My My, what a difference a year makes!

It is interesting how a team can have a great year one year and then the next year have a bad year. Usually you can chalk it up to graduation, injuries, coaching turmoil, etc. What is hard to understand is how a team can go from being one of the most talented in the state one year, to perhaps not even winning a game the next year. West Morgan appears to be such a team this year and it is hard to figure! This is a school that has put some talented teams on the field over the last several years and, last year, had one of the most talented in the state. The current head coach has never had a losing season at West Morgan. Since his first season in 2002 he has had 3 seasons of 10+ wins, including last year. I know WM graduated some studs from last year, but everyone? To date they have scored 37 total points while giving up 109 in compiling a 0-4 record. The first loss to East Limestone is understandable but the other 3, playing in an average at best region, is not. What in the world is going on in Trinity?

Had a chance to see an undefeated Holtville put their record on the line last Friday and get beat by Alabama Christian. First look at the "Spin" offense. Holtville has some decent players but can't win when you turn the ball over 5 times. Interesting place, Deatsville Alabama, and fun trip even though we had to battle the rain and thunder storms that delayed the start. Good concessions stand though!!

What about Hartselle. I wrote last week that the game of the week was Hartselle vs. Russellville. Now, if the tigers can take care of Athens, then the region will be theirs, but remember, Athens can pose problems for any team. If Athens beats Hartselle and loses to Russellville then there could be a 3-way time. Then the 3 out of regions opponents come into play. This could be trouble for Russellville since you count the number of wins of your defeated opponents, in class or above. Russellville has played down in classification for their 2 out of region opponents in 4a Deshler and 3a Colbert County. No matter how good these teams do, they can't count their wins in a tie breaker. So, don't lose sight of this week's, out of region games, as they could play a role on who gets 1st in the region.

Now, on to this week! Several interesting games: St. Paul at Russellville, Athens traveling to Brooks and Decatur at Bob Jones seem to be the 3 most intriguing match ups. I think I am headed to Decatur/ BJ game since it is the battle of 2 undefeated and is a region game. As impressed as I have been with BJ, Decatur could be a stumbling block if BJ is not ready. Since this region has 8 teams, this game is a region game for BJ and Decatur. Both teams are undefeated and showing stout defenses but BJ's offensive production has been more impressive to date. Could this be an upset?  I say it will be an upset if Decatur wins but I'm not ready to believe that will happen.

Catch a game this week and send me your thoughts!!