PREP CAPSULES (Week 6): Weather has games moving again
STAFF REPORT
The second half of the regular season is greeted with inclement weather.
Several games have been rescheduled for Thursday due to the arrival of Hurricane Ian, which may not have an immediate impact on the state of Alabama. But several schools are taking precautions.
Locally, Tallassee and Elmore County announced early this week that their game would be moved to Thursday. The game will be played at Burt-Haynie Field in Eclectic at 7 p.m.
Other games followed suit including the following in Central Alabama:
Marbury at Selma
Lanett at Reeltown
Loachapoka at Calhoun
Beulah at Dadeville
Chilton County at Benjamin Russell
Notasulga at Verbena
Rehobeth at Charles Henderson
There have been others to reschedule. Check out ahsaa.com to find any changes to the schedule.
In the meantime, games in the River Region this week have playoff implications such as Prattville visiting Enterprise, Wetumpka visiting Stanhope Elmore, Montgomery Academy at Catholic and Alabama Christian at St. James.
Week 6
All games begin at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise
WETUMPKA at STANHOPE ELMORE (6A-R2)
Friday at Foshee-Henderson Stadium, Millbrook
2022 Records: Wetumpka (5-1, 2-1); SE (1-4, 1-1)
Last week: Wetumpka def. Greenville, 42-21; Prattville def. Stanhope Elmore, 49-10
Last year: Wetumpka, 8-7
Series: SE, 32-21
Key Numbers: Nate Rogers had 150 yards passing and 105 yards rushing with three TDs in the Indians’ win over Greenville…Stanhope’s defense allowed almost 300 yards passing against Prattville and gave up six unanswered touchdowns to the Lions.
The skinny: It might be time to rethink the Stanhope Elmore Mustangs. What was expected to be one of the teams to beat in Class 6A, Region 2 has become a shell of itself in a matter of weeks. The offense has sputtered. The defense has been porous. The expectations have dropped. Yet, they have probably played the toughest part of their schedule. That is after Friday. Wetumpka will certainly be a test. It usually is since the two are the ultimate in rivals. After Friday, the biggest test is probably Pike Road, although everything seems to be a test lately. Wetumpka has been a bit of a surprise this season and still has a couple of stiff games left including Carver next week. But the Indians will be sitting pretty with a win over the Mustangs. There is no reason to think they won’t get it.
PREDICTION: Wetumpka, 34-26
PRATTVILLE at ENTERPRISE (7A-R2)
Friday at Wildcats Stadium
2022 Records: Prattville (3-2, 1-2), Enterprise (3-2, 1-2)
Last week: Prattville def. Stanhope Elmore, 49-10; Enterprise def. Rehobeth, 50-6
Last year: Prattville, 17-16
Series: Prattville leads, 17-15
Key stats: Cam Richardson had 155 yards passing with 4 TDs in the win over Stanhope Elmore.
The skinny: This game might not mean so much to the Lions had they not started with two losses in region play. Yet, this one could be the difference in playing in the postseason and staying at home. Enterprise has a new coach in former Robert E. Lee star Ben Blackmon. The Wildcats’ two losses have come to the top teams in the region in Central-Phenix City and Auburn. One of the Prattville losses came to Dothan, which is surely in the thick of the race. The other: Smiths Station. The math will get fuzzy as the season continues since there are nine teams in the region. Wins over teams fighting for the four slots will be key since head-to-head is the top tiebreaker. The Lions have found its offensive identity and suddenly can score points with anyone. They will need that this week since the Wildcats average 35 points per game. Tough call on the winner but points will be flying in this one. Hunch… Lions win a close one.
PREDICTION: Prattville, 44-40
MONTGOMERY ACADEMY at CATHOLIC (4A-R2)
Friday at Knights Field
2022 Records: MA (3-3, 2-1), Catholic (6-0, 3-0)
Last week: Alabama Christian def. MA, 33-27; Catholic def. Pike Liberal Arts, 56-0
Last year: (Reg. Season) Catholic, 42-0; (Class 3A semifinals) MA, 10-7
Series: MA, 31-15-1
Key Stats: Catholic leads the state in scoring averaging with better than 56 points per game. The Knights are also among the top defensive teams allowing just seven points per game. MA quarterback Thomas Woodward had 100 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries in the loss to ACA.
