Each week this season AHSFHS.org will post games of the week provided by our forum friends better known as the "Barber Shop Gurus". Welcome TheMUBM, Kodyaufan2 and Sloth Nationzz as they analyze games of their choice and even give us a prediction for each contest.

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TheMUBM Week 4 Games

Last Week:  4-0    Season Total:  11-4

(#5)  Thompson (11-3) at  (#4)  Spain Park (12-1)  at Jaguar Stadium at Bob Finley Field Thompson   Spain Park 11-3 (6-1)  Record 12-1 (6-0) 7A-R3  Class/Region 6A-R3 #5  ASWA Ranking #4 92.2  Power Rating 74.6 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Thompson as a 16 point favorite. Last Meeting:   The Thompson Warriors defeated Spain Park by a score of 55-14 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Spain Park and Thompson have met 18 times on the field.... The teams have both won 9 games. Comments:    Vestavia over Thompson was a popular upset pick last week, but Thompson came out and took care of business, only allowing 3 points to the Rebels. Thompson defense gave up less than 160 total yards of offense while forcing 2 turnovers. Thompson didn't exactly light the scoreboard up themselves and Seaborn was intercepted 3 times.     Spain Park played well against Hoover, even leading early in the game and having a chance to tie at the end. Bradley played a good game against Hoover and will look to move the ball effectively against that really good Thompson defense.     One thing that doesn't bode well for SP is that Hoover did force them into 7 three and outs and into 2 turnovers. That can't happen against Thompson or it could be over quick.   Prediction:  Thompson 35 Spain Park 17

Athens (8-3) at  (#8)  Muscle Shoals (9-3)  at J.F. Moore Stadium Athens   Muscle Shoals 8-3 (4-2)  Record 9-3 (5-1) 6A-R7  Class/Region 6A-R7 NR  ASWA Ranking #8 72.8  Power Rating 80.9 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Muscle Shoals as a 10 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Muscle Shoals Trojans defeated Athens by a score of 56-42 in week 7 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 4 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Muscle Shoals and Athens have met 36 times on the field.... The teams have both won 18 games.

Comments:    This game could be important for seeding in 6A R7. Athens has been a bit of surprise to some people across the state, but living in north Alabama, I can tell you there were on a lot of people's radar this year. Gross a junior, starting at QB is the real deal. He was 10-16 for 242 yards and 2 TD's against Decatur. Athens has plenty of weapons on offense with Gross, Jones and McIntyre.

Muscle Shoals has their own offensive weapons like RB Nautarreun Hampton, but what I am interested in seeing this that high powered MS defense against that Athens offense. Muscle Shoals comes in only giving up 14 points this year and all of those were to Bob Jones. LB Braylon Jones leads the defense that doesn't have much give in it.

Athens likes to come out fast and establish the explosive passing game early. I am not sure that is possible against Muscle Shoals, but if Athens wants to be a player in the region, this is the game they have to make a statement.

Prediction:  Muscle Shoals 28 Athens 21

Tanner (2-8) at  Falkville (7-5)  at Burl Vest Stadium Tanner   Falkville 2-8 (1-4)  Record 7-5 (5-1) 2A-R8  Class/Region 2A-R6 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 40.3  Power Rating 44.1 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Falkville as a 6 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Tanner Rattlers defeated Falkville by a score of 48-18 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Falkville and Tanner have met 34 times on the field.... Tanner holds a 23-9 edge in the games played.

Comments:    I have said I thought this region could be the one of the most competitive in the state. So many teams not separated by much. I think a lot of people see Lexington as the front runner right now, but I picked Falkville preseason to win the region and I think this game will ultimately decided the winner of said region.

Tanner has no shortage of athletes. Many people forget just how many injuries they had last year. Tanner comes in 1-2 but having lost to a very good 3A team, in which they led at the half, and to a 6A school. Karl Parham is a good QB who throws it up and lets his talented receivers go get the ball, particularly Skylar Townsend.

Falkville comes in 3-0 but their opponents have a combined record of 0-9. Denver Comstock and Landon Powers move the ball effectively on the ground and that will be the best strategy against the high powered Rattlers. Much like LCHS did against them, move the ball in pieces and keep that offense off the field. Passing may not be much of an option, I know the quality of opponent is different, but Tanner did pickoff 8 passes last week.

