Friday means gameday for the Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park high school football teams.
Under the Lights and 280 Living has you covered from the gridiron. Briarwood, Oak Mountain and Spain Park are on the road, while Chelsea is at home, as all four teams return to region play this week.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. for each of the games.
Here's what you need to know:
Briarwood (1-5) at Corner (5-0)
- Date: Friday, Oct. 4
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Corner High School
Last week: Briarwood beat Leeds 31-14; Corner beat Jacksonville 35-28.
What to watch: Briarwood is fresh off its first win of the year with some newfound momentum. The Lions will need every bit of that as they hit the road to face an unbeaten Corner squad with its playoff hopes on the line. Having a healthy Luke Reynolds back is a big deal, but a young Lions team as a whole is gaining experience and confidence with each passing game. An upset is not out of the question in this Class 5A, Region 5 matchup.
Last meeting: Briarwood beat Corner 40-15 on Oct. 29, 2021. Corner has won just once in nine previous meetings all time.
Next week: Briarwood heads back home to face John Carroll; Corner plays at Hayden.
Chelsea (5-0) vs. Chilton County (2-4)
- Date: Friday, Oct. 4
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Chelsea High School
Last week: Chelsea blew past Paul Bryant 49-12; Chilton County got past Brookwood 39-7.
What to watch: Chelsea is flying high so far this year, especially having won its last two games in much less dramatic fashion than the previous two. The Hornets are off to their best start since 2015 and have not been 6-0 since 2005. If the Hornets can avoid looking ahead to a showdown with Spain Park next week, they should be able to notch a win.
Last meeting: Chelsea knocked off Chilton County 25-13 on Oct. 20, 2017. Chelsea has won three straight meetings and leads the series 8-6.
Next week: Chelsea heads to Spain Park in a big region game; Chilton County travels to Calera.
Oak Mountain (3-2) at Hoover (4-2)
- Date: Friday, Oct. 4
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Hoover Met
Last week: Oak Mountain took an open date; Hoover fell to Parker 14-10.
What to watch: Hoover will look to bounce back from last week’s tough loss to Parker. Make no mistake, Parker is one of the best teams in the state and looked as such, as the Thundering Herd held Hoover to no offensive touchdowns and fewer than 100 total yards of offense. The Bucs will look to get back on track against an Oak Mountain team that has been much better this year than in recent years. Oak Mountain is certainly the underdog heading into this game, but will look to compete well against the upper echelon of Region 3.
Last meeting: Hoover blew out Oak Mountain 62-14 on Oct. 6, 2023. This series has been as one-sided as it gets, as Hoover has won all 22 meetings in the series.
Next week: Hoover travels to Tuscaloosa County; Oak Mountain hosts Vestavia Hills.
Spain Park (5-0) at Pelham (1-4)
- Date: Friday, Oct. 4
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Ned Bearden Stadium – Pelham High
Last week: Spain Park knocked off James Clemens 34-24; Pelham took its open date.
What to watch: Spain Park has now beaten three Class 7A teams in its first year as a 6A program again. The Jags rallied from a two-touchdown deficit last week to beat 7A James Clemens. Pelham dropped its first four games, but got in the win column for the first time two weeks ago in region play. The Jags are the heavy favorite in this one and should be able to improve to 6-0 on the year.
Last meeting: Spain Park shut out Pelham 39-0 on Nov. 2, 2023. Spain Park holds a 9-5 edge in the series.
Next week: Spain Park hosts Chelsea on Thursday; Pelham travels to Helena.
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