14
Briarwood at Benjamin Russell
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Charles E. Bailey Sr. Sportplex
Series: Tied 3-3
Synopsis:
No, the sky is not falling for Benjamin Russell. However, the way Benjamin Russell has lost its two games has come in very similar manors. The Wildcats are used to playing ahead, which is a catch-22 on their season. While on one hand, playing ahead means you are winning and handling teams. On the other hand, it means that you are not as experienced in playing from behind. In both losses, the Wildcats have gotten behind and turned the ball over in bunches trying to score 100 points in one drive. Briarwood is coming off two losses, also having lost to Pelham and Clay-Chalkville earlier in the year. The Wildcats need to get back to basics, and a home game will certainly help that. At home, Benjamin Russell is outscoring teams 117-34.
Central Coosa at B.B. Comer
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Legion Stadium, Sylacauga
Series: Comer leads 17-5
Synopsis:
Central Coosa needed to win its last two games. However, the Cougars did not. Much akin to Benjamin Russell, Coosa gets bogged down with penalties and turnovers. Last Friday, Coosa’s defense did its part but its offense sputtered. Against Comer, it is going to take every last available player to give their best to stop the Tigers. Comer’s offense typically runs through running back Kamore Harris, and Coosa has had a tough time stopping the interior rush. Comer currently leads the region at 6-2, 5-0. At home, Comer has outscored opponents 119-50. On the road, Coosa has been outscored 34-70. The Cougars are certainly the dog in this game, but you have to play the games to win.
Dadeville at Childersburg
When: 7 p.m.
Where: John Cox Stadium, Childersburg
Series: Dadeville leads 10-4
Synopsis:
It does not take a real crazy analytical dive to be able to tell that Dadeville needs to keep winning. While the Tigers are undefeated, so is region leading Randolph County. As head coach Roger McDonald has said, this region could get messy at the top with how things have played out thus far. However, this looks to be a good week to keep that undefeated season alive against 1-7 Childersburg. The only win for Childersburg came in a 58-8 victory over Weaver, a team Dadeville beat 39-6. While the Childersburg Tigers can score, their defense is lacking. Childersburg has given up 266 points this year, while Dadeville has only surrendered 51. Dadeville’s closest games have come on the road, so the team could be tested, but the visiting Tigers should be able to come out on top. Looking ahead, Dadeville has Randolph County next week.
Barbour County at Horseshoe Bend
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Generals Stadium
Series: Tied 1-1
Synopsis:
Horseshoe Bend ran into a buzzsaw against Reeltown last week. The Generals have to forget about that one and move on to a team that gets buzzsawed in Barbour County. Reeltown beat the Jaguars 76-0, good for the school’s highest scoring margin ever. While Horseshoe Bend does not have the same type of team the Rebels do, this still should be in hand for the Generals. On the year, the Jaguars have been outscored 454-47. The most points Barbour County has put up in a game was 19. Horseshoe Bend’s defense should be able to dominate this one, even if the offense cannot produce a 50-plus point outing. At this point, a win is a win is a win for Horseshoe Bend, with the playoffs likely out of reach. Including Barbour County, two of the next three games for Horseshoe Bend should be easy wins.
