PREP FOOTBALL: County rivalries wrap up regular season Friday night

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Left to right: Fairview running back Tyvn Ellis (20) (Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune) Holly Pond quarterback Kyler Chaney (15) (Howard Cole for The Cullman Tribune)

The 2019 prep football regular season is coming to an end and we have several county rivalry matchups to pay attention to before the postseason arrives next week. The West Point Warriors will travel to take on Cordova, Hanceville will host Good Hope, Vinemont will travel to Cold Springs and Holly Pond will host Fairview to close out the regular season.

(4-5) West Point (5A Region 7) at (4-5) Cordova (4A Region 5)

The Warriors fell out of the postseason race after losing to Corner a couple weeks ago but will get another opportunity to finish the season with a win on the road Friday night. West Point will travel to take on Cordova in its final regular season matchup and the Blue Devils are in the midst of a four-game winning streak.

Last week’s win over Haleyville secured a playoff spot for Cordova and now the Warriors are coming to town to wrap up the regular season. The Blue Devils are scoring and allowing 26 points per game this season but have been clicking on offense during this recent win streak. Cordova has put up at least 35 in its last three matchups so West Point will have to be ready to put points on the board to keep pace with the Blue Devils this week.

(3-6) Hanceville (3A Region 5) vs. (7-2) Good Hope (4A Region 5)

Both the Bulldogs and Raiders are coming off tough losses headed into this local showdown and while the postseason may be out of reach, Hanceville could carry some real momentum into this offseason with an upset over Good Hope. The Raiders have won back to back games in this series and are bringing a stout defense to Ray Talley Stadium Friday night.

The Bulldogs are scoring just under 24 points per game right now and Good Hope is holding its opponents to 21 so Hanceville’s offense will have its hands full this week. The Raiders struggled offensively against Fayette County last week, so they’ll be looking to get back in a rhythm and try to tune things up against the Bulldogs before traveling to Oneonta for the first round of the AHSAA State Playoffs next week.

(2-7) Holly Pond (3A Region 5) vs. (7-2) Fairview (4A Region 7)

While only one of these teams is heading to the playoffs, both are coming off big wins and will be anxious to see one another Friday night. Fairview clinched its region title with a 55-14 win over Danville and the Broncos knocked off Vinemont on the road to pick up their second win of the season and fourth straight over the Eagles.

Holly Pond could have a little more trouble with the Aggies this week. Fairview is bringing a powerful running game that is putting up over 37 points per game this season and a defense that is allowing just 20. The Broncos on the other hand have had some struggles on the defensive side of the ball. Opponents are scoring nearly 35 points per game against Holly Pond and the Broncos will face arguably their toughest challenge yet Friday night. The Aggies won last year’s meeting 21-20 and will be going for back to back wins over their county rivals this week.

 (4-5) Cold Springs (2A Region 5) vs. (3-6) Vinemont (3A Region 5)

This game was originally scheduled for Halloween this Thursday but with inclement weather on the way, the game was moved to Friday night. Both Eagle squads are coming off losses to Sulligent and Holly Pond and will be looking to close the regular season strong this week.

Cold Springs and Vinemont have both struggled with some inconsistency issues this season and been hot and cold throughout the fall. Vinemont routed Cold Springs 34-0 in last year’s meeting so the Eagles of Cold Springs will be looking for a big win to bounce back and finish this season with a win. Both defenses are allowing nearly 30 points per game so this year’s matchup could be a high-scoring affair.

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Nick Griffin

nick@cullmantribune.com