It’s Halloween, a time for dressing up, trick-or-treating, and scary movies.
It also means high school football’s regular season is fading away, with the postseason full moon beginning to emerge from the clouds.
Although much has been wrapped up like a mummy for our area teams, there’s still some work to be done. Cedar Bluff and Sand Rock are both fighting for their playoff lives, while Piedmont and Spring Garden can both carve up perfect regular seasons with wins.
Will our area teams be able to slash their opponents, or will the opposition have a few surprising tricks up their sleeves? Also, will yours truly be able to scare up another perfect week like last week’s 5-0 mark? Read on to find out ‘What In The World Is Shannon Fagan Brewing?’ up for this week.
Valley Head (6-3) at Collinsville (6-3)
These two DeKalb County rivals are no strangers to playing close contests against each other. The Panthers won the last meeting 27-22 last year. In fact, the last two meetings in the series have been by identical 27-22 scores.
But Collinsville has been a nightmare of late for the Tigers. The Panthers have won 9 of the last 10 meetings in the series. I look for Cagle Civitan Field to continue to be a haunted house for Valley Head to escape with a victory.
The pick: Collinsville.
Piedmont (9-0) at Glencoe (2-7)
Piedmont is seeking its first undefeated regular season since 2016. That year, the Bulldogs went a perfect 15-0 for their third state championship.
I look for Cole Wilson and company to spook the Yellow Jackets and put the final nail in their coffin.
The pick: Piedmont.
Ranburne (3-6) at Spring Garden (9-0)
One of the most surprising facts I found out this week was the Panthers have never beaten Ranburne in their football history. According to the Alabama High School Historical Society website (ahsfhs.org), Spring Garden is 0-6 against the Bulldogs. The last time the two teams met was back in 2011, a 32-7 decision.
I look for the Panthers to cross the Bulldogs’ path plenty on Friday night and provide them with plenty of bad luck in the Foothills Tractor Game of the Week.
The pick: Spring Garden.
Whitesburg Christian (4-5) at Sand Rock (4-5)
Speaking of bad luck, the Wildcats had a lot of that the past month until last week. They snapped a four-game skid with a 47-8 rout of Gaston to keep their playoff hopes alive. Alec Ashley threw for over 200 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
Here’s thinking Ashley and the Wildcat receivers can carve up the Warrior defense like a jack-o-lantern and come out with a win.
The pick: Sand Rock.
Cedar Bluff (3-6) at Donoho (4-5)
Cedar Bluff’s postseason graveyard epitaph hasn’t been written yet.
Behind a gutsy performance from Hunter Stallings, the Tigers scratched and clawed their way to a season-saving 28-26 win over Sand Rock two weeks ago. They had last week off to heal some battle wounds and prepare for the Falcons.
My Magic 8 ball says their signs point to yes on picking up a win, keeping things interesting for their playoff hopes.
The pick: Cedar Bluff.