North Jackson Hosting Douglas

North Jackson will try to get back into the win column Friday night when the Chiefs host the Douglas Eagles. After last week's disheartening loss to 5A Fort Payne, North Jackson hopes to reestablish itself as the team to beat in 4A Region 7.

The Chiefs still share the top spot in the region with Plainview, Fairview, and Guntersville, but all that will change this weekend. All four of those teams have identical 3-0 records, but Guntersville and Plainview will meet Friday night, so something has to give in the top tier.

Meanwhile, 1-4 Douglas (0-3 in Region 7) will arrive at North Jackson hoping to pick up its first region win of the season, but that may be a difficult task. Coming off a loss, North Jackson will be fired up and the Eagles will find that winning at R.D. Hicks will be tough, if not near impossible.

Douglas has never beaten North Jackson in four previous attempts, losing all by an average of 40 points.

North Jackson comes into the game with a balanced offense, averaging 167 yards on the ground and 193 yards in the air. A.J. Matthews leads the Chiefs' running attack with 365 yards on 50 carries and eight touchdowns, an average of 7.3 yards per carry.

Quarterback Will Richard is hitting 69.1-percent of his passes, connecting on 76 of 110 attempts for 791 yards and nine touchdowns. Montel Hale has caught 27 of those passes for 305 yards and three TDs. Matthews is the second leading receiver with 13 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Throw in Jovani Taylor, Tana Patrick, James Wilkins, and Tyler Robinson and opposing defensive coordinators tend to pull their hair out trying to find a way to stop the Chiefs. Douglas will also have that task Friday night.

On defense, the Chiefs are led by Zack Hammontree, Tana Patrick, and Nic Cobb. The trio is responsible for 148 tackles between then and will make it difficult for Douglas to keep its offense on the field.

The Eagles will find the going rough when its offense tries to match up with the North Jackson defense. Look for another fast-hitting game from the Chiefs.

Game time is scheduled for 7:00 PM Friday night at R.D. Hicks Stadium.

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