By Erik Harris
CLAY – No. 1 Clay-Chalkville has been making things look beyond easy over the last month and a half.
The Cougars, currently ranked No. 6 nationally by USA Today Sports, had a near-death experience in regards to their 23-game winning streak on Sept. 4 when they escaped Tuscaloosa with a 41-40 win over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa.
No. 1 Clay-Chalkville enters the Class 6A, Region 6 championship game on upset alert. photo by Ron Burkett
Ever since that road scare, Clay-Chalkville has gone 5-0 by an overall count of 286-37 to reassure high school football fans in Alabama that another run to the Super 7 is possible.
Regardless of the gaudy offensive numbers and salty defensive play, coach Jerry Hood’s guys have one more step to take in their march to a fourth consecutive region championship and the upset alert has officially been sounded.
USA Today Sports, which has polled the Cougars in its Super 25 rankings since the beginning of the season, has labeled the Class 6A, Region 6 championship game a “potential upset” for Clay-Chalkville.
The opponent: No. 10 Gardendale (7-1, 5-0 in league play).
“While the Cougars have not been tested this season, Gardendale has steadily improved and got a bump last week as wide receiver Kevin Howard, a transfer from Pinson Valley, became eligible and responded with six catches for 130 yards in a 38-28 defeat of Fort Payne,” read the USA Today article.
Will the upset alert translate to the field? Find out tonight at Cougar Stadium.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.
