A look ahead at county action this week
By Bart Moss for the FCT
What to watch for: Phil Campbell and Colbert Heights will be the game to watch in the county this week. The Bobcats had a very strong showing at Tharptown last week in front of a capacity crowd. Things will get tougher this week, however, as they face a talented Colbert Heights squad. Colbert Heights beat Red Bay Friday night 14-6 in a defensive battle. The Bobcats will probably not be able to run the ball at-will like they did at Tharptown. They will have to put together some solid drives and contain an explosive Wildcat offense. This game will go a long way in showing where the Bobcats are relative to the competition they will face as they start region play next week.
Phil Campbell hosts Colbert Heights
Last year: Phil Campbell lost to Colbert Heights 47-26
Record: 1-0 (0-0)
Phil Campbell Coach Ryan Swinney: “Colbert Heights has a really good quarterback. He is very elusive, and he can throw the ball well. He has a very strong arm. We are going to have to contain him. They also have two kids in the slot that are quick and good football players. They are solid up front on both sides of the ball. They played a very good defensive game against Red Bay last week. They are pretty physical. We are going to have a challenge, but I think our guys are up to it.”
Red Bay at Tharptown
Last year: Red Bay defeated Tharptown 59-7
RBHS Record: 0-1 (0-0)
THSRecord: 0-1 (0-0)
Red Bay Coach Michael Jackson: “Tharptown is much improved. They look like they have a few more skill guys. I think they are going to try to spread the field and go wide open. It looked like they made some good plays against Phil Campbell but just shot themselves in the foot. We are excited about going to Tharptown and playing. We just want to get better. That is our goal each week – to get better.”
Tharptown Coach Kevin Lacey: “Red Bay is a very good football team. They always are. They are strong and physical and very well-coached. They have all of their skill players back that put up big numbers last year. We will have be very smart and disciplined on defense if we are going to contain them. They are young and have a lot of new starters, but a lot of those young guys are big and strong. We have to be able to make some plays, cut down on mistakes and stop lowering our heads when a little adversity strikes.”
Vina hosts Brilliant
Last year: Vina defeated Brilliant 52-16
Record: 0-1 (0-0)
Vina Coach Jason Harris: “Brilliant is going to run the spread offense, so we will have to be able to stretch the offense and not allow any big plays. They lost all three linebackers from last year. If we can establish a running game, it will give us a chance. Brilliant plays tough football. We will have to be tougher than we were last week, and we will have to have more fight in us if we want to be successful.”
