5 Games to Watch Week 5
Another week of Alabama high school football is here, and region play is beginning to heat up across the state.
Week 5 brings several heavyweight matchups, including four games featuring teams ranked inside the state’s Top 25. From a major 7A showdown in Phenix City to an undefeated Prattville team traveling into Trussville, here are five games to watch this week.
Auburn at Central-Phenix City
Two of the state’s premier programs meet Friday night at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in a massive 7A matchup.
Auburn enters the week at 3-1 after taking down Enterprise 28-21 last Friday. The Tigers’ lone loss came against Hewitt-Trussville in a 56-42 shootout to open the season.
Central-Phenix City also sits at 3-1, with its only loss coming against top-ranked Thompson in the season opener. Since then, the Red Devils have responded with three straight wins, including a 31-24 victory over rival Opelika last week.
With Auburn ranked No. 9 and Central sitting at No. 2 in the latest MaxPreps state rankings, this is one of the biggest games anywhere in Alabama this week.
Oxford vs Clay-Chalkville
Something has to give when undefeated Oxford travels to face Clay-Chalkville. This is Clay’s first real test since Week 1 against Thompson!
The Yellow Jackets are off to a 4-0 start and have continued to roll behind quarterback Maddox Mims. Oxford handled Pell City 41-7 last week to remain perfect entering one of its toughest tests of the season.
Clay-Chalkville has responded in a big way since its 37-13 loss to Thompson in August. The Cougars enter Friday at 3-1 and are coming off a dominant 55-3 win over Southside-Rainbow City.
Oxford is ranked No. 15 in the state by MaxPreps, while Clay-Chalkville comes in at No. 7. Friday night should tell us plenty about where both programs stand as the season approaches its halfway point.
Prattville at Hewitt-Trussville
Undefeated Prattville gets another major test this week.
The Lions improved to 4-0 with a dramatic 30-29 win over Hoover last Friday and have quickly established themselves as one of the teams to watch this season. A last minute TD pass was the difference
Waiting for them is a Hewitt-Trussville team that has bounced back nicely from its loss to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. The Huskies defeated Hoover 40-24 before shutting out Tuscaloosa County 49-0 last week.
Prattville enters ranked No. 6 in the state, with Hewitt-Trussville right behind at No. 5. Add in the region implications and Hewitt’s homecoming atmosphere, and this has all the makings of one of Friday night’s best games.
Spain Park at Vestavia Hills
Two 3-1 teams meet in another important Birmingham-area region matchup.
Spain Park is looking to bounce back after suffering its first loss of the season against top-ranked Thompson. The Jaguars hung around early before the Warriors pulled away for a 48-14 victory.
Vestavia Hills knows that feeling all too well. The Rebels were shut out by Thompson the week before but responded emphatically last Friday, defeating Oak Mountain 43-13. Quarterback Charlie Taaffe accounted for over 400 total yards and four touchdowns in the win.
With Spain Park ranked No. 10 and Vestavia Hills sitting at No. 3, Friday night provides both teams with an opportunity to pick up a valuable region win.
Homewood at Helena
Homewood enters Friday night as one of the hottest teams in the Birmingham area.
After a narrow loss to Briarwood earlier in the season, the Patriots have responded with three straight wins. Homewood defeated rival Mountain Brook 33-13 before following it up with a 42-7 win over Pelham last week.
Helena, meanwhile, will be looking for a response.
The Huskies started the season with wins over Moody and Pelham but were shut out 37-0 by Mountain Brook last week. Now Helena returns home with an opportunity to bounce back against a Homewood team that has found its rhythm on both sides of the football.
For the Patriots, another region win would keep their early-season momentum rolling. For Helena, Friday represents an opportunity to get back on track.
