Here are five games to watch in the Birmingham area this week. Below is the full schedule.
MINOR (2-0) AT MOUNTAIN BROOK (2-0)
Mountain Brook’s Jack King drives past James Clemens during the James Clemens at Mountain Brook High School football game in Mountain Brook, Ala., on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)vasha hunting
Time/place: Thursday, 7 p.m., Spartan Stadium, Mountain Brook
In the past week: Second-ranked Class 6A Mountain Brook beat James Clemens 42-21, while Minor beat Paul Bryant 37-8.
The thin one: Mountain Brook leads the series 3-1 with the last game in 2007, a 31-7 Mountain Brook victory. He is the Class 6A, Region 5 starter.
Junior quarterback Kareem Keye is 49 of 72 passing for 713 yards and 10 TDs with 71 rushing yards on 12 carries. The WR corps is deep: Dylan Foresight with 8 catches for 181 yards and 2 TDs, Tylan Amerson with 9 catches for 127 yards and 2 TDs, and Darrian Jackson with 8 catches for 88 yards and 2 TDs. RB Malachi Threatt has 9 catches for 85 yards and a TD along with 4 rushes for 42 yards. DB Kelton Owens leads the defense with 16 tackles and an interception, while DL Daylon Parks has 10 tackles with 1 TFL, LB Ashton Morgan has 12 tackles and LB Davion Lake has 11 tackles.
Mountain Brook QB John Colvin threw for 155 yards and a TD and rushed for scores last week, while Jackson Beatty caught 4 passes for 63 yards and Clark Sanderson added 3 receptions for 81 yards and rushed a TD punt. Davis Peterson, Mac Smith and William Courtenay are the strength of OL. RB Jack King rushed for 111 yards last week while Cole Gamble had 63 yards and Will Waldrop added 29. The defense is solid with LBs Trent Wright and Vaughn Frost along with DB Braxton Dean.
HOMEWOOD (1-1) AT HELENA (2-0)
Helena’s Jordan Washington (34) carries the ball against Chelsea during the AHSAA kickoff game at the Crampon Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, Aug. 18, 2022. (Marvin Gentry | [email protected])
Time/place: Friday, 7 p.m., Husky Stadium, Helena
In the past week: Homewood fell to Class 7A Vestavia Hills 35-0 and Helena beat Buckhorn 55-17.
The thin one: The series is tied at two games apiece and Helena won last year’s game 28-24. She is the Class 6A, Region 3 starter.
Helena RB Jordan Washington rushed for 3 TDs, all in the first half against Buckhorn, gaining 115 yards on 11 carries. WR Hunter Hale caught 2 passes for 75 yards, including a 71-yard TD pass from QB Dalton Lewellyn, who went 6-of-8 for the score and added 82 yards and a TD on 3 carries. RB AJ Horstead added 11 carries for 82 yards and a TD. Front 7 is key with LBs Nathan Thomason and Mason Johnson along with DL Derrick Wilson and Xavier Guy.
Homewood’s offense managed just 225 yards of offense against Vestavia Hills while the defense gave up 455 yards. QB Woods Ray is 21 of 34 passing for 208 yards and a TD this season, while WR Jackson Parris has been the top target with 7 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. RB Calyb Colbert has 14 carries for 101 yards and 2 TDs. OLB Adam Parker leads the team with 13 tackles, while CB Parker Sansing and S Clay Burdeshaw each have 9 tackles.
JACKSON-OLIN (1-1) AT PARKER (2-0)
Parker’s Khalifa Keith celebrates a touchdown during the Ramsay at Parker high school football game in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)vasha hunting
Time/place: Friday, 7pm, Major Brown Memorial Stadium, Birmingham
In the past week: Jackson-Olin lost 39-6 to Hartselle while Parker beat Ramsay 34-18.
The thin one: Parker leads the all-time series 27-18, but Jackson-Olin won the last meeting 40-7 in 2019. It’s the first Class 6A, Region 5 matchup.
Versatile Kendrid Jones plays RB and WR on offense, he also plays DB on defense, he leads the offense that has scored just 20 points this season. Bacari Kennedy is the only senior in a very young OL. Wide receivers Tykee Thomas and Dejuan Taylor are dangerous. On defense, LB Eric Muse has great ability (offers from Auburn, Oregon and more) while DL Nick Barnes and Tyquairus Perry are also strong. Jabari Poellnitz heads the back row in DB.
Parker RB and Kentucky compromise Khalifa Keith has been mostly unstoppable with 424 yards (212 yards per game average) and 7 touchdowns this season behind a Xavier Richardson-led OL. QB Malik Muhammad is 15 of 32 passing for 205 yards with 15 carries for another 80 yards and a TD with WR Carl Pitts catching 8 passes for 105 yards. The defense has given up just 30 points thus far with a strong Front 7 led by DL Jeremiah Beaman with 11 tackles and 3 sacks and Jourdin Crawford with 2 sacks. DBs Jeremiah Struggs (2 INT), Naeem Offord and Timothy Merritt provide strong coverage and run support.
