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Week two was a mixed bag for the teams in the Greater Valley Area, but it was a good measuring stick for most of the teams since they started region play. 

With the season almost a third of the way through, teams are starting to find out where they stack up in their regions.

Lanett and Chambers Academy started their region play with wins. Springwood continued its offensive dominance to remain undefeated. LaFayette and Beulah are still searching for their first win of the year. Valley struggled with its region opener.

 

Game of the week: Highland Home (3-0) at Lanett (2-1)

The Lanett Panthers are coming off of a dominant win over region opponent Horseshoe Bend, but things won’t get any easier as they have to face undefeated Highland Home. The Flying Squadron are coming off of a dominant 42-14 win over region Goshen.

This game has some meaning for the Panthers as Highland Home knocked them out of the third round of the playoffs last year.

“We’ll have the kids locked in,” Lanett head coach Clifford Story said. “We just have to make sure they execute and do what we need to do in all three phases of the game. Highland Home is a really good team. They have several Division I players. They beat us last year in the quarterfinals, so we’re going to use some of those things as motivation. We have to make sure this week is a great week, and we need to hit on all cylinders. It’s going to be tough.”

One of the challenges the Panthers will face is containing Highland Home’s quarterback.

“Their quarterback makes them go,” Story said. “He loves to keep plays alive, so we need to make sure we’re covered on the back end.”

Lanett is 3-2 all-time against the Flying Squadron, but they’ve only played once in the last decade.

The Panthers are riding a 34-game region win streak, and Highland Home will be a good test of how Lanett will handle the toughest teams in its region.

 

Valley (1-2) at Sylacauga (0-3)

Valley is coming off of a 31-14 loss to Beauregard in their region opener, and it’ll only get tougher as the season goes on.

Sylacauga is having a rough start to their season as they’re coming off of a 48-21 loss to Elmore County.

The Rams seemed to struggle on both sides of the ball last weekend, but their defense is still their strength. Sylacauga’s defense has struggled heavily as they’ve allowed 147 points through three games.

Valley is 10-3 all-time against Sylacauga, but the Rams have lost three straight to the Aggies. The two teams haven’t played since 2017, and they’re both looking for their first region win.

 

Crenshaw (3-0) at Chambers Academy (1-2)

The Chambers Academy Rebels had a difficult start to the year, but they finally got in the win column with a 49-14 win over region opponent Edgewood.

The Rebels are also finding ways to win without their star player, Gavin Kight, who is out for the year.

Crenshaw is undefeated this year, and they just beat Lakeside 43-12.

This won’t be a region game for the Rebels, but it will give them a chance to see how they stack up against an undefeated AISA team.

Chambers Academy is 11-13 all-time against the Cougars, but the Rebels have won seven straight over Crenshaw. The Rebels beat the Cougars in 2018 to win their first state championship.

 

Springwood (2-0) at Meadowview (0-3)

Springwood is coming off of a 52-32 win over Evangel Christian Academy, and now the Wildcats are looking for their first 3-0 start since 2017.

Meadowview is coming off of a 50-0 loss to Tuscaloosa Christian, and the Trojans are having a rough year. The Trojans have scored six points and allowed 151 points through three games. They’re also looking to break their 43-game losing streak.

Springwood sits at the top of the 8-man standings, and they have a chance to extend their lead.

The Wildcats are 1-4 all-time against Meadowview, but the two teams haven’t played each other since 2007.

Both teams are playing their first season of 8-man football, and both teams have new head coaches.

 

LaFayette (0-3) at Barbour County (0-3)

The LaFayette Bulldogs are coming off of a 41-0 loss to Reeltown, and they’ll be looking to win their first game of the season against a team who is also having a rough start.

Barbour County is coming off of a 75-0 loss to Luverne, and they’re also looking to win their first game.

The Bulldogs are 4-0 all-time against Barbour County, but they haven’t played since 2005.

LaFayette is looking to avoid their second 0-4 start in three years. Barbour County is trying to break their 12-game losing streak.

 

Walter Wellborn (1-1) at Beulah (0-3)

The Beulah Bobcats are coming off of a 48-6 loss to Saks, and things won’t get any easier as they have to face the Walter Wellborn Panthers.

The Panthers had a bye week last week, but their last game was a 45-7 win over Ohatchee. Their one loss was a 52-18 loss to undefeated Anniston, who is in 4A.

Beulah has struggled offensively this year as they have only scored 12 points through their first three games.

Beulah is 0-2 all-time against Walter Wellborn, but they haven’t played since 2011.

This will also be the Panthers’ region opener.