Westbrook faces huge 2-week stretch

Westbrook Christian faces down a two-week stretch starting Friday that will determine its playoff fate.

First up, the Warriors (4-3, 2-2) host Woodland on Friday in Class 2A, Region 6 play. Westbrook then closes out region play Oct. 26 at Cleveland.

The Warriors could go from the No. 3 seed to out of the playoffs depending on how things play out.

The Bobcats are 2-5, 1-3, and a loss to the Warriors would eliminate them from the playoffs, so expect that they'll bring their A-game to Rainbow City. However, Woodland has an offense that scores just 17.9 points per game while a defense that gives up 38.7 points per game. Since a season-opening win over Fayetteville, it is 1-5, with its lone win coming Sept. 21 over winless Gaston 45-38.

Westbrook, meanwhile is coming off a 48-0 victory over the Bulldogs. It scores 32.9 points per game while giving up 20 per outing.

The Warrior offense is loaded with playmakers, possibly too many for Woodland to contain. Quarterback Jackson Cox is coming off a strong game where he dominated throwing and running the ball. Running back Hunter Grimes and fullback John Ross Morgan are proven veterans. A strong receiving corps is led by PJ Wells and Brandon Foster.

Westbrook hasn’t made the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2009-10, so a win Friday would be another stepping stone in the program’s ascension.

Coosa Christian at Woodville

A big one in Class 1A, Region 7, Coosa Christian visits Woodville on Friday in a showdown of two likely playoff teams.

Whichever of these two wins out will land the No. 3 region seed in the postseason, while the loser could miss the playoffs altogether depending on how the following week goes.

The Conquerors (4-3, 2-2) are trying to make the playoffs for the third straight year for the first time since the program moved into the AHSAA in 2005. A win Friday would guarantee that.

On paper, Coosa and the Panthers (3-4, 2-2) are very similar. Each can score plenty of points but have had issues keeping opponents off the scoreboard at times. Each also has won three of four games coming into this one.

The Conquerors appear to have the easier path to the playoffs; they host 1-6 Valley Head next week, while Woodville visits 5-3, 1-3 Decatur Heritage (another team still in the playoff hunt) in the final region game.

Coosa’s offensive playmakers (quarterback Caiden Lipscomb, running back Dontavious Britton and receivers Evan Delp, Caleb Cates and Clay Waites) have proven tough to stop even for the best team’s on the schedule.

Sardis at Crossville

Sardis’ move from Class 4A to 5A hasn’t gone as well as the team would have liked, but there’s still a chance to end things on a high note going into next season.

The Lions (2-5, 1-4 Region 6) visit Crossville on Friday hoping to finish off region play with a big victory even though they can’t make the postseason.

Coach Gene Hill’s team has lost three games in a row, two of which were region games that eliminated it from the postseason. The toughest may have been to Alexandria 33-15 Oct. 5, a game the Lions led 15-13 at halftime.

Crossville is 1-6, 1-3 and has struggled mightily this season. Outside its 37-6 win over Douglas, Crossville has scored seven points or less in every game this year. Quarterbacks Trent Presley and Jay Owens, running backs Drew Vaughn and Temon Wilson and receiver Jacob Hopper also should be able to put up big numbers against a Crossville D that gives up nearly 44 points per game.

Weaver at Glencoe

Though Glencoe will not make the playoffs in 2018, it still could have a say in who does.

Specifically, the Yellow Jackets (0-7, 0-5) host Weaver on Friday night in Class 3A, Region 6 action. The Bearcats are in a battle for the final playoff spot out of the region with Walter Wellborn and Pleasant Valley. All three teams are 2-3 in region games; Weaver is 4-3 overall.

What Glencoe can do is play the role of spoiler. Knocking off a region rival and keeping it from the playoffs would be a nice capper to what hasn’t been an ideal year.

Coach Brian Alred, a Glencoe alum, continues to try and get his team to play more consistently, as the first-year coach has seen the Jackets play well for stretches, but then the team’s youth and inexperience will show, which is part of a young team and program still building.