The Fred Yancey coached powerhouse of Briarwood Christian came out of the gates by losing a close decision to a powerhouse Vestavia (4-0) team 20-13. The Rebels of Vestavia have not found that kind of competition in the 6A level as they have rolled over all comers. Briarwood has also found success winning their next three region match-ups giving them a 3-1 overall record while staying perfect in their region.
Briarwood went 10-3 in 2005 before losing to current region rival Benjamin Russell in the third round of the play-offs 24-21. A rematch of that effort came the third week of this season and the Barrett Trotter (QB) led offense won 17-14 over a heralded Wildcats’ defense which includes Auburn verbal commitment Eltoro Freeman and the very talented Jonathan Birmingham. The other two wins came against John Carroll (0-4) and Anniston (0-4).
The Lions will face off against another 6A challenger in Homewood this week. Homewood was a 15-0 state champion in 2005 in 5A competition, but after losing their coach for a period of time to illness they have found the going tougher in 6A competition going only 2-2.
Next is Talladega (1-3) and winless in the region, but that’s when it becomes interesting. The Lions will face a 1-2-3 punch when they play Sylacauga (4-0) (3-0), Moody (3-1) (2-1) and Chelsea (4-0) (3-0). Briarwood will have home field advantage in both the Sylacauga and Chelsea game.
The undefeated Chelsea Hornets (4-0) (3-0) will control their own destiny from here. They play a three game run much like Briarwood Christian. Chelsea is coming off a big win at home over Benjamin Russell 31-21 last Friday and will face a non-region homecoming game against 3-1 Chilton County this week. They will then face the region opponent Anniston Bulldogs (0-4), a team having trouble being competitive this year.
The Hornets were elevated to 5A region play in 2006 from a 10-3 4A schedule in 2005. They lost to an always powerful Alexandria in the third round of the play-offs.
We asked head coach Wade Waldrop about what lies ahead.
“We are 4-0, and we were fortunate enough to beat Benjamin Russell this past week," he stated. "We’ve got to continue to work hard. We’re pleased with how we’ve done so far in 5A, but we’ve not accomplished anything yet. We aren’t even half-way there. We are just going to take it one game at a time.”
Coach Waldrop talked about the top perfomers for his prep squad.
“I could give you a long list, but linebacker Zack Hilliard (sophomore), defensive lineman David Strider (junior), our offensive guards Nick Halfacre and Luke Glausier. They are both seniors. All have been doing a good job for us," he said.
If the Hornets can run the table the region crown will belong to them.
The Aggies of Sylacauga under Coach Matt Griffith are a bit of an unknown. After finishing 2-8 in 2005 the Aggies have reeled off four straight wins. The three region foes they have beaten are a combined 1-11.
Their stretch run is unequivocally the most difficult of the group as Briarwood Christian, Moody, Chelsea and Benjamin Russell are in their future. They control their own fate, but the odds are stacked against them.
The Moody Blue Devils (3-1) (2-1) under Coach Matt Glover have lost only once to Benjamin Russell, but it was a sound defeat, 35-6. Sylacauga, Chelsea, Briarwood Christian and the luckless John Carroll lie ahead.
Benjamin Russell, under head coach Willie Martin, are far better than their record would indicate. The 2-2 overall and 1-2 region record doesn’t tell the full story of the injuries hampering the Wildcats this fall. The aforementioned linebacker duo of Eltoro Freeman and Jonathan Birmingham are probably the best tandems in the state. If they can get the ship righted and get some folks healthy they will compete for one of the four play-off spots from this region. They must get through the one win trio of John Carroll, Anniston and Talladega. In their last region game they will host Sylacauga.
Anniston, Talladega and John Carroll would need a big turnaround to steal a play-off berth. Only John Carroll seems to have any chance.
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