Patriots, Cavs gear up for pivotal September

The Homewood and John Carroll Catholic high school football teams begin region play in a pivotal September. The two teams opened the season against one another and played a non-region game the following week to set the stage for an important month.

Homewood is looking to make it 10 straight years in the postseason, while John Carroll is aiming to sneak into the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. The achievement of each of those goals will largely rest on the games played in September, as it is crucial to get off to a strong start in region play.

Homewood is now in Class 6A, Region 3, and begins that slate against Helena on Sept. 2. Homewood and Helena have split the four meetings against each other, the most recent being a 28-24 Helena win in 2019.

Homewood hosts Calera the following Friday night in a matchup that will be the first between the two programs.

On Sept. 16, the Patriots host Benjamin Russell. The two teams are region opponents for the first time since 2005, the last year Homewood won a state championship in football. The teams last met in 2013 and Homewood holds a 6-4 edge in the series.

Homewood takes a break from region play Sept. 23, as the Patriots host Pinson Valley. The two programs have met six times in their history, with each team winning three. Most recently, Pinson Valley knocked Homewood out of the playoffs in consecutive years, 2018 and 2019.

The Patriots take their open date Sept. 30 before hitting the home stretch of the regular season in October.

John Carroll begins Class 5A, Region 5 play with four games in the month of September. There are some similar region opponents from the last cycle, like Fairfield, Carver and Pleasant Grove. But Hayden is one of those teams joining the fray this fall for the Cavs.

The Cavs host Fairfield on Sept 2, looking to rebound after a 36-6 loss a year ago. Fairfield has won 10 in a row against the Cavaliers and has a 25-13 edge in the series.

John Carroll remains at home the following week, when they host Hayden. The two programs are in the same region for the first time and have split two previous meetings.

The Cavs head to Carver-Birmingham on Sept. 16. John Carroll pulled out an important 14-6 win last fall. The Cavs have won four of the seven previous meetings between the two teams.

Following an open date, John Carroll concludes the month against Pleasant Grove, one of the top teams in 5A over the last several years. The Cavs will be looking to narrow the gap after suffering a 42-12 loss last year.