BamaPreps Weekly Roundtable Week 5

Welcome to the BamaPreps Weekly Roundtable! Each week, the team will break down the biggest
matchups and the best performances across the state of Alabama. From Huntsville to Mobile, the best
coverage of the gridiron is right here on BamaPreps.

We are officially at the halfway point in the regular season! The air has begun to cool, but the play on the
field is still firing all cylinders this 2026 season. With playoffs approaching, which teams will be able to
continue momentum gained from the start of the season, and what teams will have a stellar back half to
catapult themselves into the playoffs come November?
Best individual performance from Week 4?

VLAD VALASIUK: Brayden Averett! 8 rec 245 4 TDs on a good Auburn defense.
TP HAMMOCK: Davis Barnett. He was 8-for-9 passing with seven touchdown passes. Hard to top that
NOAH WILLOUGHBY: Corey Knight, Shades Valley, 7 Rec for 162 yards and 2 TDs
TREY LEE: Marterrious Sankey absolutely feasted on the Hewitt defense with 30 rushes for 237 yards
in a dominant performance for the Lions.
JON LUNCEFORD: Charlie Taaffe from Vestavia. He ran for 146 yards and 2 TD while also passing for
199 yards and another touchdown as they took down Spain Park. I’ve wondered if the Vestavia hype was
unearned, but after both teams were humbled by Thompson, Vestavia responded with a big win to keep
them in the hunt for that second spot in Region 3.

With Tuscaloosa County making a change at head coach this week, who would you hire to be their
next HC if you were the AD of the Wildcats?
VLAD: Need someone who can attract talent to that school. No names specifically, but a few guys come
to mind. Give them some time too…
TP: I’d throw a blank check at Jamie Mitchell from Hillcrest Tuscaloosa and let him make TC the
premier program of Tuscaloosa
NOAH: I mean if I was the AD and money wasn’t an issue and I was the best salesman in the world I’m
giving Hugh Freeze a call. Would be absolute cinema to have him coaching high school ball. And that
joker can recruit.
TREY: I think you look local at a guy like Josh Wright at Tuscaloosa Academy and try to build stability
over the course of a few years.
JON: I’d go down the street and get a large check from the University and tell them to help convince
Mark Freeman to come start a recruit farm in Tuscaloosa. Maybe convince Bill Clark to get back in the
game? Or sell your soul to Rush Propst?

We are halfway through the high school football regular season – what team throughout the state
has had the best offense in your opinion during these first 5 weeks?
VLAD: Thompson and Prattville. 47.4 and 54.4 PPG between the two. Quick shoutout to McAdory, 41.4
PPG against some tough opponents
TP: Thompson, next question
NOAH: I mean it has to be Thompson. I know that’s not the fun answer but it’s the truth.
TREY: Prattville is averaging 54.4 PPG this season, with wins over Hoover and Hewitt-Trussville.
JON: It’s easy to say Thompson, but I’m going to say Prattville. Putting up 60+ three times including on
the road at Hewitt is impressive. We’ll see what that offense has as they hit a tougher back half of the
season, but they are a top 5 offense for sure.

What team has had the best defense in your opinion during these first 5 weeks?
VLAD: Thompson is in a league of its own here, but others I’ve been impressed with are Hillcrest
Tuscaloosa, Spanish Fort, and Florence
TP: Thompson, next question
NOAH: Reeltown’s defense is giving up 4 points per game. They are always stingy down in Reeltown.
TREY: Fyffe has only allowed 26 points this year, with 20 of those in one game in their overtime win
against Central Clay. The Red Devils pitched 3 straight shutouts, and now head into the tougher part of
their schedule with Ider, Collinsville, and Westbrook looming ahead.
JON: It’s easy to say Thompson (evergreen message), but I’m going to say Muscle Shoals. They are only
2-2, but they have played four straight playoff teams from last year and only allowed 14 twice and 7
twice. They rank #4 in 5A, but have definitely had one of the toughest schedules and have one of the most
successful defenses.

