By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
TRUSSVILLE — As the season comes down to its last three weeks and teams are battling for region playoff position, it’s time to take a look at where teams in The Tribune coverage area stand.
Springville’s Patrick Bennett looks for running room against Southside Gadsden on Friday night, October 1, 2021. The Tigers need to beat Oxford tonight and then get some help to sneak into the 6A playoffs.(Photo by Josie Howell, The St. Clair Times)
First, Hewitt-Trussville finds itself in the fourth playoff spot for 7A Region 3 right now, at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the region. The game tonight against Gadsden City (5-3, 2-3). If Gadsden City wins, it complicates the playoff picture and forces the Huskies into a must-win game next week against Oak Mountain to cap the regular season.
Clay-Chalkville is the No. 1 team in 6A, and they can claim the Region 6 title outright with a win tonight. If Pinson Valley wins, that means that three teams in Region 6 will have one loss (Jackson-Olin, which owns a tiebreaker vs. Pinson Valley, is the other) and will extend the Cougars’ region title hunt at least one more week.
Pinson Valley (5-2, 3-1) is currently third in 6A Region 6, and they look like a lock to make the playoffs unless something completely derails for the Indians.
Leeds is No. 3 in 5A and at the top of the heap in Region 6. The Green Wave plays Corner tonight, a team they should beat. A win sets up a potential matchup of unbeatens to finish out the season, with Leeds hosting Alexandria next week.
But Alexandria has to get through Moody (5-2, 3-2) first. The Blue Devils look locked in for a playoff spot in 5A Region 6, and it will depend on how they finish out Region opponents.They play Alexandria tonight, and that game will reveal a lot about how good Moody — to say nothing of Alexandria — is. The Blue Devils are hosting tonight at 7 p.m., and they’re not an easy win for anyone anymore.
Center Point, at 5-3 and 3-2 in 5A Region 6, is tied with Moody for a playoff spot. However, the Eagles own the tiebreaker between the teams thanks to a 40-11 beatdown against the Blue Devils earlier this season in what looks to be Center Point’s best win of the season. The Eagles play St. Clair County tonight for Senior Night and should get the win against a bad Saints team.
Springville is 4-3 and 2-2 in 6A Region 7. If the Tigers can pull off the upset tonight against Oxford and Southside-Gadsden loses, Springville’s playoff chances are good. Unfortunately, they don’t control their own destiny in the region.
