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.

TheMUBM Week 8 Picks

Last Week:  4-0    Season Total:  21-7

Pickens County (4-7) at  South Lamar (2-8)  at J.C. McAdams Field Pickens County   South Lamar 4-7 (4-3)  Record 2-8 (2-5) 1A-R5  Class/Region 1A-R5 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 26.9  Power Rating 16.9 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Pickens County as a 8 point favorite. Last Meeting:   The Pickens County Tornados defeated South Lamar by a score of 28-12 in week 8 at Home  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   South Lamar and Pickens County have met 31 times on the field.... Pickens County holds a 16-15 edge in the games played. Comments:    South Lamar comes in 1-5, having just earned their first win of the year with a shellacking of Sumiton Christian 53-22. South Lamar has had trouble getting their offense going this season. Take away the Sumiton game and they're averaging 12 ppg. This isn't typical from a Stallions team.     Pickens County comes in 2-4 and coming off a 14 point loss to a pretty solid Hubbertville team. They too have been feast or famine on offense having been shut out three times (to be fair, two of those were to Gordo and Tuscaloosa Academy), and only averaging 12.7 ppg. Calvin Henry and Willie Windham are a pretty tough tandem on both offense and defense.     Who thought we would be this deep into the season and PCHS and SLHS would have a combined record of 3-9? South Lamar has had trouble opening lanes for their running backs to get through. That's not a good sign because PCHS still has talented players despite their struggles. They did hold Lynn to just 6 points.   Prediction:  Pickens County 22 South Lamar 7

D.A.R. (2-8) at  St. John Paul II (1-9)  at Discovery Middle School D.A.R.   St. John Paul II 2-8 (0-8)  Record 1-9 (1-7) 4A-R8  Class/Region 4A-R8 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 16.3  Power Rating 26.0 AHSFHS Power Ratings have St. John Paul II as a 12 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The St. John Paul II Falcons defeated D.A.R. by a score of 37-23 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   St. John Paul II and D.A.R. have met 11 times on the field.... D.A.R. holds a 6-5 edge in the games played.

Comments:    DAR comes in 2-5 and coming off a 56-28 loss to Randolph. Their two wins have been out of region. They've been inconsistent on offense to say the least and on defense they have been susceptible to the big play.

St. John Paul II comes in 0-6 and just having lost 62-38 to New Hope. Speaking of being susceptible to big plays, SJP allowed 3 rushing TDs over 40 yards against New Hope. QB Joey Ross has a pretty strong arm and was able to get some deep passes against New Hope. The special teams weren't so special, giving up two long KR TDs.

This is to avoid being the bottom dweller in the region. Both teams have struggled mightily. I like the SJP offense more, but mistakes on special teams could loom large should they happen. From what I have seen, I really like SJP's passing game against the DAR secondary.

Prediction:  SJP II 33 DAR 21

Lawrence County (6-5) at  Ardmore (8-3)  at Cooper Field Lawrence County   Ardmore 6-5 (3-3)  Record 8-3 (4-2) 5A-R7  Class/Region 5A-R7 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 63.7  Power Rating 52.9 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Lawrence County as a 9 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Ardmore Tigers defeated Lawrence County by a score of 27-17 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Ardmore and Lawrence County have met 12 times on the field.... Lawrence County holds a 7-5 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Lawrence County sits at 5-2 and only having lost to the top two teams in their region, including a tough 3 point loss to region front runner, Fairview. They are coming off a 42-0 win over East Limestone. Parker Frost at QB has been dangerous running the RPO. They've also got an elusive player with #17 Tripp Engle and a bruiser RB #6 (whose name I can't find.)

Ardmore is 4-2 and coming off a bye. Their two region losses have also been to the seemingly top 2 in the region right now. The defense has been smothering at times, only giving up 13 ppg.

This is a really interesting game. This could be for playoff positioning. Lawrence County definitely relies heavily on their offense while Ardmore relies on the defense a little more. I know the tigers feel like they have left points on the field a few times this year, and this is one game where they can't allow that to happen.

