By Erik Harris
CLAY – It’s been 23 months since No. 1 Clay-Chalkville has lost a football game, and that stretch of wins doesn’t seem to be in danger of ending this Friday with a fifth Class 6A, Region 6 contest awaiting.
“I am proud of these guys, because it’s a hard thing to just win (22 consecutive games) and not let up mentally if you’re a young person,” said Clay-Chalkville head coach Jerry Hood following last week’s win.
Woodlawn (1-6, 0-4) will be the challenge on Friday night at Lawson Field. After starting the season with a 36-12 win at Class 2A Tarrant, the Colonels have dropped six straight contests that have seen them score only 18 points.
The Cougars are allowing a region leading 13.3 points per contest. That average could drop after Friday, as Woodlawn enters the game scoring 1.5 points per Region 6 game.
With a win, Clay-Chalkville would improve to 8-0, 5-0 in region play, which would tie it with Gardendale at the top of the league standings. That likely scenario sets the table for another championship stage between the Cougars and the Rockets on Oct. 23.
Woodlawn’s defense, through four region games, has surrendered 29.5 points an outing. The hosts will have its hands full with a Clay-Chalkville offense that has produced over 50 points in its last three games.
Quarterback Ty Pigrome, a three-time Tribune Player of the Week, is coming off a memorable performance against Shades Valley. The senior struggled through the air in the early portion of the game, but shined in the running game from the beginning.
He finished with 444 yards of offense in a 52-14 home win. After throwing high on multiple first half throws, Pigrome kept the ball down after the break.
“I thought after the first quarter, our quarterback played better,” said Hood. “He played a lot smarter and that’s what we want him to do.”
He finished the night 12-of-21 through the air for 307 yards and four scores. He ran with the ball on scramble scenarios and on designed running plays 11 different times for 137 yards.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.