Photo by Todd Lester
Spain Park LB Joe Cross (19) returns an interception during a game between Benjamin Russell and Spain Park on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Jaguar Stadium in Hoover.
Another down-to-the-wire Under the Lights Game of the Week? That makes five straight weeks to start the season that our pick for Game of the Week has delivered in incredible fashion.
Last Friday, Oxford rallied from two touchdowns down to beat Mountain Brook 29-28, on a late two-point conversion. It looked as if Mountain Brook had drained just enough time off the clock to seal the win, but Oxford’s late drive was a thing of beauty. And head coach Sam Adams did not waver in his decision to go for two and the win after the touchdown.
No team ever wants to lose, but I have to believe Mountain Brook head coach Chris Yeager and his staff walk away from that Class 6A, Region 6 game encouraged by what they saw. The Spartans have had some ups and downs over the first half of the season, but the game against Oxford proved that they certainly have what it takes to compete with the upper echelon of the region this fall.
Taking stock of which teams are still unbeaten at this stage; Chelsea, Clay-Chalkville, Homewood and Spain Park carry unblemished records toward the halfway mark of the campaign.
Chelsea improved to 4-0 with a dominant win over Calera. I’m sure head coach Todd Cassity appreciated winning by a few touchdowns as opposed to the dramatic back-to-back wins the Hornets gained in weeks prior. The Hornets have a couple more winnable games ahead of them before a big-time matchup with Spain Park in a few weeks.
Homewood kept on rolling with a convincing win over Jackson-Olin on Thursday, to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Patriots have been virtually unstoppable so far, but their biggest test of the year arrives this week with a trip to Mountain Brook.
Spain Park took care of business against a scrappy Benjamin Russell last week. The Jags have done a great job so far of responding to big wins and avoiding letdowns. They will have their hands full at Class 7A James Clemens this week.
Clay-Chalkville sits at 4-0 and heads to Thompson this week for a high-profile matchup.
Hewitt-Trussville responded impressively after a heartbreaking loss to Hoover, using a dominant second half to pull away from Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and improve to 4-1 on the season. The Class 7A, Region 3 win was a big one and puts the Huskies firmly in a playoff position.
Hoover welcomed Prattville to the meat of its schedule, blasting the previously unbeaten Lions on Friday night in a region contest. Hoover is now 3-0 in Region 3 play and appears to be barreling towards a matchup against Thompson in a month’s time that could decide the region title. This week, the Bucs host one of the top 6A teams in Parker.
Oak Mountain got back on the right track, scoring two late touchdowns to beat Tuscaloosa County in a back-and-forth affair. The Eagles may not be at the level of playoff teams in Region 3, but they are clearly much improved and have done a great job of closing out opponents in each of their three wins.
Vestavia Hills gave Thompson everything it wanted and more, holding a halftime lead before faltering in the second half. The Rebels simply could not avoid the turnover bug in the final two quarters, putting any hopes of an upset to rest. The Rebels take an open date this week before finally reaching the more manageable portion of their schedule.
It’s tough being Briarwood at the moment. The Lions fell to 0-5 with another deeply disappointing loss, this time to Wenonah. In a tie game, Briarwood was on the move, seemingly driving for the game-winning score. But an unfortunate fumble turned it into the game-winning score for Wenonah instead.
I’m keeping a close eye on the weather this week. As of Monday afternoon, forecasts have the future Hurricane Helene blowing through the Southeast on Thursday, which gives me hope that the weather Friday won’t be too much of a nuisance. But stay tuned on that front. It’s already been one of those active weather type of football seasons.
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Here’s an early look at the Week 6 slate:
- Briarwood vs. Leeds
- Chelsea at Paul Bryant
- Clay-Chalkville at Thompson
- Hewitt-Trussville at Pinson Valley
- Homewood at Mountain Brook
- Hoover vs. Parker
- John Carroll at Montevallo
- Spain Park at James Clemens
This is a weekly column from sports editor Kyle Parmley. Follow him on X at @KyleParmley.
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