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Photo by Laura Chramer.
Above: Homewood running back Jordan Kiwoi (2) runs the ball during the first half of a football game between Vestavia Hills and Homewood at Thompson Reynolds Stadium on Aug. 26. The Rebels shut out the Patriots, 35-0.
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Photo by Shawn Bowles.
John Carroll quarterback Mitchell Nutter (9) runs the ball during a game against Homewood. The Patriots defeated the Cavaliers 38-20.
The Homewood and John Carroll Catholic high school football teams finish up the regular season in October, with both hoping to continue on into November with playoff runs.
Homewood plays three of its final four games on the road, beginning with a trip to Chilton County on Oct. 6. Homewood last played Chilton County in 2013, and the Patriots have won all four of the previous meetings between the two programs. Chilton County has a new head coach in Marvin Milton this season, taking over a program that has just one winning season since 2014.
Homewood heads to Pelham the following week, for a region game Oct. 14. The two teams are quite familiar with one another, having played nearly every year since 2008. Homewood holds a 15-7 lead in the series but fell to the Panthers 10-7 last fall, snapping a seven-game winning streak in the rivalry.
Pelham also has a first-year coach in Mike Vickery, who came over following a six-year stint at Northridge.
Homewood plays its final region game and its final regular-season home contest on Oct. 21, as the Patriots host Briarwood. Expectations were high for both teams heading into the season, so there is the distinct possibility that this game could determine the region winner.
Last fall, Briarwood edged Homewood 21-18, as Patriots quarterback Woods Ray was injured. Homewood holds a 10-6 edge in the series but has lost to the Lions each of the last two years.
The Patriots conclude the regular season with a trip to Jasper for a non-region game. The two teams will be meeting up for the first time, as Homewood hopes it is a tune-up game for the first round of the playoffs the following week.
John Carroll has a similar situation to Homewood, finishing the season with three region games and three road games. On Oct. 7, John Carroll heads to Legion Field to take on Ramsay. Ramsay took down the Cavaliers 28-6 last fall, as John Carroll has lost six straight to the Rams.
The Cavs host Jasper the following week, as the two teams are region foes for the first time. It will also be the first time the two teams have ever met. Jasper has flipped back and forth between Class 5A and 6A several times since 1984, with the latest round of reclassification sticking Jasper back in 5A for at least the next two years.
John Carroll then heads to Wenonah on Oct. 21 to wrap up region play. John Carroll has taken care of business against the Dragons each of the last two years, including a 31-0 blowout win last fall.
The Cavaliers make a trip to Maplesville to take on a perennial Class 1A power Oct. 28. Maplesville won three straight state titles from 2014 to 2016 and has won double digit games in all but one season since 2009. It will be the first time the two teams have ever played.
Homewood is looking to extend a decade-long playoff streak, while John Carroll is attempting to break into the postseason for the first time in more than a decade. If either is able to accomplish the feat, the state playoffs begin Nov. 4.
