Week 5 High School Football Preview

Published 8:45 am Friday, September 29, 2017

Pinson Valley vs. Shades Valley

This could be sophomore quarterback Barry White’s first career start for the Indians.

After replacing an injured Bo Nix in the first quarter of a 35-0 win over Jasper last week, White went on to complete 12 of his 18 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. White has also seen snaps in previous games this season, although this was by far his heaviest workload.

The second-ranked Indians (5-0) have yet another option at quarterback. Senior Jackie Matthews, who now stars in the Pinson Valley secondary, has more than two years of starting experience at quarterback. He quarterbacked the team to an 18-10 record and three playoff appearances from 2014 to 2016, before Nix arrived this season.

Whoever takes the snaps this week will face a Shades Valley (3-1) defense which allows 26 points a game.

Mortimer Jordan at Briarwood

These two know one another well.

They played twice last season in Jimmie Trotter Stadium with the Lions coming away on top of both disputes (23-14 in the regular season and 15-0 in the third round of the playoffs).

This time the Blue Devils (4-1) travel to Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham for the non-region test. Briarwood Christian head coach Fred Yancey is just two week removed from his 300th career win—a 34-0 route of No. 5 Wenonah. His Lions enter this week as 5A’s top-ranked team. 

Fultondale vs. Hale County

After a three-week road trip, Fultondale gets to come back home this Friday night.

The Wildcats look to stay unbeaten as Class 4A Hale County (3-1) comes to town. The visitors destroyed Holt last week in a 73-0 thrashing and bring a 45.2 points per game average into this matchup. On the other side, Fultondale scores 47 points per night.

This one might come down to who has the ball last.

Gardendale vs. Chelsea

The season got off to a slow start for Gardendale but after an 0-2 start, the Rockets seem to have found their offensive voice.

An experienced offensive front has opened the door to three consecutive wins: 53-17 over Pell City, 35-21 over Carver-Birmingham and 42-14 over Minor. Through that stretch of wins Gardendale has averaged 43.3 points per game and defended at a rate of 14 points per game.

Expect the Rockets to keep that pace this Friday at home against Chelsea (0-5), who has not exceeded 23 points in any game this season.

Corner vs. Oak Grove

It’s been a tough two weeks for both teams. Corner (2-3, 1-2 Class 5A, Region 6) dropped a pair of region games to Mortimer Jordan and West Point while Oak Grove (2-2) did much of the same against Hale County and Bibb County.

There aren’t any region ties to this matchup, but both teams need a momentum-shifting win as crucial conference games approach.

If Corner can continue building a running game with Garrett Purvis, who ran for three touchdowns last week on only 11 carries, the Jackets can bounce back with a win this Friday.

Tabernacle Christian vs. Russell Christian

The Torches (2-3, 2-1 Christian Football Association) are coming off their most impressive win of the season, a 60-14 drubbing of Tuscaloosa Christian, but things get a great deal tougher this week.

Russell Christian, who sits atop the CFA eight-man standings through five weeks of action, visits Moncrief Park on Friday night. The Warriors (5-0, 3-0) have surrendered only 53 points this season, compared to Tabernacle’s 268 points allowed.

It would be a major upset if the home team won the night.

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