The month of October is now upon us. Five weeks from Friday, the AHSAA state football playoffs will begin.
But there’s still plenty of football to be played until then.
This week, I took a peek into the future, pondering some potential first-round playoff matchups. Maybe I should’ve waited another week because there are some huge region matchups this Friday which will make things a little clearer, but hey, it never hurts to plan early.
With wins this Friday, Spring Garden, Piedmont and Cherokee County solidify their chances of hosting a first-round playoff game. They’ll also take another step closer toward a region championship.
Collinsville, Sand Rock, Cedar Bluff and Gaylesville are all still in the playoff thicket as well. They’ll also look to improve their standing this week.
Speaking of improving on standing, yours truly posted his second undefeated record in the past three weeks picking the preps. I went 5-0 last week to improve to 30-4 on the season. Here’s hoping I didn’t spend too much time looking ahead and keep my picking prowess intact.
Gaylesville (2-3) at Ider (0-5)
After a 2-0 start to the season, the Trojans have now lost three in a row.
But they’ve been competitive in those losses. They held an 18-14 lead at halftime last week at undefeated Verbena before the Red Devils pulled ahead.
On Friday, Gaylesville will play its fourth road game in its past five games. The Trojans haven’t won since Aug. 29 at Asbury, but I think that all changes this week. Look for Gaylesville to get back in the win column by swatting the Hornets.
The pick: Gaylesville.
Pisgah (5-0) at Sand Rock (3-3)
Like Gaylesville, Sand Rock has also struggled of late. After winning three in a row, the Wildcats have dropped their last two to Pleasant Valley and Collinsville.
It doesn’t get any easier on Friday against top-ranked Pisgah.
The Eagles bombed Randolph last week 29-0. They ran the ball 42 times for a total of 290 yards. Quarterback Luke Gilbert and running back Legion McCrary combined for 284 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
I’m afraid stopping that explosive duo will be too much to ask Sand Rock’s defense to handle.
The pick: Pisgah.
Cedar Bluff (2-4) at Pleasant Valley (4-2)
Both Cedar Bluff and Pleasant Valley’s offenses struggled last week. The Tigers were blanked by Spring Garden 54-0, but the Raiders managed to squeak out an 8-6 victory at Woodland.
Both teams have been battling injuries as well, but both have adapted for the most part. I saw Pleasant Valley’s Jaden Sparks a couple of weeks ago at Sand Rock filling at quarterback. The Wildcat defense had a tough time corralling him because he’s so elusive.
I think the Tiger defense will have that same difficulty containing Sparks on Friday night.
The pick: Pleasant Valley.
Appalachian (5-1) at Spring Garden (6-0)
In speaking with a few of the Panther players following their win at Cedar Bluff last week, I didn’t get the impression those guys were satisfied with where they are.
This team is hungry for a region championship, and I think they’ll take a major step toward that goal with a hard-fought win over Appalachian.
The pick: Spring Garden.
Collinsville (4-1) at Geraldine (4-1)
Collinsville junior running back Quintavious Rogers is becoming a scoring machine for the Panthers. For the third straight game, he accounted for five total touchdowns in a 51-0 rout of Sand Rock last Friday. Rogers ran for 179 yards on 10 carries with four touchdowns. He also caught a pair of passes for 54 yards and a score.
That kind of performance won’t be as easy for him to come by against the Bulldogs. They’re coming off an impressive 49-20 victory against Class 5A Boaz.
In that game, Geraldine scored on each of its possessions. Jordan Lankford and Jon Beck Wade combined for 371 yards rushing and six touchdowns.
Lankford rushed for 250 yards on 17 carries and two scores while Wade had 121 yards on 19 carries and scored four times.
In one of those eyebrow-raising stats, courtesy of the Alabama High School Football Historical Society webpage (www. ahsfhs.org), I discovered Geraldine has won the last 13 meetings in this DeKalb County rivalry. Collinsville hasn’t won in the series since 1996.
Add to that Geraldine is 3-0 at home this season and I like the Bulldogs in this one.
The pick: Geraldine.
Locust Fork (5-0) at Piedmont (5-0)
A pair of the state’s best quarterbacks will be center stage at the Field of Champions Friday night. Locust Fork’s Dylan Embry and Piedmont’s Cole Wilson have been piling up the yards and touchdowns against opposing defenses this season.
Earlier this season against Westbrook Christian, Embry accumulated 443 total yards, including 317 yards rushing. He had 28 carries for 317 yards and was 5 of 10 passing for 126 yards and accounted for five touchdowns.
Wilson, who recovered from a foot injury suffered two weeks ago, came back strong with a 313-yard, six-touchdown performance (5 passing, 1 rushing) in leading the Bulldogs to 58-16 throttling of visiting B.B. Comer.
This game has the makings of a track meet. Even though the Hornets have had a week to prepare, I like the Bulldogs to come out on top in this first-ever football meeting.
The pick: Piedmont.
Anniston (2-3) at Cherokee County (5-1)
Don’t let the Bulldogs’ record fool you. Their three losses have come against teams that are a combined 13-3 this season. The past two weeks they’ve fallen to ranked foes Hokes Bluff and Pleasant Grove.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have been picking up steam since their season-opening loss to Piedmont, particularly on defense.
The Warriors have given up just 12 points over the past month, including a pair of shutouts over Etowah and White Plains. Last week, they limited Class 6A Shades Valley to a touchdown.
I look for the Warriors to execute another solid game plan by Cherokee County defensive coordinator Bret Henderson and keep Bulldog quarterback Damon Pope and running back Jabari Williams from getting off their chains in the Foothills Tractor Game of the Week.
The pick: Cherokee County.