Lions to face St. Clair County in region showdown

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The Briarwood Christian School football team will host St. Clair County on Friday night in a Class 5A, Region 5 showdown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Lions Pride Stadium.

Briarwood (5-0, 3-0 in region) enters the game following a 25-17 win over Mortimer Jordan last Friday. Quarterback Michael Heirs led the Lions offense. He connected on touchdown tosses of 25 and 38 yards to JR Tran-Reno and Carson Eddy, and finished the game 14-of-18 for 215 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown.

“He realizes that he doesn’t have to be a robot out there,” said Briarwood head coach Fred Yancey. “He can really ad-lib out there. Sometimes he gets caught but a lot of times he doesn’t, and makes big plays.”

Lions defensive back Cade Dickinson recorded two interceptions in the game, including one in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Dickinson’s late pick secured Briarwood’s victory over a Mortimer Jordan team that battled continuously despite facing a 15-point, second-half deficit.

"(That game) was a lot of fun to play,” said Briarwood head coach Fred Yancey. “The kids enjoy good competition, and Mortimer Jordan came out and gave us all we could deal with.”

St. Clair County (4-1, 3-0 in region) enters Friday’s game after suffering it first loss of the season. Last week, the Saints fell to Saks, 30-20.

Nevertheless, the team has experienced an immediate turnaround under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Glover, who coached previously at Pinson Valley. The team’s four wins have already surpassed the total achieved in each of the last three seasons. St. Clair County went 3-7 from 2014-16. This year, it has beaten Lincoln, Shelby County, Pleasant Grove and Woodlawn.

Briarwood took last year’s meeting with ease, winning 44-6. Friday’s contest should be more competitive given the Saints’ fast start. The Lions lead the all-time series, 6-2.

- Kyle Parmley contributed to this report.