A Look Ahead: Red Bay Tigers face Homecoming game
As teams enter the last week of region play, things are pretty clear: Phil Campbell, Tharptown and Vina are eliminated from the play-off picture and will close out their seasons next week. Russellville and Red Bay are in the playoffs.
What is not clear is where Franklin County’s Tiger teams will be seeded.
Russellville has the most at stake this week as the Golden Tigers face off with Dora. After losing to Jasper last week, the Golden Tigers are in a must-win situation to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. Both teams appear evenly matched, and this should be a great game at Russellville High School.
If Red Bay takes care of business the last two weeks of the regular season, they are assured home field advantage and possibly a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. This will be the Red Bay Tigers’ homecoming week, and they face Tharptown.
Phil Campbell (2-6; 1-4) hosts Colbert Heights (5-4; 4-1)
The Phil Campbell Bobcats’ play-off hopes are gone, but there is still a lot to play for. The Bobcats will close out region play at home, where they will face the Colbert Heights Wildcats. This will be senior night for the Bobcats.
Phil Campbell closes out the season with rival Hackleburg next Thursday.
With a lot of young playmakers on the roster, coach Kevin Barnwell said Phil Campbell wants to close out the season with momentum.
“Colbert Heights is well coached,” said Barnwell. “They have a great staff. They are sound everywhere.
“It is hard to find any flaws. They have some really good playmakers. Once again, we will face a very athletic quarterback that can cause problems if you don’t play smart.”
Red Bay (6-2; 4-1) hosts Tharptown (1-6; 0-5)
The Red Bay Tigers are locked in a three-way tie for first place in the region. The Tigers face Tharptown in their final region game of the season. It is also a late-season homecoming game for Red Bay.
The Tigers are in a comfortable spot to get a home play-off game. Right now, they are playing for seeding. The way things stand, with tie-breakers, Red Bay will be either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
“We need to take care of ourselves and play to the level we are capable of playing,” said Red Bay coach Michael Jackson. “We have a great opportunity to host a playoff game, and we need to keep the momentum going.”
For the Tharptown Wildcats, it’s the final game of brutal three-game region streak. The Wildcats had to face Addison and Hatton the past two weeks, and this week they will face the best rushing attack they have faced all year. Red Bay’s offensive line has a habit of just wearing down opponents, opening gaping holes for talented running backs.
Tharptown will close out the season next week at Vina.
“Red Bay is very talented,” said Tharptown coach Kevin Lacey. “When you play them, you’d better be ready to strap up your helmets and play a very physical and aggressive game. They have a great offensive line and good skill players. Their defense is outstanding, and they play sound fundamental football.”
Russellville (7-1; 0-5) hosts Dora (5-3; 4-2)
The Russellville Golden Tigers took a tough road loss to Jasper Friday night, which cost them their undefeated season and the top spot in the region.
Coach John Ritter’s Golden Tigers can’t look back as they face another quality Walker County team this week. The Golden Tigers will host the Dora Bulldogs. Up for grabs is second place in the region and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
On paper, this game looks fairly even, with a slight edge to Russellville. Russellville is scoring 42.7 points per game in region play while giving up 25.7 points per region game. Dora is averaging 26.5 points per region game and giving up 23.3 points per game.
Both teams’ only loss came to Jasper. Russellville lost to the Vikings Friday night 42-13, and Dora lost to the Vikings 26-13.
“Dora is a very good team with great skill players,” said Ritter. “Offensively they are very explosive with a player at every skill position. Their defense is stout, with physical linebackers and an athletic secondary.”
Vina (0-8; 0-5) at Hackleburg (1-7; 1-4)
The Vina Red Devils will travel down the road to play their final region game against the Hackleburg Panthers.
While it has been a frustrating season for the Red Devils, they play their final two games against teams that are having their own struggles – Hackleburg and Tharptown.
Hackleburg is having an unusual season. The Panthers have only won one game – a 52-8 blowout win over Shoals Christian. Otherwise, the Panthers have been on the receiving end of lopsided losses, scoring 28 points per region game and giving up 42 points per game.
“Hackleburg will spread you out and make you tackle in space,” said Vina coach Jason Harris. “Their quarterback is a great athlete and the key to their offense. We have to be patient and make tackles.”