Prediction:  Lawrence County 27 Ardmore 21

Glencoe (2-8) at  Saks (2-8)  at Jack Stewart Field Glencoe   Saks 2-8 (1-7)  Record 2-8 (1-7) 3A-R6  Class/Region 3A-R6 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 23.4  Power Rating 32.2 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Saks as a 11 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Glencoe Yellow Jackets defeated Saks by a score of 32-28 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Saks and Glencoe have met 21 times on the field.... Saks holds a 12-9 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Glencoe comes in 1-5 and coming off 42-20 loss to Weaver, which was their second highest offensive output of the year. Alex Hudson #6 at RB is featured in their run heavy offense. He is a good looking back, he just needs more help. Weaver has a couple of speedy kids on offense that really gave Glencoe fits all night.

Saks comes in at 2-5 having just dropped a region tilt to Pennington to the tune of 42-14. Despite their record they've been mostly competitive, this last loss being their largest margin of defeat on the season. Christian Hall is a speedy receiver and Jyiaz Berry is one of the leaders on defense.

If Glencoe can keep it moving between the tackles and keep Saks offense off the field, I think they have a chance. That will be easier said than done. Saks has some really good players on both sides of the ball, but particularly on defense. They probably won't make the playoffs, but I think they are much better than their record indicates.

Prediction:  Saks 44 Glencoe 16

kodyaufan2 Week 8 Picks

Last Week:  2-2    Season Total:  20-7

Verbena (8-3) at  (#10)  Autauga Academy (9-2)  at Generals Field Verbena   Autauga Academy 8-3 (5-2)  Record 9-2 (6-1) 1A-R4  Class/Region 1A-R4 NR  ASWA Ranking #10 28.9  Power Rating 40.4 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Autauga Academy as a 14 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Autauga Academy Generals defeated Verbena by a score of 22-8 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Autauga Academy and Verbena have met one time on the field.... Autauga Academy holds a 1-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    There are massive playoff implications in this one. The winner should lock up a playoff birth and likely solidifies a 1st round home game.

Autauga Academy has just a single loss on the season, a 21-20 defeat at Maplesville. Maplesville will be a state championship contender, which should tell you pretty much all you need to know about how good they are this season. We've seen several AISA schools make the jump to the AHSAA and have immediate success in recent years, but the Generals seem to be flying more under-the-radar than some of the others that have made that jump.

The last time Verbena started a season 6-0 was 2006. Since then, they have just three playoff appearances with only one playoff win in that time. This season has been a great turnaround for Allen Brothers's squad, as they went 1-8 on the field last season. They haven't played a great schedule so far, but undefeated is undefeated. We will find out this week whether they'll be able to make some noise in the postseason.

Verbena has been a great story so far this season, but they'll be facing their first playoff-caliber opponent of the season. Nobody is talking about Autauga Academy as being among the best teams in 1A, but they will be in November.

Prediction:  Autauga Academy 36, Verbena 14

Hale County (7-4) at  (#3)  Thomasville (11-1)  at Anderson Field Hale County   Thomasville 7-4 (5-2)  Record 11-1 (7-0) 3A-R3  Class/Region 3A-R3 NR  ASWA Ranking #3 41.9  Power Rating 66.6 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Thomasville as a 27 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Thomasville Tigers defeated Hale County by a score of 56-13 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Thomasville and Hale County have met 3 times on the field.... Thomasville holds a 3-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    A little bit of the luster has been rubbed off of this matchup after Hale County was shocked by Southside Selma last week, but this is still a game that could determine the region champion in 3A Region 3.

Thomasville has a long, proud history of winning football games, and they are off to another great start at 6-0. They've yet to really be tested despite playing 1A giants Sweet Water and Leroy, which shows the strength of this team. The Tigers are coming off a 50-18 win over Thorsby in which they ran for 376 yards, led by RB Diego Bryant with TD runs of 55, 71, and 29 yards. Defensively, they dominated at the line of scrimmage, and CB B.J. Cheeseboro came up with an interception in the 4th quarter.

The Hale County Wildcats were off to their best start in years at 5-0, but Southside Selma brought that to an abrupt end last week with a 56-6 stunner. And maybe Southside winning wasn't that shocking, but the manner in which they did sure was. The Wildcats will have to circle the wagons quickly, because things aren't getting any easier against unbeaten Thomasville. RB/DE Kaivien Ryans still played well in the loss, breaking off several big runs and coming up with multiple tackles for loss.

It will be a tall order for Hale County to get things turned around in one week, but they have time to course-correct before the playoffs, which they will certainly be in. For Thomasville, this may be their best chance in a decade at taking home another state championship.