The skinny: It seems like we were in this boat about this time last year, at least from the standpoint of where these two teams were. MA was looking for some identity while Catholic looked invincible and it proved to be so in a shut out of the Eagles. But move forward to the playoffs and an entirely different outcome resulted in the Eagles making a trip to the 3A finals. There might be songs written about the heroic battles and how MA might figure out how to do that again, but at the moment the Eagles may not have the horses to pull it off two times in a row. Catholic is the bully again and will take out a few frustrations on Friday.
PREDICTION: Catholic, 42-14
ALABAMA CHRISTIAN at ST. JAMES (3A-R3)
Friday at Carlisle Field
2022 Records: STJ (4-2, 3-0), ACA (3-2. 1-1)
Last week: Charles Henderson def. STJ, 26-14; ACA def. Montgomery Aca., 33-27
Last year: St. James, 35-21
Series: STJ, 29-12
Key Numbers: Hayes Hunt completed 15 of 26 passes for 265 yards and four TDs on a bum ankle last week against Montgomery Academy… The Trojans suffered four second-half turnovers in the loss to Charles Henderson.
The skinny: The biggest question for this one might be who is the healthiest? ACA got banged up in the win over MA. St. James was already suffering with illness and a few injuries prior to the loss to Charles Henderson. But don’t expect anyone to sit out of this key region game. At the beginning of the season, the edge would have been given to the Trojans with KJ Jackson leading the way on offense. But Hunt and the ACA offense has been stellar and proven it can score with a lot of teams. ACA has scored 60-plus points twice already. They also gave up that many to Catholic in the opener. But don’t expect that to happen either way Friday. St. James should be close to full strength and has just enough to pull off a close win.
PREDICTION: St. James, 45-42
KEY GAMES
Park Crossing at Pike Road (6A-R2) - This one sets up to be ugly. The Thunderbirds can’t seem to get out of their own way. Pike Road is getting better. Pretty easy pick here… Pike Road, 33-6.
R.E. Lee vs. Jeff Davis (7A-R2) – Unfortunately, this game does not deserve top-page status. It’s a bad matchup between struggling teams. Lee might have shown a little moxie in a close loss to Carver last week but neither one of these is going anywhere. Probably a battle to stay out of the cellar. Lee gets a slight nod. Lee, 27-23.
Tallassee at Elmore County (5A-R4) (Thur) - The Tigers are trending the wrong way. ECHS with a nice turnaround win, albeit against a bad team. The thought is this game would be for a playoff spot (possibly No. 4 seed). But Tallassee hasn’t done enough lately to even consider them a contender. ECHS, 24-20.
Autaugaville at Maplesville (1A-R4) -Two of the three undefeated teams in region play. Autaugaville has shown it can play with almost anyone on its schedule. But a win in Maplesville is asking too much. Maplesville, 22-21.
Prattville Christian at Southside-Selma (3A-R3) -If PCA is interested in making the playoffs for the first time in six years, it must win this game. Alas… Southside, 32-28.
Clarke Prep (AA) at Lowndes Aca (A) - It’s not a region game but a good measuring stick for the Rebels. They look like the team to beat again in Class A. A win Friday would make that more clear. Lowndes Aca, 21-20.
THE REST
Sidney Lanier over Russell County, 24-12; Selma over Marbury (Thur), 19-13; Trinity over Sumter Central, 45-6; Holtville over Jemison, 35-12; Billingsley over Central-Hayneville, 39-14; Macon East over Crenshaw Christian, 27-21; Edgewood Aca over Banks Aca., 45-13; Glenwood over Valiant Cross, 20-15; Escambia Aca over Hooper Aca., 23-22; Coosa Valley over Evangel Christian, 20-14.
OPEN: G.W. Carver
RECORD: Last week 15-5; Season 85-31 (.733)