It won’t take much for Cullman County to have a better Week 8 than Week 7.

Just one win will do.

And with two county teams set to face off Friday night, they’re guaranteed to get at least that.

Coincidentally, this week’s local showdown pits Holly Pond, the county squad that came closest to a victory last week, against Vinemont, the one that was the furthest. The Broncos couldn’t quite hold on to a halftime lead in a 35-27 loss at Winston County, while the Eagles had their feathers ruffled at home in a 61-13 defeat to Oakman.

As for the county’s other five teams — Cold Springs, Fairview, Good Hope, Hanceville and West Point — they were outscored by an average of just less than 28 points. That’s surely a tough stat to swallow, but it hopefully only leaves one place to go — up.

Even amidst a 16-game skid, that appears to be the direction Holly Pond (0-6, 0-3 in Class 3A, Region 5) is trending. The Broncos are beginning to believe in themselves more than any other time during the Mike Bates era and now just need to put together a full four quarters to snag that elusive win.

Giving up 20 unanswered points in the second half like Holly Pond did last week won’t cut it at home versus Vinemont (2-4, 1-2). When healthy, the Eagles are an explosive squad that excels on the ground and can pile on touchdowns in a hurry.

The rub for Vinemont these past two seasons, however, has been that “when healthy” qualifier. Coach Alan Scott has yet to enjoy a Friday this season with his entire stable of tailbacks at 100 percent. Adding insult to injury — literally — senior lineman Kyle Weems went down with a “serious stinger” last week and won’t be available against Holly Pond.

Despite all the setbacks, my Spidey sense still seems to favor the Eagles. The Broncos very well could win, but I think they’ll have a much better chance the following Friday versus Hanceville.

% Rob’s Pick: Vinemont

% Jake’s Pick: Vinemont

% Addison (4-2, 2-1 in 2A, Region 6) at Sumiton Christian (2-4, 2-2): Last week, the Bulldogs delivered a blow to Cold Springs in the form of a 30-7 homecoming victory. This one, they’ll have a chance to do the Eagles (5-2, 2-2) a favor by breaking a tie for the region’s fourth and final playoff spot.

The postseason picture will become a whole lot clearer for Addison and Cold Springs in Week 9. The former will battle Tarrant with first-round hosting rights potentially on the line, while the latter would wrap up a playoff berth by beating Sumiton Christian.

Of course, both scenarios hinge on the Bulldogs taking care of business Friday night. Consider it done.

As 1A region mates the last two years, Addison slammed the Eagles 56-12 and 47-7, respectively.

% Rob’s Pick: Addison

% Jake’s Pick: Addison

% Fairview (2-4, 0-4 in 5A, Region 7) at Guntersville (6-0, 4-0): Just because the Aggies’ six-year playoff streak has already been mathematically snapped doesn’t mean they don’t have anything left to play for.

A massive upset of the No. 2 Wildcats, a pesky opponent reclassification kept on the Purple and Gold’s schedule, would be the perfect pick-me-up for a program that’s still capable of closing strong and entering the offseason with much-needed momentum.

History is not on Fairview’s side in this matchup. Guntersville owns the all-time series 15-3. The Wildcats, who edged Etowah 7-6 last week to grab sole possession of the region’s top spot, have won the last three meetings since the Aggies’ 29-17 home triumph in 2010.

% Rob’s Pick: Guntersville

% Jake’s Pick: Guntersville

% Good Hope (2-4, 1-3 in 4A, Region 7) at Priceville (3-3, 1-3): The Raiders have never beaten the Bulldogs in 45 years as a program.

In the Red and White’s defense, they’ve never had the chance — until now.

Good Hope and Priceville will lock horns for the first time Friday in a bout of fairly evenly matched foes. Both have topped J.B. Pennington, come within a touchdown of Westminster Christian and understandably struggled against the region’s emerging playoff contenders.

The Raiders would like to lay off their penchant for streaks in either direction by avoiding a potential two-game skid. That won’t be easy on the road, which is the only reason I’m going with the Bulldogs.

% Rob’s Pick: Priceville

% Jake’s Pick: Priceville

% Hanceville (0-6, 0-4 in 3A, Region 5) at Oakman (5-1, 4-0): There’s still a good chunk of season left to be played, but I’d like to make a simple plea before it gets too late.

Please don’t choose to remember these seniors solely for their last campaign with the Bulldogs. Instead, let them go down in Hanceville history as key pieces of a three-year run that brought the pride back to a traditionally rich program.

How quickly have folks forgotten the Purple and Gold were mired in a 22-game losing streak just eight years ago? The fact they’ve rebounded with two region titles and a trio of playoff appearances — all in the last three years — since is something to celebrate, not disregard just because the current squad has yet to corral a victory.

End rant.

Hanceville and Oakman have never met.

% Rob’s Pick: Oakman

% Jake’s Pick: Oakman

% Russellville (5-1, 3-1 in 5A, Region 8) at West Point (5-1, 3-1): The Warriors simply collapsed in the second half. The Golden Tigers waited until then to even get going.

No matter the difference, the end result a week ago was the same for both squads — a loss, their firsts of the season.

West Point would love nothing more than to rebound from a disheartening 40-10 defeat to J.O. Johnson with a statement against Russellville, which is reeling from a 21-14 defeat to East Limestone. The setback dropped the Golden Tigers from third to eighth in the ASWA rankings and into a region tie for second with the Warriors.

The past points to Russellville breaking that stalemate in its favor. The Golden Tigers are perfect in four tries against West Point. They’ve won by an average score of 51-7.

% Rob’s Pick: Russellville

% Jake’s Pick: Russellville

% Cullman (4-2, 2-1 in 6A, Region 8) at Hartselle (4-2, 1-2): Check out www.cullmantimes.com or Thursday’s Times for a full preview of this historic rivalry.

% Rob’s Pick: Cullman

% Jake’s Pick: Cullman

% Rob’s Record to Date: 31-13

% Jake’s Record to Date: 33-11