Photo by Savannah Schmidt
John Carroll RB John Ford (2) runs ball during the John Carroll vs Briarwood game at Lions Pride Stadium on Oct. 11, 2024.
The Under the Lights headlines over the last several years have largely centered around the Class 7A teams in the coverage area.
But this year, the 6A teams have truly impressed. Spain Park and Clay-Chalkville look like legitimate state championship contenders. Mountain Brook and Homewood are solid top 10 teams. Chelsea is well on its way to a playoff berth as well after its terrific start.
Hoover, Hewitt-Trussville and Vestavia Hills are once again in the 7A mix, but the 6A teams have been the stars of the show so far. (That will change with this week’s Game of the Week. See if you can figure out which game it may be.)
In the Game of the Week last Thursday, Spain Park asserted itself, beating Chelsea 31-3. The Jags and Hornets entered the game with identical 6-0 records, but Spain Park continued to build upon an extremely impressive resume that already includes three wins over 7A foes. Spain Park has a chance to handle business over the final three weeks and post a 10-0 regular season for the first time in program history.
Hope is certainly not lost for Chelsea. The Hornets have three tough games to finish out the regular season, but they are still sitting in good position for a playoff berth.
Clay-Chalkville dismantled Huffman 66-12 last week and heads into a top five matchup at Oxford. The Region 6 title is likely on the line, but it is only the second or third toughest team they will have faced to this point.
The Region 5 title is likely on the line in Homewood this week, as the Patriots host No. 3 Parker. Homewood had an open date this past week, which should be enough to get starting quarterback Will Myers healthy for the big game.
Mountain Brook had a little more trouble than it bargained for with Pinson Valley, winning 47-30 last week. The score line would have been more convincing had the Indians not run two kickoffs back for touchdowns. The Spartans head to Huffman this Thursday.
As for the 7A teams, Hoover continued its rampage through Region 3 with a 56-6 win over Tuscaloosa County. The Bucs head to Thompson this Friday, with the winner claiming the region title. Hoover or Thompson has won Region 3 every year since 2016, and that streak will continue this fall.
Hewitt-Trussville had no trouble with Prattville, jumping out early and beating Prattville 49-7. The Huskies’ final two region games are games they should win, as they host Oak Mountain and Tuscaloosa County over the next two weeks.
Vestavia Hills got untracked in the second half and pulled away from Oak Mountain to win 42-14. The Rebels have survived their brutal first-half schedule and even though they are dealing with a plethora of injuries still, they are playing well.
Oak Mountain’s back half of the schedule was always going to be tough, and the Eagles have dropped games to Hoover and Vestavia Hills in consecutive weeks. They get the task of traveling to Hewitt-Trussville this week. That’s a tough stretch.
Finally, the Class 5A, Region 5 battle between Briarwood and John Carroll last Friday was a dramatic contest. It took Briarwood a couple quarters to wake up and John Carroll put together an excellent game plan. The Lions earned a 21-17 win with a game-winning drive in the final minutes to win their third straight game.
John Carroll knew this season wasn’t going to be as magical as 2023, but the Cavs have shown great improvement from the start of the season to now. That sort of progress should give them confidence and momentum as they finish out this year and look ahead to next fall.
Be sure to follow Under the Lights on social media and sign up for the Saturday morning newsletter to have all of the weekend’s coverage sent directly to your inbox, all in one place.
Also, subscribe to the Under the Lights podcast presented by SYNLawn Alabama on YouTube, to be the first to know where we’ll be headed for our Game of the Week this Friday.
Here’s an early look at the Week 9 slate:
- Mountain Brook at Huffman (Thursday)
- Chelsea vs. Helena
- Clay-Chalkville at Oxford
- Oak Mountain at Hewitt-Trussville
- Homewood vs. Parker
- Hoover at Thompson
- John Carroll vs. Corner
- Spain Park vs. Calera
- Vestavia Hills vs. Tuscaloosa County
This is a weekly column from sports editor Kyle Parmley. Follow him on X at @KyleParmley.
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