Prediction:  Tanner 40 Falkville 20

South Lamar (2-8) at  Hubbertville (8-3)  at Wiley Hollingsworth Stadium South Lamar   Hubbertville 2-8 (2-5)  Record 8-3 (5-2) 1A-R5  Class/Region 1A-R5 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 32.7  Power Rating 24.4 AHSFHS Power Ratings have South Lamar as a 6 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Hubbertville Lions defeated South Lamar by a score of 41-14 in week 3 at Home  on Fri., Sep. 6 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Hubbertville and South Lamar have met 19 times on the field.... Hubbertville holds a 10-9 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Two teams that are typically in the hunt for the postseason meet up in a match that could determine how the season unfolds for both. Hubbertville missed the playoffs last year but lead this series 9-8 all time. These two teams were hard to find information on.

What I gathered was Hubbertville starts and ends with #25 on offense. The roster, if updated, lists him as TJ Keeton. The RB scored three TD's on the ground against Sumiton and caught passes out of the backfield. To be fair, some of what I saw was greatly aided by poor tackling from Sumiton.

South Lamar I found even less on. I know they come in 2-1 having only lost to Lamar County in a pretty competitive game. S Lamar won this game last year by a score of 35-20. Although I can't find a lot on them, I'd venture to guess they'll tackle better than Hubbertvilles previous opponent. We really like to spotlight some teams around here that don't get a lot of coverage, but sometimes the lack of information makes it difficult. That being said I will make my best guess.

Prediction:  South Lamar 38 Hubbertville 28

kodyaufan2 Week 4 Games

Last Week:  2-2    Season Total:  6-4

(#4)  Elba (11-3) at  Brantley (6-4)  at Brantley Field Elba   Brantley 11-3 (6-1)  Record 6-4 (4-3) 1A-R2  Class/Region 1A-R2 #4  ASWA Ranking NR 45.1  Power Rating 27.6 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Elba as a 16 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Elba Tigers defeated Brantley by a score of 57-53 in week 5 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 20 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Brantley and Elba have met 48 times on the field.... Elba holds a 35-13 edge in the games played.

Comments:    This is one of those games that was circled on the schedule before the season even started. Both teams expect to be playing for blue maps on a regular basis. Last year, Elba won in a 42-35 shootout.

Brantley always has high expectations, but it's fair to say they've been underwhelming so far in 2023. They opened with a rivalry loss to a good Luverne team, but the narrow victories over Houston County and McKenzie have raised some red flags. Brantley is known for having a prolific passing attack, but they've been wildly inconsistent so far with over 300 passing yards against McKenzie to just 4 passing yards against Houston County. They have two stud receivers in Daylon Davis and Axton Saunders, so they'll have to find ways to get them the ball going forward.

The star of every game for Elba is 4 star Junior RB Alvin Henderson. He will be the fastest, most athletic player on the field no matter who they play. Elba utilizes his athleticism by running a lot of Wildcat plays on offense, snapping the ball directly to him in a tight formation. He averaged over 25 yards per carry with 5 TDs in a 49-14 win over Houston County in their last game. But he's not their only weapon on offense. Cayden Adkins also ran for 100 yards in that same game with 11 yards per carry. If you're gonna beat Elba you're gonna have to sell out to stop the run.

While there's still time for Brantley to gets things figured out, the results of the two teams against a common opponent, Houston County, doesn't bode well for the Bulldogs this week.

Prediction:  Elba 42, Brantley 20

(#8)  Decatur Heritage Christian (7-3) at  (#7)  Coosa Christian (4-6)  at Phillip Ellen Stadium Decatur Heritage   Coosa Christian 7-3 (4-1)  Record 4-6 (1-5) 2A-R8  Class/Region 2A-R6 #8  ASWA Ranking #7 40.1  Power Rating 38.8 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Coosa Christian as a 1 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Coosa Christian Conquerors defeated Decatur Heritage Christian by a score of 48-0 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Coosa Christian and Decatur Heritage Christian have met 6 times on the field.... Decatur Heritage Christian holds a 4-2 edge in the games played.

Comments:    It can be especially hard to find information about these smaller private schools, but here's what we do know: Coosa Christian came out of nowhere to make a semifinal run in 2022. Meanwhile, Decatur Heritage had a down year last season. These programs seemed to be on opposite trajectories, but a now resurgent Decatur Heritage will look to threaten for the region crown.

