By Erik Harris
MCCALLA – Pinson Valley enters Week 6 of the high school football season with the hopes of bouncing back from a two-game losing skid.
However, that bounce back couldn’t be attempted in a much tougher environment. Longtime McAdory head coach David Powell has amassed a 60-7 record while playing inside his friendly confines dating back to 2005. The last time Powell tripped up inside McAdory Stadium was in the third round of the 2014 state playoffs against Spanish Fort by a three-point margin.
A slow start could spell disaster for the Indians (3-2, 1-2 Class 6A, Region 6) who might be lacking confidence after two consecutive runaway loses to start league play. First, they fell at home to Gardendale 42-13 before taking a 65-10 stumble at No. 1 Clay-Chalkville last week.
Pinson Valley must find a way to produce more offense despite some key injuries sustained against the Cougars. They’ve only managed 23 total points through the last two contests, and will face a Yellow Jackets’ defense that hasn’t yielded more than 16 points in any game thus far.
No. 4 McAdory (4-0) also has weapons on the other side of the ball where senior signal caller Jordan Jones operates. Perhaps his favorite target is four-star athlete Malcom Askew who pockets offers from Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame among over 30 others.
In a win over Northridge on Sept. 4, the Yellow Jackets rolled up 421 yards on the ground. 207 of them came on the legs of Jones. That can’t happen if Pinson Valley wants to get back in the win column tonight.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.