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Photo by Zach Irvine.
Spain Park’s Joe Cross (19) during a game between Spain Park and James Clemens in September 2024 at Madison City Schools Stadium.
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Photos by Todd Lester.
Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) runs the football during a game between Leeds and Briarwood in September 2024 at Lions Pride Stadium.
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Photos by Todd Lester.
Oak Mountain K Josh Renfro (96) hits the game-winning field goal during a game between Chelsea and Oak Mountain in November 2024 at Heardmont Park.
September launches region play for local high school football teams across the 280 corridor. Briarwood, Chelsea, Oak Mountain and Spain Park get region play started after two non-region tune-ups in August.
Briarwood
Photos by Todd Lester.
Briarwood RB Eli Thompson (19) runs the football during a game between Leeds and Briarwood in September 2024 at Lions Pride Stadium.
Sept. 12 vs. Carver-Birmingham: The Lions return home to host Carver-Birmingham in a region matchup. Carver beat the Lions 20-7 last fall, the first time the Rams had beaten Briarwood. That win helped propel Carver to its first playoff berth since 2017 and just its second in the last 21 years.
Sept. 19 at Wenonah: Briarwood then hits the road to take on Wenonah. Briarwood let one slip away in a 20-14 loss last season, marking the Lions’ fifth straight loss to start the year. Wenonah got back to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2017 and Nicholas Howard has gotten the Dragons back to contention in 5A.
Sept. 26 at Leeds: Briarwood steps out of region play to close the month with a trip to Leeds to face Jerry Hood’s squad. Leeds has made the playoffs five straight years and reached the semifinals a year ago, although the Lions did earn their first win of the season against the Green Wave.
Chelsea
Sept. 5 vs. Pelham: Chelsea begins the Class 6A, Region 3 slate with a home game against county rival Pelham. The Hornets notched a thrilling 36-33 victory over the Panthers a season ago. Pelham still leads the series 11-6, but the Hornets snapped a two-game skid with last year’s win.
Sept. 12 – Open: Chelsea’s open date comes a little early in the season, setting up seven games in seven weeks.
Sept. 19 at Calera: Chelsea then heads to Calera to take on another region foe. The Hornets had no trouble dispatching Calera 56-28 last season. It was Chelsea’s second straight win over the Eagles, but Calera leads the series 22-14-1, which dates back to 1966.
Sept. 26 vs. Paul Bryant: Chelsea wraps up the month with a non-region home game against Paul Bryant. The Hornets blew past the Stampede 49-12 last fall in the first meeting between the programs.
Oak Mountain
Photos by Todd Lester.
Oak Mountain K Josh Renfro (96) hits the game-winning field goal during a game between Chelsea and Oak Mountain in November 2024 at Heardmont Park.
Sept. 5 at Prattville: Oak Mountain opens the Class 7A, Region 3 slate with a trip to Prattville, a program with new coach Bobby Carr aiming to return the Lions to prominence in the state. Oak Mountain was close last fall, losing 35-28. Prattville has won two of the three meetings.
Sept. 12 vs. Thompson: The Eagles return home to host Thompson. The matchup heavily favors the Warriors, but the Eagles hope to make it more competitive than last season’s 42-7 defeat. Thompson has won nine straight over Oak Mountain.
Sept. 19 at Tuscaloosa County: Oak Mountain then travels to Northport to take on Tuscaloosa County, the team the Eagles knocked off for their lone region win a season ago. Oak Mountain earned a 49-35 win, after consecutive seasons of heartbreaking losses to the Wildcats.
Sept. 26 – Open: The Eagles take their open date at the midway point of the season, setting up four straight region games and a non-region contest in the month of October.
Spain Park
Sept. 5 – Open: Spain Park has an early open date, bridging the gap between two non-region contests and the start of the Class 6A, Region 3 schedule.
Sept. 12 vs. Helena: Spain Park’s first region game is a home matchup against perennial contender Helena. Spain Park held on to beat Helena 28-26 last fall, before winning its final seven regular season games by double digits. Helena has been a playoff team in five of the last six years.
Sept. 19 at Benjamin Russell: The Jags head to Alexander City to take on a Benjamin Russell program under new leadership, as state champion coach Kirk Johnson takes the reins this year. Benjamin Russell has had success in recent years — making the playoffs the last three seasons — and boasts one of the nation’s top recruits, receiver Cederian Morgan.
Sept. 26 vs. James Clemens: Spain Park wraps up the month by welcoming 7A foe James Clemens for a non-region contest. James Clemens is one of three 7A teams the Jags will take on during the regular season. Last fall, the Jags earned an impressive 34-24 road win. James Clemens has a new coach this year in former Hewitt-Trussville offensive coordinator Juan Johnson.
