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After a 40-14 loss on the road against Highland Home, the Lanett Panthers face off against Luverne this Friday in another pivotal region game. 

Head Coach Chip Seagle took the majority of the blame for his team’s loss last week. That being said, the Panthers were facing one of the most talented teams in 2A. Highland Home has three four-star prospects just on the defensive side of the ball.

Lanett has a 2-2 record on the season with a 1-1 record in 2A region three. The Panthers have faced Luverne six times, and they have only two wins. Last season, Luverne came away with a nail-biting 26-25 win at home. 

At 4-0, the Tigers are undefeated to this point in the season. However, there are still a lot of unknowns with the team. The four teams that Luverne has faced have a combined record of 3-10. 

Luverne’s calling card this season has been its defense. The Tigers have shutout three of their opponents and have only allowed 14 total points this season. 

The key for the Panthers is to get Keondae Hughley and Alajawon Whitfield back going on offense. 

The pair had combined for 651 rushing yards through the team’s first three games. Not to mention, Whitfield helped the passing game as a quarterback and as a wide receiver. Last week, the two combined for just 62 rushing yards. Getting Hughley and Whitfield back on track will bode well for the rest of Lanett’s season. 

“We need complimentary football,” Head Coach Chip Seagle said in a text. “Control the line of scrimmage on both sides.” 

The matchup between Lanett and Luverne could not be more important for both teams. Highland Home and Reeltown are firmly planted at the top of the region with each of their wins coming by more than 20 points. Although it is still early in the season, both Lanett and Luverne are fighting for playoff positioning this week. 

 

Chambers Academy (4-1) vs. Bessemer Academy (1-3) 

The Rebels have been nothing short of dominant in their last four games. Each of the four wins has come by way of a blowout.
In the last two games, Chambers Academy has beaten Banks Academy and Crenshaw Christian in dominant fashion. The Rebels beat Crenshaw 41-14 and beat Banks 67-18. 

Both Banks and Crenshaw were previously undefeated before facing the Rebels, and Banks was a top-ten team in the AISA. 

“We’ve gotten better every week,” Head Coach Jason Allen said after the win against Banks Academy. “This week, I think we took our biggest step forward. We were really locked in all week at practice. We just came out and completely dominated the game from start to finish.”

The Rebels have been led by their two-headed monster at running back Luke Tarver and Jacob Norgard. The two combined for 320 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last Friday. 

“Our running backs ran like their hair was on fire, and we didn’t turn it over,” Allen said in a text. “It was a fun night.” 

Everyone in and around the program is excited to see the team return home this week to face Bessemer Academy after three straight road games. 

“This is the beginning of a long home stand, and we look forward to it,” Allen said. “It seems like we’ve been on the road all year.” 

 

LaFayette Bulldogs (1-3) at Goshen Eagles (2-2) 

The Bulldogs got their first win of the season last week with a 30-0 win over Barbour County at home.
LaFayette will travel to face a much tougher opponent this week in Goshen. The two teams have faced only once with the Eagles beating the Bulldogs 60-28 last season. 

This game is pivotal for LaFayette. A loss would put the Bulldogs behind in the region standings with tough matchups still on the schedule. 

 

Springwood Wildcats (4-1) at Southern Christian (1-2) 

Springwood lost its first game of the season last week in an overtime thriller against Cornerstone Christian.
The Wildcats hope to see the Chargers again in the playoffs and repeat last season, but that will have to wait. For now, Head Coach Joey Burch and the rest of the staff are turning their attention to Southern Christian. 

“We’re going to go to work,” Burch said after the game on Friday. 

Springwood has only faced Southern Christian once with the Wildcats winning the matchup 40-31 last season.