We’re about midway through the regular season and records are beginning to take shape for local teams across the county. The Hanceville Bulldogs are gearing up to face another county rival and region foe in Vinemont, West Point is traveling to take on Russellville and Good Hope and Fairview are both hitting the road to play Oak Grove and Priceville respectively. With region play in full swing, every week has playoff implications at this point.
(1-2) Vinemont (3A Region 5) vs. (2-2) Hanceville (3A Region 5)
Both the Eagles and Bulldogs are coming off tough losses from Friday night but with a county rival and region foe on the schedule this week, they have a great chance to bounce back and regain some momentum.
Despite falling behind early against Midfield in its last game, Vinemont finished the game strong and hopes to carry that second half momentum into this week’s matchup. After shutting out JB Pennington on the road two weeks ago, Hanceville made its way to Holly Pond last week where the Broncos managed to topple the Bulldogs 36-20. The losses gave the Eagles an 0-1 start in the region and moved Hanceville to 1-1 so this week is critical for both teams if they have postseason aspirations.
Running back Dallin Dinkle has been the go-to guy for the Vinemont offense through the first few games and he’ll be facing a Bulldogs defense that gave up some big yardage to Holly Pond on the ground a week ago. However, Hanceville has been able to move the football more consistently this season and if the defense can play another great game this week, it’ll be tough for either side to create separation in this one.
(2-2) West Point (5A Region 7) at (3-0) Russellville (5A Region 7)
The Warriors put on a show for their home crowd last week when Lawrence County came to town, racking up 42 points in a convincing region victory. The win makes West Point 1-1 in the region with a lot of critical games left to come, starting this week on the road against Russellville.
The Golden Tigers are 3-0 on the season and have won their last two game over Corner and Hayden by a combined 62 points. Russellville is one of just three undefeated team remaining in the region, but the Warriors would like to change that Friday night. West Point fell in last year’s matchup 53-20 so it’ll be up to the defense to hold its ground and compete when the Warriors hit the road later this week.
(4-0) Good Hope (4A Region 5) at (1-3) Oak Grove (4A Region 5)
The Good Hope Raiders are the only undefeated team left in Cullman County and they plan on extending that win streak when they travel to Oak Grove Friday night. Good Hope is coming off a 42-27 win at Tanner last week in which the Raiders had a little trouble early but pulled away from the Rattlers as the game went on.
Oak Grove lost its first two games of the season to Walter Wellborn and Corner by a combined score of 84-7 but lost a tight matchup with Haleyville 7-0 and collected its first win of the season at Curry last week 48-20. The Tigers clearly found something against the Yellow Jackets offensively, but they’ll be facing a stout Good Hope defensive unit this week.
The Raiders are holding opponents to just under 20 points per game right now and after stomping Oak Grove 50-0 a season ago, this Good Hope roster is full of players that will be excited to try and repeat that performance this week.
(3-1) Fairview (4A Region 7) at (2-1) Priceville (4A Region 7)
Ever since falling to West Point at home in this year’s Brandin’ Iron Bowl, the Aggies have won three straight and they’ve done it with some big-time numbers offensively. Fairview has averaged just over 42 points per game since that season-opening loss including a 62-point burst at D.A.R. two weeks ago.
The Priceville Bulldogs started the season 0-1 after falling at Good Hope but have won back to back games to get to 2-1. They’ve scored 43 and 42 points in their last two outings, so things appear to be clicking into place for the Bulldogs offensively. The Aggies blasted Priceville 35-0 last year and with the offense firing on all cylinders, they’ll be aiming for a repeat performance on the road this year.
Check for previews on Cullman, Meek, Cold Springs, Holly Pond and Addison in tomorrow’s edition of The Cullman Tribune.
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