Is there a team that has underperformed during the first half of the year that can have a
bounce-back second half of the year and why?
VLAD: Moody. Don’t really get it, most of the talent is back, good QB good Skill, seems like something
has just been missing recently. Strung off a couple of close wins, maybe the momentum is swinging back.
TP: Lee-Scott, but I think they can get better for sure
NOAH: Pell City had a really tough schedule to start the season. I’m interested to see how they look now
that the schedule is getting a little easier
TREY: Gotta go with the Warriors of Lee-Scott. The Warriors have faced a brutal first half of the year,
playing 1A contender Loachapoka, Briarwood, and were competitive in region games on the road at
Randolph School and John Carroll. The back half of the schedule is by no means a cake walk, but look for
Coach Ozment and the Warriors to capitalize off of the offensive momentum they showed at John Carroll
this past week.
JON: I’d lean Muscle Shoals here again. 2-2 isn’t a great start, but they have maybe the toughest region in
5A and will still be a playoff team and someone to fear in the postseason. Also Helena who started 2-2
(1-2) but can still be a 3-seed if they play well down the stretch.
This week’s schedule includes a few non-region games, with a few private versus public matchups.

What game stands out in this week’s slate and why?
VLAD: Vigor v Benjamin Russell. Very excited for this offense of Ben Russell and defense of Vigor to
face each other.
TP: Luverne vs Maplesville. An easy pick for an easy reason. Two of the best
NOAH: Vigor and Ben Russell will be a great game. One of those games that neither team has to play
but they are and we all get to enjoy it.
TREY: Westbrook Christian and Oneonta will be a super fun matchup between two of the top teams in
their respective classifications.
JON: There are a few – ACA vs Tuscaloosa Academy, Oxford at Mountain Brook, Saraland at Pell City,
and more. But the one I’m keeping an eye on is Montgomery Catholic at Briarwood. This could be the
state championship the way things have gone so far this year. I think it will be tougher for Catholic to get
their out of the south, but Briarwood has looked unstoppable outside of their close win over Homewood
and is still the easy favorite in AA.

What matchup are you most looking forward to most in Week 5?
VLAD: Parker vs Carver Montgomery
TP: Luverne vs Maplesville
NOAH: I’ll give you a few. Ben Russell and Vigor, Mountain Brook and Oxford, Jacksonville and
Cherokee County
TREY: Montgomery Catholic against Briarwood in our weekly “Can anyone slow down the Lions?”
game.
JON: Personally I ‘m looking forward to Oxford at Mountain Brook because I’m curious where these
teams actually are. Oxford’s only loss is to Clay and Mountain Brook has seemed to rebound since their
back-to-back losses to UMS-Wright and Homewood. I don’t think either one is a favorite in their
respective sides (Oxford – 5A North, Mountain Brook – 5A South), but both could make some noise
depending on how the bracket plays out. I think they both end up as their region’s 2-seeds which won’t
lead to an easy road, but we’ll see.

Who has the advantage between Mountain Brook and Oxford, and why?
VLAD: I would give the edge to Mountain Brook. QB for Oxford went down last week and finding
offense after that was a struggle for the Yellow Jackets. Yeager will always have his guys ready to play
and compete. Excited for it
TP: Mountain Brook I feel is just a hard team to beat in general
NOAH: I’ll give the edge to Oxford. Mountain Brook will keep it close but Oxford will just be too big
and athletic
TREY: I’m going with Mountain Brook – the Spartans are undefeated at home and will lean on their run
game against the Yellow Jackets.
JON: I’d lead Mountain Brook, but this really could go either way.

Who is your Winner of the Week?
Choose one former Alabama high school player/coach playing/coaching at the collegiate or professional
level. List their stats/accomplishments from this past week.
VLAD: Cederian Morgan. Morgan got his first career touchdown reception for the University of Alabama
this past Saturday against Florida State.
TP: Trey Lee for making this happen
NOAH: As much as it pains me, I’ll shout out former Grissom Tiger and now Florida Head Coach Jon
Sumrall. He led his gators into a hostile Jordan-Hare and got a win. They’re 3-0 and look like a great
football team.
TREY: Unfortunately, its Jon Sumrall after he walked into Jordan-Hare Stadium and led the Florida
Gators to a dominant 42-39 victory over Auburn.
JON: EJ Crowell, did you see that hurdle? My goodness. Even though he’s still just the backup, as a true
freshman he’s looking really good (which is not surprising to us high school football nerds that watched
him at Jackson). He ended up with 7 carries for 51 yards (7.3 avg) and a touchdown plus a reception for
14 yards.

Predictions & Final Score for Carver-Montgomery vs. Parker.
VLAD: 33-14 Parker
TP: 27-20 Parker
NOAH: 31-17 Parker
TREY: Carver 31 Parker 24
JON: Parker 28-14

Got a question you want answered or a game you want us to pick here in the next few weeks? Reach out
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