Under the Lights football gameday.
Friday means gameday for the Briarwood, Chelsea and Spain Park high school football teams.
Under the Lights has you covered all season long from Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain, Spain Park and the other seven high school football teams across the coverage area.
Oak Mountain played at Vestavia Hills on Thursday evening. Briarwood heads to John Carroll for the Under the Lights Game of the Week on Friday, while Spain Park plays at Chelsea. Kickoff for both games is set for 7 p.m. This link will take you to the preview of all the local games this week.
The award-winning Under the Lights podcast is back for another season, as sports editor Kyle Parmley breaks it all down each and every week. This link will take you to the podcast channel.
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Game of the Week
Briarwood (3-4) at John Carroll (2-5)
- Class 5A, Region 5
- Date: Friday, Oct. 10
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Pat Sullivan Field
Last week: Briarwood fell to Corner 42-27; John Carroll lost to Wenonah 33-14.
What to watch: Both of these teams suffered disappointing fates in region play last week and are looking to right the ship. Briarwood is fresh off two straight losses after an inspiring three-game winning streak. The Lions have shown flashes of brilliance each of the last two weeks, but have committed too many mistakes that have cost them. John Carroll is looking to get its offense back on track. The Cavs’ defense scored twice in last week’s loss and is hoping to build on that big-play ability. A Briarwood win would all but assure the Lions a playoff berth at this point.
Last meeting: Briarwood held off John Carroll 21-17 on Oct. 11, 2024. Briarwood has won 12 of the 15 all-time meetings.
Next week: Briarwood takes its open date, while John Carroll travels to Corner.
Spain Park (4-2) at Chelsea (5-1)
- Class 6A, Region 3
- Date: Friday, Oct. 10
- Time: 7 p.m.
- Location: Chelsea High School
Last week: Spain Park blew out Pelham 42-7; Chelsea shut out Chilton County 30-0.
What to watch: This game was the start of a Chelsea slide to end last season, and the Hornets hope history does not repeat itself this time around. The winner of this game will be in a great spot when it comes to securing a playoff berth, while the loser will still have some work to do in the final few weeks of the regular season. Spain Park is prolific in the passing game with quarterback Brock Bradley leading the charge. Meanwhile, Chelsea runs the ball at an elite level with Chase Malone, Morgan Barnes and Adam Wheeler all garnering significant carries each week. It will be interesting to see which strength prevails.
Last meeting: Spain Park beat Chelsea 31-3 on Oct. 10, 2024. Spain Park has won all five previous meetings between the teams.
Next week: Spain Park travels to Calera, while Chelsea heads to Helena.