The best player for Coosa Christian is likely Josh Hester, who transferred in from Gaston, where he ran for over 1,100 yards last season on a below average team. This was a team that threw the ball a lot in the playoffs last year with great success, so don't be shocked to see more of that this year.

The resurgence of Decatur Heritage can be chalked up in large part to the emergence of Freshman RB phenom Savarius Evans. He debuted with a 273 yard, 6 TD performance against Section, and followed that up with 187 yards and 3 TDs last week against defending region champions Valley Head. He's definitely a name colleges will be watching in the coming years.

This is a huge game because the winner becomes the odds-on favorite for a region championship. Decatur Heritage played Coosa Christian pretty close last year, so I'll take them to pull off the upset this year.

Prediction:  Decatur Heritage 28, Coosa Christian, 21

(#9)  Bibb County (8-4) at  American Christian (3-7)  at Freedom Field Bibb County   American Christian 8-4 (5-2)  Record 3-7 (3-4) 4A-R4  Class/Region 4A-R4 #9  ASWA Ranking NR 62.2  Power Rating 62.3 AHSFHS Power Ratings have American Christian as a 2 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Bibb County Choctaws defeated American Christian by a score of 6-0 in week 4 at Home  on Fri., Sep. 13 during the 2024 football season. Series:   American Christian and Bibb County have met 7 times on the field.... American Christian holds a 4-3 edge in the games played.

Comments:    This is yet another game where a region crown is likely up for grabs early in the season. Last year was a bit of a slugfest, won by ACA 20-13.

American Christian erased a 14-0 deficit to knock off Tuscaloosa Academy a couple weeks ago. They displayed a very balanced offense in that game, nearing the 200 yard mark both on the ground and through the air. The offense is led by QB Kai Young, who had a terrific TD throw on the run in that Tuscaloosa Academy game. The defense will be led by 2022 first team all-state LB Caleb Lockridge.

Bibb County is led by 3 star edge rusher Trashun Griffin, a Georgia Tech commit. Keeping him out of the backfield will be imperative if ACA hopes to have any success on offense. Bibb County has a lot of team speed. RB Jay Harris had and explosive 75 yard TD run against West Blocton, and WR Kavon Holman is one of multiple receivers with the speed to create separation. Combine that speed with a solid O-line and this offense looks scary.

This region always seems to come down to these two teams, and Bibb County has typically struggled to overcome American Christian although they seem to have closed the gap lately. Both teams are already battle-tested, so this is a true toss-up game.

Prediction:  Bibb Co. 34, American Chr. 27

(#2)  Pleasant Grove (9-2) at  Ramsay (8-4)  at Lawson Field Pleasant Grove   Ramsay 9-2 (7-0)  Record 8-4 (5-1) 4A-R4  Class/Region 5A-R5 #2  ASWA Ranking NR 74.4  Power Rating 78.2 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Ramsay as a 6 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Ramsay Rams defeated Pleasant Grove by a score of 49-17 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Ramsay and Pleasant Grove have met 12 times on the field.... Ramsay holds a 8-4 edge in the games played.

Comments:    The trend this week is early season games that are likely to decide a region championship. That is certainly true in this one. These teams know each other well, as this will be their 9th meeting in just the last 6 seasons.

Ramsay remains the favorite at this point to repeat as state champion in class 5A. The dynamic duo of QB Kameron Keenan and RB Ashton Ashford provide plenty of spark offensively. Both of them could play at the next level in some capacity. That also holds true for LB Quinton 'QB' Reese, whose has intrigued scouts with his size and athleticism.

Pleasant Grove is the only team in Region 5 that can match the athleticism of the Ramsay Rams. QB Eric Handley is very comfortable standing in the pocket amidst pressure and getting the ball out, with one of his top targets being Clarence Taylor. But Handley struggled in this regular season matchup a year ago, throwing 3 interceptions. This team is always sound defensively across the board. They held Ramsay to just 48 points total in two games last season.

These two teams mirror each other in a lot of ways, with great QBs, athletes everywhere, and a very physical style of play. Both games last year were 7 point wins for Ramsay. I'll be shocked if this isn't another close one.

Prediction:  Ramsay 28, Pleasant Grove, 20

Sloth Nationzz Week 4 Games

Last Week:  3-1    Season Total:  10-2

UMS-Wright (6-7) at  Gulf Shores (4-6)  at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium UMS-Wright   Gulf Shores 6-7 (4-3)  Record 4-6 (4-4) 5A-R1  Class/Region 6A-R1 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 60.0  Power Rating 69.1 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Gulf Shores as a 11 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Gulf Shores Dolphins defeated UMS-Wright by a score of 17-0 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Gulf Shores and UMS-Wright have met 8 times on the field.... UMS-Wright holds a 7-1 edge in the games played.