Prediction:  Thomasville 48, Hale Co. 12

(#3)  Cherokee County (11-1) at  Hokes Bluff (8-3)  at Mike Robertson Stadium Cherokee County   Hokes Bluff 11-1 (7-0)  Record 8-3 (5-2) 4A-R6  Class/Region 4A-R6 #3  ASWA Ranking NR 71.1  Power Rating 57.9 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Cherokee County as a 11 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Cherokee County Warriors defeated Hokes Bluff by a score of 35-21 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Hokes Bluff and Cherokee County have met 71 times on the field.... Cherokee County holds a 47-20 edge in the games played.

Comments:    A week ago, I was all prepared to write about this game being a region championship game, but Alexandria's upset of Hokes Bluff last week throws them into the mix as well. However, the winner of this one still controls their own destiny, while the loser will need some help to win the region crown.

Hokes Bluff's undefeated season came to an end last week in a 28-27 loss to Alexandria in which they led 27-14 in the second half. QB Bryce Whitaker continued his stellar ground campaign with 197 yards rushing and 2 TDs, but he was also picked off three times by the Valley Cub defense. The Hokes Bluff defense, which had played well all season to this point, struggled with Alexandria's offense, allowing 162 passing yards and 177 rushing yards. The turnovers are the biggest thing they'll need to clean up this week, as possessions will already come at a premium against Cherokee County.

The Warriors of Cherokee County have been outstanding on the defensive side of the ball in their last five games. Since giving up 55 points in their first two contests, they've allowed a total of 12 points in the last five. They got a little gassed on that side of the ball in the second half last week against Anniston, resorting to more of a bend-but-don't-break style, but a goal line stand in the 4th quarter, followed by forcing a fumble on Anniston's final drive, preserved the win. Two-way player Tae Diamond is a force on both sides of the ball. He forced the fumble on Anniston's final drive and also leads the Warriors in rushing.

I expect this to be a very quick game since these two teams don't like to throw the ball much. Both teams played sloppy on offense last week, with multiple turnovers, and in a game without many possessions, protecting the ball will be critical.

Prediction:  Cherokee Co. 21, Hokes Bluff 7

Carver Birmingham (4-5) at  Wenonah (8-4)  at Bell-Culpepper Stadium Carver Birmingham   Wenonah 4-5 (3-3)  Record 8-4 (4-2) 5A-R5  Class/Region 5A-R5 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 61.4  Power Rating 61.3 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Wenonah as a 2 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Wenonah Dragons defeated Carver Birmingham by a score of 28-20 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Wenonah and Carver Birmingham have met 37 times on the field.... Wenonah holds a 24-13 edge in the games played.

Comments:    This game is suddenly on the radar as having major playoff implications because of a suddenly-surging Briarwood. Both teams own wins over Briarwood, but the Lions have pulled off wins over undefeated teams in Leeds and this region's presumed 1-seed Corner in back-to-back weeks, so neither of these two teams can afford to stumble.

Wenonah sits at 5-1 on the season against some pretty competitive competition. Their lone loss was by a single point to Corner, and only two of their games have been decided by more than two possessions. They also came back from a 15-6 deficit in the second half last week to beat John Carroll, so no one can say they aren't battle-tested. Senior Neil Brown has played QB for most of the season, but Sophomore Damazzia Taylor got some reps last week as well. They've got a lot of size up front, led by Junior Juanderius Bell. The Dragons are looking to make their first playoff appearance since 2017.

Carver has just one playoff appearance in the last 20 years, and that came in 2017. They haven't won a playoff game since 1984. All three region opponents they have left are in playoff position, so the toughest part of their schedule is still in front of them. The last time we saw Carver in action was two weeks ago when they got to live their Friday Night Lights dreams by traveling to Odessa, Texas to take on Permian. They shockingly led 6-0 into the 2nd quarter before Permian scored 41 straight points, but the Rams still hung in there against a school nearly ten times their size. They are led by an experienced QB in De'Jarvis Wade II, who threw for 2,200 yards and 24 TDs in 2023. The stingy Rams defense has allowed just 14 points to in-state opponents in three games.

This is one of the toughest games I've picked this season. Both teams have very similar results against common opponents. It was a tight game when these two met a year ago, and I expect a similar result this time.

