Coalfield vs Sunbright Preview

By Greg Addington

Coalfield charges into week four of the high school football season by hosting Sunbright on Rochelle Field, extending what is the longest continuous rivalry in the annals of Coalfield School football history.  Both teams have met on the field of play since at least 1945 and potentially back to 1942, Sunbright’s first year of football.  Coalfield and Sunbright met in what was the Tiger’s first ever game on September 25, 1942 with Sunbright emerging with a 6-2 victory.  The series has heavily tilted in favor of CHS in the time since then with Coalfield looking for victory 63 in the series on Friday night.

Sunbright ran into a buzzsaw last week, falling to Greenback 57-0 on Tiger Field with the Cherokees causing four Tiger turnovers and running for 192 yards as a team.  It was the first loss of the season for Sunbright, who enjoyed a 53-24 victory over Cosby at home during week one.  Senior Houston Bryant will be the one to watch for the visitors on Friday night.  Bryant ran for 128 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries against Cosby in week one and caught four passes for 135 yards and two more through the air.  Keeping Bryant in check will be a top priority for Matt Jones’ defense.

The Yellow Jackets defeated Harriman in a shootout on Wallace-Black Field, 62-18.  Cole Hines threw for four touchdowns on the night, two to Eli Roberts, and one each to Landon Galyon and Rommel Conlon.  Landon Lowe and Eli Justice each ran for a score, Landon Galyon returned a Harriman pass 52-yards for a score and Brock Jones returned a kickoff 73 yards to account for the scoring in the game.

Coalfield defeated Sunbright a year ago on Tiger Field in a 50-28 shootout and Coach Benson Napier would love nothing more than a victory with a little more breathing room in 2021.  The Jackets host Sunbright for Homecoming 2021 on Rochelle Field this Friday night with kickoff scheduled for 7:30pm.