Photo by Erin Nelson.
Oak Mountain defensive back Devan Moss (8) carries the ball as Chelsea linebacker/tight end Jackson Laughlin (44) moves in to make the tackle in August 2021 at Chelsea High School.
High school football season has begun, as Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park all have optimistic outlooks on what the 2022 campaign may bring.
After a couple weeks of non-region play to open up the season, the real test begins in September with region play.
Briarwood is in Class 6A, Region 3, with many new faces on the docket. Chelsea has risen to 7A to join Oak Mountain and Spain Park in the always-tough Region 3.
Briarwood began the campaign with games against Clay-Chalkville and Spain Park before diving into region action. The Lions begin things at home Sept. 2 against Chilton County. The two teams are region foes again for the first time in nearly a decade. Briarwood has won six of the seven meetings between the two, the most recent a 22-0 win in 2013.
The Lions head to Pelham the following week, as the two foes are in the same region for the first time since 2015. Briarwood won both previous meetings. After an open date, Briarwood heads to Oak Mountain to renew a local rivalry in non-region action. The two teams last played in 2015 and have split four previous meetings.
Briarwood wraps up the month at home against Helena, as the two programs will meet for the first time.
Chelsea began the season with local out-of-region matchups against Helena and Calera before getting its first test of Region 3 play. The Hornets host Tuscaloosa County on Sept. 2 in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Chelsea then takes to the road to Oak Mountain for a game Sept. 9. Oak Mountain has kept a stranglehold on this series, winning nine of the 10 meetings.
The Hornets host Thompson on Sept. 16, knowing they will have their hands full against the three-time defending state champions. Chelsea then takes a break from region play to host county rival Pelham on Sept. 23. The Hornets earned a 31-28 win last fall, but Pelham holds a 9-5 edge in the series.
Chelsea wraps up the month at Vestavia Hills in the first meeting between the two programs.
Oak Mountain begins the month with a trip to Hewitt-Trussville, a team the Eagles have not fared well against in recent years. Hewitt has won the last six meetings, including a 28-7 win last fall.
After hosting Chelsea on Sept. 9, the Eagles head to Tuscaloosa County the following Friday. Oak Mountain has earned convincing wins each of the last three years against the Wildcats, including a 47-3 thrashing last year.
The Eagles wrap up the month with back-to-back home games, a non-region game against Briarwood followed by a visit from Hoover. The Eagles have given Hoover a scare each of the last two seasons but have yet to beat the Bucs in 20 contests.
Spain Park takes on its biggest rival, Hoover, to begin the month. Hoover has gotten the better of Spain Park each of the last six years, after the Jags knocked off their rivals twice in 2015 en route to the state championship game. Last fall, the Bucs stormed away to a 52-10 win.
Spain Park then takes to the road to meet three-time defending state champion Thompson on Sept. 9. The Jags host Vestavia Hills on Sept. 16. The last four meetings have gone the way of Vestavia, with the last three seasons featuring blowout losses.
Spain Park takes its open date before rounding out the month at home against Tuscaloosa County on Sept. 30. The Jags rounded out the region slate in convincing fashion last fall with a 35-7 win over the Wildcats, and Spain Park holds an 8-2 edge in the series.
