A Look Ahead: Red Bay, Russellville host playoffs
The Red Bay Tigers and the Russellville Golden Tigers will both be hosting play-off games Friday night. Both teams finished second in their respective regions.
Red Bay will host Winston County, and Russellville will host Center Point. A win keeps them alive; a loss ends their seasons.
Red Bay (8-2) hosts Winston County (6-4)
Red Bay finished in a three-way tie for first place in Class 2A, Region 7, with Addison and Colbert County. After all the tie-breakers, Red Bay ended up in the second place slot.
There the Tigers will be matched up against the third-place finisher in Class 2A, Region 5. The Tigers should have the upper hand in this game.
Although the Yellow Jackets are 6-4, they have won their past four games averaging 34 points per game and giving up just 11 points per game. With that being said, Winston County struggled in the first half of the season, losing four of the first six games, including one to a common opponent of Red Bay: Addison, 51-18. Addison defeated Red Bay 39-12 early in the season as well.
“The Wilson game last week will help us this week,” said Red Bay coach Michael Jackson. “Playing a school that is bigger than us allows our kids to prepare better for play-off competition. It was good to have to play against some players that are very skilled. We will have to control the ball and limit Winston County’s ability to pass the football.”
Russellville (9-1) hosts Center Point (5-5)
The Russellville Golden Tigers finished in second place in Class 5A, Region 7. They will host the third-place finisher in Class 5A, Region 5, Center Point.
The Eagles’ record is very deceptive. While they were 5-5 overall, they were 5-2 in their region, playing a lot of talented non-region teams like Mountain Brook, Homewood and Oak Mountain. Their two region losses came to Mortimer Jordan 28-20 and Central-Clay County 14-0. In region competition, Center Point averaged 30 points per game and gave up just 11 points per game.
“Center Point is not your typical three-seed,” said Russellville coach John Ritter. “They are very big and athletic on both sides of the ball. They have played a brutal schedule, which will prepare them for the playoffs. Their defense is big and fast. Their offense is very explosive with playmakers at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.”
