The Game Plan by Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



It’s still more than nine weeks until the regular season for Alabama High School Athletic Association teams kicks off, but football is definitely in the air.

It’s in the 90s and the summer heat has been overwhelming at times, but the thoughts of many area folks are on the upcoming fall and high school football.

I gotten several e-mails lately talking about the merits of our six local high school teams and I’m going out on a limb today and making some very early and perhaps very premature predictions on how things may shake out this fall.

I’ll be using a ranking system today, ranking the teams, not in terms of which club could line up and beat the another club from our area, but which club has the best chance to make an impact in their own classification.

1] Tabernacle Torches. The defending Christian Football Association champions lost some key players, including their starting quarterback, some key lineman and some good defensive players. They might not be the preseason favorites for the state title like they were last summer, but I expect them to reach the state title game with a chance to defend their title.

2] Fultondale Wildcats. The Wildcats have a core group of 10 juniors, who gained experience last season as sophomores while reaching the 2A state playoffs. Only five starters have to be replaced from a 7-4 club that lost a tough road playoff game by seven points. I’m expecting Fultondale to go deeper in the playoffs this season, and I think they’ll host a playoff game this year in the opening round.

3] Mortimer Jordan and Gardednale. The Blue Devils lost several key players on both sides of the ball, but they’ll have a starting line up full of juniors and seniors. The last time that happened, 2006, they reached the second round of the state playoffs. The Rockets could surprise in their first year of 6A football. Yes, they have by far the most difficult schedule of any team in our area, but they also have been a solid 5A program for the past two years and several key players return, including senior leaders Tyrone Bowie at linebacker and Conner McCain, who’s back for his third season as the Gardendale quarterback.

4] Corner and Hayden. The Yellow Jackets struggled at times last year to score, but made strides late in the year. Coach Jeff Smith has this team on the rise. Look for the win total to increase in 2008. The Wildcats have a tough slate in Class 5A, but they ended last year with two straight wins and the players enthusiasm is on the rise. Expect their win total to increase some this year. They could move closer to the .500 mark.