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Lanett

The Panthers will also be playing a homecoming game on Friday. Lanett will face off against Handley. The home team is coming off a dominant 52-12 win against county rival LaFayette. Lanett is currently at 4-1 on the season. 

Handley is by no means a gimme, however. This time last year, Handley beat Lanett 42-27. The two teams are well acquainted having played 72 games against each other, Lanett winning 42 of those. 

The 4A team is 3-2, with one of those losses against powerhouse Clay Central. The Tigers have had some high-scoring wins this year. Last Friday they beat Munford 63-21. Lanett’s defense will have their work cut out during homecoming. 

 

LaFayette

The Bulldogs look to right the ship after three straight losses.  LaFayette will travel to play Red Level this week in a non-region game. The Tigers are 2-2 on the season, most recently dominating Pleasant Home 41-7. 

After a hot start winning their first two games of the season, the Bulldogs have struggled with injuries and finding a groove against regional opponents. Last week saw Lanett dispatch them by thirty points. 

LaFayette and Red Level have never met in a game before. After Friday, weather permitting, the Bulldogs will have a bye-week before ramping up for the season’s home stretch. 

 

Valley

Valley is also away this week to take on Russell County. The Rams are batting .500, going 2-2 overall and 1-1 in region games. The Warriors will be a tough matchup as they are perfect in their region and 4-1 overall. 

While they can run, Russell County is a pass-heavy team, averaging 230 yards per game. It should make for an interesting matchup for Valley’s defense backs, who have been playing well this year. Conversely, the Rams will likely rely on the run, with speedy players like Galvin Goss and Tilyn Carrell. Valley averages 216 rushing yards this season, compared to 43 passing. 

While Russell County has won 19 out of the 22 meetings, Valley took the W last year 40-14. 

 

Springwood

The Wildcats will be on the road against Lakeside School. After a decisive 58-14 win for homecoming last week, Springwood seems to have bounced back from the loss against the state champions, Cornerstone, the week prior. 

The Chiefs have only played three games this year, with two wins. While they were shut out on their home opener, Lakeside scored over 60 points in both of their region wins. 

The Wildcat captains CJ Johnson, Gregory Johnson and Tucker Sides continue to impress on both sides of the ball. CJ leads the team in passing yards, averaging around 53 yards per game. Greg has the title of rushing leader with a whopping 219.8 yards a game. Sides is equally impressive, recording an average of 12 tackles a game.  

The two teams have not met since 2021, when Lakeside won 48-14.