Local teams wrap up regular season in October

High school football enters the home stretch in October. The month is essentially the second half of the regular season.

Region play finishes up, which means each team has the opportunity to make one final push to make the playoffs or secure more favorable postseason seeding. The games have added pressure for the teams on the fringe of those playoffs.

It is the month in which teams show their true identity.

Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park all hope to be playing meaningful games in the month of October. Briarwood and Oak Mountain were playoff teams a year ago, while Chelsea and Spain Park were left on the outside looking in.

Briarwood plays its final three Class 6A, Region 5, games to begin the month before capping off the regular season with a non-region opponent. On Oct. 1, the Lions host Shades Valley, a team playing in its first season under new head coach Rueben Nelson. Last fall, Briarwood took care of the Mounties 42-19 in the first ever meeting between the two programs.

The following Thursday, the Lions head to Mountain Brook for a game that could potentially decide the region title. After all, it did last year and both teams are expected to be right back in that position once again this fall.

In the teams’ 2020 meeting, Mountain Brook got past Briarwood 17-7 thanks to a bruising running attack that piled up 263 rushing yards. The Spartans offense is more balanced this season, but the overall physicality of the game should be in the same stratosphere.

Briarwood takes its open week the following week before wrapping up region play at home against Homewood on Oct. 22. Last fall, the Lions got past Homewood 28-6 thanks to a huge game from Luke Reebals, who racked up over 250 all-purpose yards. That win snapped a four-game winning streak in the series for Homewood. The Patriots hold a 10-5 edge all time.

The Lions conclude the regular season Oct. 29 at Corner, a program the Lions have had great success against. Briarwood capped off the regular season with a 42-7 win over the Yellow Jackets last fall and has won seven of the eight previous meetings between the schools.

Chelsea plays four straight Class 6A, Region 5 games to begin the month. On Oct. 1, the Hornets will travel to Lawson Field to take on Woodlawn. They had no problem with Woodlawn a year ago, as they ran to a 56-0 victory in the first meeting ever between the two schools.

The following Friday, the Hornets head to Huffman to take on the Vikings. This matchup was a thriller last fall, as Chelsea outlasted Huffman 35-34 in overtime. Adam Reaves scored all five Hornets touchdowns that night and scored the two-point conversion that allowed his team to tie the game near the end of regulation.

After Reaves’ final score of the night, this one in overtime, Huffman scored a matching touchdown. But the Vikings went for two and were stopped, giving Chelsea the win. That was the first time the schools have met on the field as well.

Chelsea hosts Shades Valley on Oct. 15 and look to avenge a disappointing defeat from a season ago. The Hornets turned the ball over four times in the first quarter and lost 35-12 in the maiden contest between the two schools.

The Hornets also played Mountain Brook for the first time last fall and conclude region play Oct. 22 this season against the Spartans. Chelsea actually took a 21-14 lead over Mountain Brook — which went on to the 6A semifinals — in the second quarter before ultimately falling 35-21.

Chelsea wraps up the regular season Oct. 29 at Calera. Last year, the Hornets were able to cap off their season with a 31-14 victory over the Eagles. Chelsea has owned the series in recent years, winning nine of the last 10 over Calera.

Oak Mountain also takes on four region foes before capping off the season. The Eagles’ road is not easy in Class 7A, Region 3, but they were able to navigate it to a playoff berth last year and hope to do so again this fall in head coach Tyler Crane’s first season.

On Oct. 1, Oak Mountain heads to Spain Park to take on a Jaguars team that the Eagles handled 48-17 last fall. Star quarterback Evan Smith was one of two Oak Mountain rushers to go over 100 yards in the contest, and the win was the first one for Oak Mountain over Spain Park since 2014. Spain Park holds a 14-5 edge in the series.

The following week, the Eagles host Tuscaloosa County, a program that has struggled in recent years but is trending upward under first-year coach Adam Winegarden. Oak Mountain won 42-21 going away, as Smith ran for 226 yards and four touchdowns. The teams have faced off each of the last seven years, with Oak Mountain winning five of them.

Oak Mountain heads to Thompson on Oct. 15. The Eagles fell to Thompson 49-21 and have not knocked off the Warriors since a last-second pass lifted them in 2016. The Eagles cap off the region slate Oct. 22 at home against Hewitt-Trussville. Their matchup with the Huskies has produced plenty of offensive fireworks in recent years, but Hewitt has come out on top each of the last five times. Last fall, Hewitt took down Oak Mountain 51-21.

The Eagles finish the regular season against Clay-Chalkville on Oct. 28. They lost a tight battle to the Cougars last fall 21-14.

Spain Park’s schedule features the game against Oak Mountain to begin the month, along with three more region contests and a non-region game to finish things off.

Spain Park hosts Hoover on Oct. 8 for the annual city rivalry game. Despite being in the midst of what turned out to be a six-game losing streak, Spain Park showed up in this contest last year and gave Hoover a tough game. Hoover outlasted Spain Park 47-34 in a high-scoring affair that featured over 1,000 total yards of offense.

On Oct. 15, Spain Park travels to Vestavia Hills for a critical region matchup. Vestavia Hills has won the last three games in the series after a run of four wins for the Jags.

Spain Park wraps up region play at home against Tuscaloosa County on Oct. 22 and hosts Hueytown on Oct. 28 to finish the regular season. The Jags knocked off both of these teams in one-point thrillers to complete the 2020 season with consecutive wins. The Jags trailed County 20-0 at halftime last year before rallying to win 35-34. Spain Park trailed Hueytown by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter before rallying again, winning 63-62.