Pinson Valley football players warming up prior to a home game earlier this season. 

NJN Big Game: Gardendale vs Pinson Valley

Both Gardendale and Pinson Valley are coming off Class 6A, Region 6 wins last week, and both could use another league win as postseason play quickly approaches.

With two region games remaining, the Rockets (5-3, 2-2) sit at No. 4 in this week’s league standings behind No. 3 Pinson Valley (5-2, 3-1), No. 2 Clay-Chalkville (6-2, 4-1) and No. 1 Minor (7-0, 4-0).

On Friday night in Driver Stadium Pinson Valley will look to break a three-game skid to the Rockets, which dates back to August of 2007. Gardendale won last year’s contest, 42-13, thanks to a devastating ground attack.

This time, however, it’s the Indians who enter the game with a trending tailback. Junior Khymel Chaverst ran for 197 yards and three touchdowns off 23 carries in last Friday’s 57-28 win over Center Point. The hard-nosed back also got involved in the passing game with a 32-yard reception.

At quarterback, Pinson Valley brings an experienced lefty, who’s spent time as a starter since his freshman season in 2014. Jackie Matthews, now a junior, finished last week 10-for-20 passing for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

For Gardendale, it’s a two-back system that has head coach Matt Plunkett eying another playoff run. Seniors Demetrius King and Omari Burton share time in the backfield, and combined for 143 yards rushing in a 35-28 region win at Walker.

When King or Burton don’t have the ball, Plunkett likes calling on do-it-all player Steven Crowder for an offensive spark. How Pinson Valley handles him could go a long way in deciding the outcome of this game.

Fultondale vs Holly Pond

Fultondale will have to be prepared for anything on Thursday night when Holly Pond comes to town.

The Broncos (5-2) started last week’s game with an onside kick, which they recovered and quickly turned into a 7-0 lead. Holly Pond would go on to dominate Hanceville, 40-16.

Fultondale (6-1) claimed its fourth consecutive win last week in a 62-14 region win at Susan Moore. The Wildcats, knocking on the door of the Class 3A Alabama Sports Writers Association top-10 poll, boast one of the state’s top offenses, averaging 48 points per game. They’ve also held strong on the defensive side, holding opponents to 17.8 points a contest.

With a win over Holly Pond, the Wildcats would improve to 5-0 in Class 3A, Region 6 play.

Mortimer Jordan at Curry

Mortimer Jordan (5-2, 4-0) hits the road this Friday for a Class 5A, Region 6 game at Curry 1-6, 0-4)

The Yellow Jackets have struggled to score this season with 80 points to call their own in seven games. 41 of those points came in the team’s only win—a 41-6 beating of St. John Paul Catholic (0-7) on Aug. 26.

Mortimer Jordan returned from an open date with a 42-20 win over West Point last week, and enters this game as a big favorite.

Corner at Springville

Corner will be looking for a bounce-back effort in region play at Springville (1-6, 1-3).

The Yellow Jackets (5-3, 2-3) were unable to get any momentum on senior night in a 34-0 loss at the hands of region foe Hayden (6-1, 4-0), but head coach Zac Willis is still on pace to get Corner back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Willis’ offense has shown the ability (at times) to post big numbers and if the Jackets can get some injuries healed up, expect them to end region play on a positive note. According to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society, a win on Friday night would be Corner’s first over Springville.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.