Tharptown football schedule preview

The Tharptown Wildcats enter their second season under Coach John Johnson and the 19th season overall. Last year was a rough start for the new head coach, going 1-9 and allowing a program record 534 points. This year the Wildcats look to right the ship, which starts with scheduling. On the surface, there are at least five winnable games on the schedule for the Wildcats.

Tharptown Wildcats Football Schedule

August 23 – Tharptown travels to Danville. The Wildcats and the Hawks have never faced each other on the gridiron. Danville finished fifth in Class 4A Region 7 last year. They went 3-7 last year and their three wins were to much weaker competition – Shoals Christian, Asbury and Brindlee Mountain. The Hawks averaged 20.7 points per game and gave up 32.9.

August 30 – Tharptown hosts Waterloo. The Cougars went 0-9 last year, scoring 11.1 points per game and giving up 49. They were shut out five times – by Brilliant, Cherokee, Sheffield, Hackleburg and Shoals Christian.

September 6 – Tharptown hosts Belgreen. This will be Belgreen’s first ever varsity football game against a county opponent. Tharptown started football 19 years ago, so it is the youngest program the Bulldogs will play. It will be a good test and benchmark.

September 19 – Tharptown travels to Decatur Heritage. The schedule tightens as the Wildcats travel to the winners of Class 1A Region 7. The Eagles set a program record last year for margin of victory, beating Carbon Hill by 55 points. Decatur Heritage went 9-2 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Winterboro 42-37.

September 27 – Tharptown travels to Vina. This intercounty rival took the year off last year. Tharptown holds an 8-7 historical advantage. The scoring is as close as the Wildcats have scored six points more than the Red Devils through 15 games 292-286. Vina beat Tharptown the first seven years they faced each other. The Wildcats, however, are 7-1 since 2012, and they are on a four-game winning streak.

October 4 – Tharptown at Tanner. Last year, the Rattlers took it to the Wildcats, winning 74-8. All of those players are gone from Tanner, as is the coach. Tanner faced Phil Campbell in a spring game in May. Phil Campbell held a seven-touchdown advantage on the Rattlers at halftime.

October 11 – Tharptown hosts Red Bay. This is an intercounty game but not necessarily a rivalry. Red Bay has never lost to the Wildcats. The Tigers are unblemished at 10-0 and have outscored Tharptown 560-70. Heath Childers is in his fourth season as Red Bay head coach. Last year, his team beat the Wildcats 50-14. The Tigers finished 6-5 and fourth in Class 2A Region 8 and lost to Tuscaloosa Academy in the first round of the playoffs 35-16.

October 18 – Tharptown hosts Winston County. The Wildcats and Yellow Jackets have never played each other. Winston County will have a new head coach this year. Last year, they went 5-5 and finished fifth in their region. They scored 30.9 points per game and gave up 22.6.

October 25 – Tharptown at Lexington. Last year’s matchup was a rough one for the Wildcats. The Golden Bears set two program records in the game — most points in a game (77) and margin of victory (71). Lexington also set a program record for most points in a season (364). Lexington went 7-5 last year, but lost in the second round of the playoffs to Fyffe 57-24. Lexington averaged 38.3 points per game and gave up 30.3.

November 1 – Tharptown at Phillips. This was the lone win for the Wildcats last year, beating Phillips 22-15. The Bears went 2-7 but they are 10-5 historically versus Tharptown. Phillips averaged 13.1 points per game last year and gave up 41.7.