Pigskin Preview – October 19

Week 10 of the 2018 season brings us down to the nitty-gritty, with some big-time matchups that have playoff implications.

Coalfield vs Oliver Springs

By Greg Addington

On Friday night, Rochelle Field will host the high stakes showdown as Coalfield hosts rival Oliver Springs with a home playoff game hanging in the balance.  The latest chapter in a rivalry born in 1931 will go a long way toward determining the second seed in the 2018 playoffs.  A Coalfield win would clinch a home playoff opening game for the third straight season while the Bobcats are gunning for their first playoff opener at home since 2011.

Both teams had bye weeks last week, Coalfield’s was scheduled while Oliver Springs’ bye was due to the unfortunate circumstances with Oakdale’s injury situation bringing their season to a close prematurely.  Two weeks ago Coalfield fell to rival Greenback 49-0 down at Cooper Field. Seth Lowe led the Jackets on the offensive side of the ball running for 78 yards on ten carries.  Anthony Foster led the defensive charge for CHS with 14 tackles, eight being solo.

Oliver Springs defeated Sunbright two weeks ago on DJ Brittan Field 55-0.  The Bobcats as a team rushed for 332 yards on 20 carries and six different players reached the end zone in the game against the Tigers.  Oliver Springs is led by the rushing of junior Trey Boswell and senior Mason Hill.  Junior quarterback Blake Crass is a dual-threat quarterback who is just as comfortable running the ball as he is throwing.  Hill is also a threat catching passes out of the backfield and wide receiver Bailey Russell is a capable deep threat in Coach Larry Green’s offense.

Coalfield can land the second seed in the region with a win, while Oliver Springs must beat Coalfield this week and Midway next week in order to claim the second seed.  This much anticipated battle plays out Friday night on Rochelle Field with the Yellow Jacket seniors being honored during pregame and the game itself kicking off at 7:30.

Sunbright at Lookout Valley

By Terry Futrell

Coming off a tough road game loss at Midway, the 1-6 Sunbright Tigers travel to 4-3 Lookout Valley this week for a non-region contest.

While the Tigers have had some big plays on offense throughout the season, they have had difficulty sustaining long drives and have averaged only eight points per game thus far. On the defensive side, Sunbright has had difficulty stopping the many big-play offenses that seem to currently abound in Region 2. This past week, Midway chalked up 190 yards rushing and 136 yards passing against the Tigers. The Tigers produced only 110 yards total offense against Midway.

Lookout Valley has lost to only two Class A opponents, Huntland and Whitwell – Whitwell is currently 8-0 and ranked No. 4 in the state. In their victory over Oakdale two weeks ago on a historic night when all four Morgan County teams went scoreless, the Yellowjackets had 413 yards total offense, 387 of those gained by running the ball. Lookout Valley is big and physical and will certainly test the strength of the Tigers’ defensive line.

Game time is at 7:30 PM at Lookout Valley.

Wartburg vs Sale Creek

By Terry Futrell

The Class 2A Wartburg Central Bulldogs (3-5) host the 1A Sale Creek Panthers (2-5) this Friday in a non-region contest. The game provides the Bulldogs an excellent opportunity to rack up their fourth win of the season – a feat not accomplished since 2012.

Wartburg’s big-play offense had a tough time against Rockwood last week, primarily because they had little time on the field. The Bulldog offense was only able to run 25 plays, compared to the Tigers 48 plays. Rockwood controlled the ball throughout the game by staying on the ground, racking up 459 yards rushing and 494 yards total offense in the process. During their limited time on the field, the Bulldog offense gained 216 yards total offense.

Sale Creek’s offense has not been productive this season, racking up 56 of their 77 points against two opponents that have only two victories total. In the other five games played by the Panthers, they have only averaged four points per game. The Panthers defense has given up an average of 33 points per game.

The Bulldog defense should certainly be able to hold their own against Sale Creek, providing Wartburg’s offense the opportunity to do what they do best – deploy a balanced attack with several big plays that will sustain drives and put points on the board.

Game time is at 7:30 PM at Wartburg.