Comments:    After a big win over Faith Academy last week, the Dolphins get a chance at another mobile power in UMS Wright. Gulf Shores may have never defeated the Bulldogs, but I have a feeling that this year will be their year.

When you have Ronnie Royal in the backfield, you feel good about your chances. UMS Wright struggled with LeFlore last week. Was that a case of looking ahead? It's possible. I think if the Dolphins win this game, they will pencil in their region championship.

However if UMS gets the victory, it makes this region title picture much more interesting.

I think Gulf Shores will win against UMS, and march their way toward their first ever region title.

Prediction:  Gulf Shores 35 UMS-Wright 28

(#2)  Hoover (10-3) at  Vestavia Hills (6-6)  at Reynolds Stadium, Buddy Anderson Field Hoover   Vestavia Hills 10-3 (7-0)  Record 6-6 (4-3) 7A-R3  Class/Region 7A-R3 #2  ASWA Ranking NR 79.9  Power Rating 83.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Vestavia Hills as a 6 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Hoover Buccaneers defeated Vestavia Hills by a score of 38-20 in week 10 at Home  on Fri., Oct. 25 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Vestavia Hills and Hoover have met 60 times on the field.... Hoover holds a 39-21 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Hoover got a big win over a surging Spain Park last week. Vestavia meanwhile fell to Thompson 21-3. This one has big playoff implications.

Whoever wins this game will most likely come in second in the region for the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how Vestavia comes back after a tough emotional loss to Thompson. Will Hoover be able to get back to their winning ways after a 1-2 start? We shall see how they will hold up against 5 star talent Jordan Ross.

I think the Rebels will get the victory, and send Hoover out of the polls for the first time since the 2000 season.

Prediction:  Vestavia Hills 28 Hoover 24

(#1)  Jackson (14-1) at  (#1)  T.R. Miller (12-1)  at Municipal Stadium Jackson   T.R. Miller 14-1 (6-0)  Record 12-1 (6-0) 4A-R1  Class/Region 3A-R1 #1  ASWA Ranking #1 69.4  Power Rating 57.6 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Jackson as a 10 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Jackson Aggies defeated T.R. Miller by a score of 38-7 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   T.R. Miller and Jackson have met 29 times on the field.... T.R. Miller holds a 18-11 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Another important game for region play, these two bring in their own set of traditions. Jackson is coming off a very impressive victory over Orange Beach. TR Miller was able to bounce back after a tough loss to UMS Wright and got their first region victory of the season.

Will the Tigers be able to hold off the passing attack from Jackson? No one else has been able to so far, as Jackson has looked unstoppable.

The winner of this game will most likely be the region champion. I think whoever loses will come in second place and will also host a playoff game.

I think Jackson will win and they will continue their path to a region title. TR Miller is good, but I think Jackson is just better. The Aggies get the victory on the road.

Prediction:  Jackson 35 T.R. Miller 27

Goshen (8-3) at  (#4)  Reeltown (14-1)  at Nix-Webster-ONeal Stadium Goshen   Reeltown 8-3 (5-1)  Record 14-1 (6-0) 2A-R3  Class/Region 2A-R4 NR  ASWA Ranking #4 36.9  Power Rating 49.1 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Reeltown as a 14 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Reeltown Rebels defeated Goshen by a score of 43-18 in week 4 on the road  on Fri., Sep. 15 during the 2023 football season. Series:   Reeltown and Goshen have met 11 times on the field.... Reeltown holds a 9-2 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Reeltown has looked very good this season, as many believe they have flown underneath the radar in Class 2A. Everyone pays attention to BB Comer, Fyffe, Highland Home, Pisgah but rarely is Reeltown mentioned.

Goshen is coming off a tough loss to region opponent Highland Home. Goshen needs to win to try to get back into the region title race.

It is a tall task as Reeltown has crushed the two teams they have played so far this season, including a 5A school in Tallassee. I think this will be a high scoring match.

I think Reeltown will get the win, but will be tested for the first time against Goshen. Goshen will still be in a good position to finish third in the region.

Prediction:  Reeltown 48 Goshen 40