Photo by Richard Force
Homewood running back Reid Goldstein (4) runs during a game between Homewood and John Carroll on Aug. 22, at Waldrop Stadium.
The second half of the high school football regular season gets crammed into the month of October, with five Fridays on the calendar for teams to either jockey for playoff position or play out the string on an ultimately disappointing campaign.
Homewood and John Carroll aim to do the former, as each will look to finish strong in October ahead of a hopeful November playoff run.
HOMEWOOD
Oct. 3 at Gardendale: These two teams became frequent playoff foes before being matched up in the same region this cycle. The Patriots took care of business last year in a 23-7 win over the Rockets, who have a new head coach this year in Eric Firestone. The Rockets are perennially a solid program and the Patriots will need to play their best at Driver Stadium.
Oct. 10 – Open: Homewood gets its open date here before finishing with two region games and a Class 7A road trip.
Oct. 17 at Parker: Homewood hung with the eventual Class 6A state champs last year, falling to Parker 27-17. The Patriots are likely going to need a win in this matchup to have any shot at a region title this fall. Parker has won Region 5 with a perfect 6-0 mark each of the last two seasons.
Oct. 24 vs. Minor: Adrian Abrams got Minor back to the playoffs last fall for the first time in four years, so the Purple Tigers could be back on the upswing. It is highly unlikely the Patriots achieve a 41-0 shutout win against Minor like they did last season, but Homewood would love to cap off the region slate with a win.
Oct. 31 at James Clemens: Homewood caps off the regular season with a trip north to take on James Clemens, a program in its first year under new head coach Juan Johnson. Even with James Clemens being a 7A playoff team last fall, the Patriots took care of business against the Jets, winning by two touchdowns. A win over a foe like this will provide a boost heading into the postseason.
JOHN CARROLL
Photo by Michael Jackson
John Carroll’s Aubrey Coker (25) breaks a tackle.
Oct. 2 at Wenonah: John Carroll begins the month with a Thursday night road trip to play Wenonah. The Cavs had beaten the Dragons four straight years until Wenonah took a 30-15 win last fall.
Oct. 10 vs. Briarwood: John Carroll has never had much success against fellow private school foe Briarwood. But the Cavs really hung with the Lions last fall, only losing 21-17. Briarwood has won 11 straight meetings, dating back to 2006.
Oct. 17 at Corner: Last year’s game against Corner was one of several examples of the Cavs being close, but unable to get over the hump. The Cavs will look to finish out region play with a victory against a team that is coming off the best two-year stretch in program history, with 21 wins.
Oct. 24 – Open: The Cavs have an open date ahead of the final regular season contest.
Oct. 31 at West Blocton: Before last year, the two teams previously met in 1950. The results didn’t change, though, as the Cavs have won all three previous meetings.
