CULLMAN — Josh Barksdale hasn’t forgotten what happened this time last year.

Two weeks after winning a second straight Class 5A, Region 6 title, Cullman High traveled to metro Birmingham to face Class 6A Mountain Brook. And the final results weren’t good.

Cullman’s defense was shredded by an explosive Mountain Brook offense, giving up a season-high 49 points for the team’s second loss of the season.

“We all remember that game well,” Bearcats senior linebacker Josh Barksdale said of Cullman’s 49-34 loss to Mountain Brook. “They were a very good, very well-coached team, and they took it to us.

“They were definitely one of the best teams we faced.”

It wasn’t all bad. Cullman followed with four straight wins, including three in the postseason, on its way to a second straight trip the Class 5A semifinals — where the Bearcats eventually lost at Russellville.

Barksdale said the Mountain Brook game helped prepare the Bearcats for the playoffs.

“It most definitely did,” Barksdale said. “Playing those guys only made us better. It helped get us ready for the playoffs.”

Cullman (8-0, 8-0) faces a similar scenario as it enters the final two games of the regular season. Both are against Class 6A opponents in Mountain Brook (3-5) and Austin (4-4).

Just like the previous two seasons, Cullman is the Region 6 champion. The Bearcats are also ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and are hoping for another deep playoff run.

Barksdale said these final two games will help Cullman prepare for the postseason.

“We know these next two games are gonna be tough. Every game we play from here on out is gonna be tough,” he said. “But that’s what we want. This should help us get ready for the playoffs. That’s what we’re hoping for at least.”

Cullman’s first round opponent — the fourth seed from Region 5 — has yet to be determined since there is still one week remaining in region play, but whoever the opponent is will have to face a Bearcats team that’s played some of its best football of the season in recent weeks.

Since winning a tight game at Pleasant Grove on Sept. 11, Cullman has throttled opposing teams, averaging more than 40 points per game while the first-team defense has only given up three offensive touchdowns in the previous five games.

But don’t say Cullman is peaking.

“We’ve had some really good games, but I’m not sure I’d say we’re peaking,” Barksdale said. “I think we can still play better.

“Now, we have gotten better since the beginning of the season. We’re just trying to play every game like it’s the last. That’s what we’ve got to do from here on out.”

Justin Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 257 or by e-mail at jgraves@cullmantimes.com.