Red Bay travels to Lexington

RED BAY — Red Bay earned a big win last Friday night by knocking off Class 3A Sheffield to give coach Dale Jeffreys his 100th victory.

The ninth-ranked Tigers cannot afford to celebrate that win too long because they have a tough test at Lexington this week in their first region game of the season.

Red Bay used a strong running game and a stout new defensive system to beat Sheffield, but they will need more of the same against the Golden Bears this week.

Lexington returns a few key players, but experience is a concern as 13 starters from last season are gone.

The most experienced group on the Golden Bears’ roster is the secondary, which lost only one starter — it could create a problem if Red Bay gets behind and is forced to pass the ball often.

This is the 18th game between these programs with Lexington holding an 11-6 edge. The Golden Bears have a three-game winning streak in the series with Red Bay’s last win coming in 2004.