OAK MOUNTAIN (2-0) AT HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE (1-1)
Hewitt-Trussville’s Peyton Floyd passes the ball during warmups before an AHSAA soccer game against Central-Phenix City on Friday, August 19, 2022 in Phenix City, Alabama. (Julie Bennett for AL.com)Julie Bennett for AL.com
Time/place: Friday, 7 p.m., Hewitt-Trussville Stadium
In the past week: Oak Mountain beat Pelham 21-17 and sixth-ranked Class 7A Hewitt-Trussville defeated Gadsden City 64-17.
The thin one: Hewitt-Trussville leads the series 7-3 on a six-game winning streak and beat Oak Mountain 28-7 last season. He is the Class 7A, Region 3 starter.
Oak Mountain RB Trey Vassell has been the offensive workhorse, rushing for 226 yards and 3 TDs on 48 carries this season, while RB Daveon Foster has 81 yards and 2 TDs on 21 carries. Quarterback Will O’Dell is 10-for-20 in two games for 185 yards and a TD with wide receivers Jackson Blackwell and Sawyer Smith as primary targets. Front 7 is robust with LBs Garrett Murphy and Jacob Porco, and DL Emmanuel Waller. Devan Moss heads up the defensive backfield.
Hewitt-Trussville’s 64 points last week were the most since a 65-28 win over Callaway, Mississippi to open the 2017 season. QB Peyton Floyd threw for 3 TDs (20-of-28 for 289 yards) and rushed for 2 touchdowns while RB Jaqson Melton had 9 rushes for 105 yards and 2 receptions for 30 yards. WR Donovan Price caught 4 passes for 88 yards and Jadon Loving had 4 receptions for 66 yards. The defense is led by a strong front 7 with DL Hunter Osborne, Tyrell Averhart and Connor Knight along with LB Hunter Jones and Braylon Chatman. The key DBs are the Tennessee Compromise, Rickey Gibson and Riggs Dunn.
THOMPSON (0-2) AT VESTAVIA HILLS (1-1)
Thompson’s Peter Woods reaches for Lipscomb Academy quarterback Hank Brown during a game at Thompson High School’s Warrior Stadium in Alabaster, Alabama, on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. (Dennis Victory | preps@al. com)
Time/place: Friday, 7 p.m., Buddy Anderson Field at Reynold Stadium, Vestavia Hills
In the past week: Third-ranked Class 7A Thompson lost 24-14 to Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.), while Vestavia Hills beat Homewood 35-0.
The thin one: Vestavia Hills leads the series 14-12, but Thompson has won six in a row, including 49-7 last season. He is the Class 7A, Region 3 starter.
It’s the first time Thompson has started the season 0-2 since 2014 (0-10 record), though both losses came to top teams in Georgia and Tennessee, and the first two-game losing streak since 2016, the second year of the coach Mark Freeman at the school. The defense has been solid with a front 7 led by DL Clemson, Peter Woods and LBs Seth Hampton and Jake Ivie. The defensive backfield also has Alabama stars like Tony Mitchell and Anquon Fegans. Offensive errors have proven costly in both losses with 3 INT returns for TDs (a 100-yard fumble return TD and INTs for a TD against Lipscomb). The talent is there with QB Zach Sims, RB AJ Green and receivers Korbyn Williams and Deuce Oliver.
Vestavia Hills totaled 455 yards of balanced offense against Homewood (222 passes, 233 runs) with QB John Paul Head accounting for 5 TDs (3 passes, 2 runs) and 290 yards of total offense. RB William Tonsmeire rushed for 62 yards and Jack Lockhart added 59 rushing yards while WR Jaden Daniels caught 2 passes for 88 yards, both touchdowns, and Keown Richardson added 3 receptions for 33 yards and a TD. LB Houston Owen led the defensive shutout last week with 10 tackles, while Gaines Johnson added 8 tackles and an interception.
BIRMINGHAM AREA TIMETABLE
(All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
THURSDAY
Center point in Huffman
Minor in Mountain Brook
FRIDAY
Autauga Academy at Bessemer Academy
Banks Academy at Patrician
Bessemer City at McAdory
Brookwood at Hueytown
Calera in Benjamin Russell
Carver at Hayden
Chilton County at Briarwood Christian
Coosa Valley in Lowndes
Corner in Hamilton
Fairfield in John Carroll
Hale County in Montevallo
Holtville in Shelby County
Homewood in Helena
Jackson-Olin at Parker
jasper at ramsay
Midfield at Oakman
Mortimer Jordan in Gardendale
Oak Grove on the north side
Oak Mountain in Hewitt-Trussville
City of Pell in Clay-Chalkville
Valley of Shadows in Oxford
Spain Park in Hoover
Springville at Leeds
Tarrant in Fayette County
Thompson at Vestavia Hills
Tuscaloosa County in Chelsea
Vincent in Central-Coosa
Wenonah in Pleasant Grove
