Gardendale at Pell City

These two met up last September and if that encounter was any indication of what Friday night has in store, Gardendale should be in good shape.

The Rockets beat Pell City 53-7 en route to a 6-5 season that ended in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. This time, however, there are 6A, Region 6 implications on the line in Pete Rich-Alumni Stadium.

Pell City sits at 2-1 on the year following a 33-0 loss at No. 2 Oxford last Friday. The Panthers beat Fort Payne 21-10 on Aug. 24 and rolled Calera 27-7 the following week, but failed to score on the road against the talented Yellow Jackets.

Gardendale (2-1, 1-0 Class 6A, Region 6) returns to the road following a two-week homestand. First-time head coach Chad Eads launched his tenure with a 38-21 road win over Mae Jemison.

Rocket running back Jay Brooks enjoyed a career night against Huffman last week, carving up the Vikings for 141 yards and three touchdowns.

With quarterback Goose Crowder entering his second game back from a Week 0 injury in Huntsville, Gardendale has an opportunity to start 2-0 in league play. I expect them to do so this Friday night.

Fultondale at J.B. Pennington

The Wildcats (1-1) started Class 3A, Region 5 play last week with a 35-6 home win over Locust Fork, and they’ll likely improve upon that mark this Friday on the road.

Fultondale last beat J.B. Pennington on Oct. 6, 2017 by a cool 48 points, knotting the all-time series at 4-4. I expect Jayson Jones and co. to score points-a-plenty on College St. in Blountsville, as they reclaim this series.

The Tigers (1-2, 1-0 Class 3A, Region 5) are coming off an impressive 71-8 win over Hanceville, but giving up a combined 62 points to Jacksonville and Susan Moore in August doesn’t bode well for this matchup.

Fultondale wins, rinsing a little more of that Maplesville taste out of its mouth.

Corner at Jasper

Another tough conference game awaits Corner (1-2, 0-1 Class 5A, Region 7) this week.

The Yellow Jackets, fresh off a 24-13 home loss to Russellville, now look to regroup opposite Jasper (1-1, 1-0 Region 7).

Head coach Bryan Moore and the Vikings doubled up region foe Dora Friday. Senior quarterback Michael Crear led Jasper with 253 yards from scrimmage, according to the Daily Mountain Eagle. He connected with Cole Bonner for a 34-yard score early in the first and later rushed for a 38-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

According to the Mountain Eagle, Jasper ran for 220 yards to go along with 170 yards passing in the win.

Corner, who ran out to a quick start against Russellville last week, needs a complete-game effort on Friday. This will be the first time Corner and Jasper have shared a field in 69 years.

Mortimer Jordan at St. Clair County

These two are heading in opposite directions.

Over the last two weeks, Mortimer Jordan (2-1, 1-0 Class 5A, Region 7) has managed two hard-fought wins while St. Clair County (1-2, 0-1) has lost two by a combined score of 74-27. Coached by former Pinson Valley coach Matt Glover, the Saints started things with a 45-0 win at John Carroll, but followed up with consecutive road losses at Cherokee County and Moody.

Glover’s crew fell by a score of 41-20 last Friday at Moody, opening the door to 341 yards by Blue Devil running back Rashad Clark. St. Clair County also gave up a scoop-and-score in the loss.

Mortimer Jordan opened region play with a 28-20 win over Center Point last week. Despite the win, MJ continues to struggle with penalties (10 for 106 yards). The Blue Devils will likely need a cleaner effort if they want to beat a team that came up four points shy of a 5A championship game berth last year.

Pinson Valley vs. Clay-Chalkville

Can the Indians make it three in a row over the Cougars?

Probably, but is certainly won’t be a cake walk. The fifth-ranked Cougars sit at 3-0 with a nice 58-14 thumping of Niceville (Fla.) on their resume.

Clay-Chalkville quarterback Willie Miller went for 234 yards of offense on the Eagles. As a team, the Cougars totaled 441 yards of offense last week.

Head coach Drew Gilmer also owns a 35-20 win over Griffin (Ga.) and a 31-24 win over James Clemens in this his second year on the job.

Pinson Valley head coach Patrick Nix, also in his second year, has bounced back from a tough loss at Hoover in Week 0. His Indians (2-1, 1-0 Class 6A, Region 6) pulled a 28-6 win over Ramsay on Aug. 31 and a 49-7 win over Shades Valley last week.

The next three games will define where Pinson Valley lands in the 6A state playoff bracket in November, as key region opponents (Clay-Chalkville, Oxford and Gardendale) approach. I expect Pinson to open that stretch with a win in Willie Adams Stadium this Friday.

Tabernacle Christian at Victory

While the Torches sat last week out on a two-game winning streak, Victory-Columbus traveled to Russell Christian Academy for a 52-0 whipping.

Perhaps, psychology could favor Tabernacle Christian on the road this Friday in a crucial region contest. Both teams sit at 2-1 overall, however the Torches have yet to suit up in conference play. Last Friday’s loss dropped the Eagles to 0-1 in region play.

As far as postseason aspirations are concerned, Friday night holds a lot of weight for Tabernacle, and head coach Keith Dabbs isn’t afraid to say it. For him and the Torches, I believe it’s a fun ride home from Mississippi.