Prediction:  Wenonah 20, Carver Birmingham 14

Sloth Nationzz Week 8 Picks

Last Week:  3-1    Season Total:  18-10

(#8)  Williamson (10-2) at  UMS-Wright (6-6)  at Ervin S. Cooper Stadium Williamson   UMS-Wright 10-2 (6-1)  Record 6-6 (4-3) 5A-R1  Class/Region 5A-R1 #8  ASWA Ranking NR 70.5  Power Rating 61.4 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Williamson as a 7 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Williamson Lions defeated UMS-Wright by a score of 20-9 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   UMS-Wright and Williamson have met 8 times on the field.... UMS-Wright holds a 5-3 edge in the games played.

Comments:    WIlliamson has the chance to do something that has not been done in a long time. That being, starting off 8-0 and also eliminating the UMS Wright Bulldogs from playoff contention.

UMS Wright should've been knocked out last year but due to forfeits they made it in, and even had a huge upset. However I do not think any upsets will be happening this November for the Bulldogs.

My Prediction: I think Williamson is a really good football team that will challenge Vigor for the region title. UMS Wright will look to rebuild in the offseason with a very rare postseason miss.

Prediction:  Williamson 28 UMS Wright 7

(#10)  Carver Montgomery (6-3) at  (#4)  Central Phenix City (9-2)  at Garrett-Harrison Stadium Carver Montgomery   Central Phenix City 6-3 (4-3)  Record 9-2 (5-2) 7A-R2  Class/Region 7A-R2 #10  ASWA Ranking #4 82.6  Power Rating 90.5 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Central Phenix City as a 10 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Central Phenix City Red Devils defeated Carver Montgomery by a score of 31-26 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Central Phenix City and Carver Montgomery have met 16 times on the field.... Central Phenix City holds a 11-5 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Central Phenix City is coming off a loss to their arch rival in Auburn. Carver Montgomery is coming off losing to Enterprise. Both of these teams are likely having very tough weeks of practice. It depends on who will bounce back better?

Both teams are extremely talented and proven they are elite in that. However last week Carver Montgomery showed holes in their game. Central Phenix City lost to an excellent team in Auburn. I think Carver Montgomery has a tall task, but will give the Red Devils a great test, but not enough to topple the Red Devils.

My Prediction: I think Carver Montgomery will play well early, but falter late.

Prediction:  Central Phenix City 27 Carver Montgomery 13

(#6)  Gordo (10-2) at  Vinemont (7-4)  at Eagle Stadium Gordo   Vinemont 10-2 (6-1)  Record 7-4 (4-3) 3A-R5  Class/Region 3A-R5 #6  ASWA Ranking NR 60.9  Power Rating 42.8 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Gordo as a 16 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Gordo Green Wave defeated Vinemont by a score of 42-14 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Vinemont and Gordo have met one time on the field.... Gordo holds a 1-0 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Hello Vinemont, I don't think many fans expected to see them here. With their only loss being in four overtimes to Phil Campbell, and that is the Bobcat's only win of the season, which is bizarre.

Gordo is still very much Gordo and still a powerhouse in the North. Can Vinemont pull off the upset and continue their historic season? We love a good underdog story!

My Prediction: I think the Cinderella story ends for Vinemont this week and Gordo shows why they are one of the best teams in the state.

Prediction:  Gordo 28 Vinemont 12

Calhoun (3-7) at  Barbour County (1-8)  at Barbour County Stadium Calhoun   Barbour County 3-7 (2-4)  Record 1-8 (1-5) 2A-R3  Class/Region 2A-R3 NR  ASWA Ranking NR 9.3  Power Rating -5.7 AHSFHS Power Ratings have Calhoun as a 13 point favorite.

Last Meeting:   The Calhoun Tigers defeated Barbour County by a score of 46-0 in week 8 on the road  on Fri., Oct. 11 during the 2024 football season. Series:   Barbour County and Calhoun have met 5 times on the field.... Barbour County holds a 3-2 edge in the games played.

Comments:    Here is a very fun game for both programs. These two programs they do not win a lot of football games typically. However these two schools will be playing each other for a region game! Barbour County has not won a region game since 2013 It has been a long time for the Jaguars.

Calhoun had a historic season last year with the Tigers making the playoffs for the first time since 1999. This year both teams have struggled out the gate, but both teams could maybe bounce back and get a memorable win for this season as these two are very evenly matched.

My Prediction: Give me the Tigers to win in a revenge game from last year! Calhoun wins and gets a region victory.

Prediction:  Calhoun 20 Barbour County 12