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This week will be the end of the regular season for Lanett, Springwood and Beulah. While Lanett remains on the playoff bubble, Springwood and Beulah are already preparing for their guaranteed postseason. 

The rest of the field, Valley, LaFayette, and Chambers, will all play a final game next week to close their seasons out. Chambers, having already won their region championship, are a favorite to repeat as state champions. While Valley, like Lanett, is on the cusp for postseason play. 

Valley:

The Rams have a tough week ahead, as they take on no.2 in their region, Beauregard. Valley is coming off of two back-to-back overtime losses against the no. 3 and no.4 ranked teams, Elmore County and Holtville.  

In order for Valley to make the playoffs, they have to beat Beauregard and Holtville must lose to Marbury, a team currently at the bottom of the table. 

Besides wins-loses, the two teams match up well on paper. Valley is a run-heavy team, averaging 244.8 rushing yards per game compared to only 48.1 passing yards. While Beureguard favors passing, throwing for 179.9 passing yards and 123.0 rushing. The Hornets quarterback Cub Jones leads the region in passing yards. 

The battle on the ground will be fun as Valley has the top two region leaders in rushing yards, Tilyn Carrell and Galvin Goss, respectively. But, coming in third is Beauregard running back Kajaden Holloway. 

Both teams are equally proficient on defense. Nine of the top 10 tacklers in the region are in Valley or Beauregard. Caleb Piner, the Hornet’s linebacker has had an incredible season with 78 total tackles on the year, 47 solo and three sacks. Valley’s O-Line will have their work cut out for them. 

LaFayette:

The Bulldogs are coming off a decisive 48-8 homecoming win last Friday. This week they take on Horseshoe Bend. While both teams are 4-4 on the season, the region records are what matter for postseason eligibility. Currently. Horseshoe Bend is 3-2 and LaFayette is 1-4 in 2A Region 4. 

LaFayette has had moments of brilliance throughout the year. Offensively, all of their wins this season have been 40+ point games, where the defense has often held other teams to a single touchdown. Horseshoe Bend has yet to win an away game, giving the Bulldogs an advantage, who have had impressive performances on their home field. 

Lafayette has a 10-4 record against Horseshoe Bend. However, one of those losses came last year in a 42-14 game. 

The Generals have had an up-and-down season, alternating wins and losses in the region. They came off of a close win against Lanett, 56-52 to take the no. 3 spot. The Panthers beat LaFayette earlier in the season. With a win on Friday, the Bulldogs could end the year with a .500 or winning record. 

Chambers Academy:

The rebels are playing a non-region game against Crenshaw Christian. The two teams have met 26 times, splitting the all-time record 13-13. However, Chambers looks to take the lead this year with their state championship-caliber squad. When the two teams met last year, the Rebels won 41-14. 

The LaFayette team has already secured their playoff spot and a bye for the first game. They will try and extend their seven game win streak to eight on Friday. Last week was undoubtedly a high point of the season for Chambers, beating Banks Academy, whom they faced in last year’s state championship game, for the Rebels ninth region title in nine years. 

“A lot of great players, coaches and teams have gone into that streak and we don’t take lightly what it has taken to accomplish it…We feel bless to have been a part of it,” said Jason Allen, Rebels’ head coach.

Allen added that the team seems to be having fun together and hitting their stide ahead of the postseason. The stats sheet from Friday’s game shows a team effort, with multiple players getting carries and putting up yards. Rushing continues to be their go-to, but Landon Hand has improved his arm over the season, throwing for 51 yards and a touchdown against Banks. They now look to finish the regular season with momentum. 

“[Crenshaw is] traditionally a really good program that will fight as hard as anybody…It’s our senior night as our final regular season home game. We want to send those seniors out with a win,” said Allen. 

Springwood:

The Wilcats close out another successful regular season this Friday against North River Christian. They put up basketball numbers last week with a 85-54 win against Macon East to usurp the no. 2 spot in the region. 

CJ Johnson once again showed how special a player he is by putting up 423 on 23 carries. The junior now averages over 274.4 yards per game. According to Max Prep, he is the has more rushing yards, touchdowns and points for 6/7/8-man football  in the country, not just Alabama. Not to mention, he is in number four in total yards.  

But CJ is not the only star on the team. Greg Johnson ranks 19th in the nation in sacks with a whopping 12, and has recorded 42 solo tackles. Greg is productive on the offensive side, as the team’s leading receiver with 402 yards on the year. Eighth grader, Jax Cheeny, has had quite a debut, on the heels of both CJ and Greg in all purpose yards despite only playing six games. Junior captain Tucker Sides is one tackle away from 100, having clocked 58 solo tackles and 41 assisted. 

Springwood looks more than able to return to the 8-man state championship this year.