Photo by Ron Burkett.
Jerry Hood scheduled a tough road for his team, knowing they will be “battle-tested” come playoff time.
The Clay-Chalkville football team is on a quest to reach the Class 6A state championship for a third consecutive season. One of its first hurdles is the beginning of Region 6 play Sept. 2.
The Cougars have won their region on the field each of the last five years and host Walker to start things off. The two teams have not met since 1999 and split the only two games they have played against each other.
On Sept. 9, the Cougars renew their rivalry with Pinson Valley, always a formidable opponent and one that usually puts forth its best effort against Clay-Chalkville.
The Indians have never defeated Clay-Chalkville in 10 tries, including a 65-10 drubbing last fall, but they have been close before. They took the Cougars down to the wire in 2014, falling short in a 45-35 decision.
On Sept. 16, Clay-Chalkville plays host to another region foe in Center Point. The Cougars defeated the Eagles 56-0 last year and have won in blowout fashion each of the last four times the programs have met. Center Point has not beaten the Cougars since it was known as Erwin High School in the late 1990s.
The Cougars will take a reprieve from region play the following week, but if anything, face a stiffer opponent in James Clemens Sept. 23. James Clemens High School was established in 2012, and the two programs have not met on the gridiron, but the Jets were ranked Class 7A No. 2 in the Alabama Sports Writers Association preseason poll.
Head coach Jerry Hood did not back away from scheduling the best of the best for a program replacing several key players from a year ago. He uses the regular season to prepare his team for the postseason.
“I scheduled the hardest schedule I could find, because I know that after nine, 10 weeks of the people we’re playing, we’re going to be battle-tested and ready for the playoffs,” he said. “So if we can pull that off where they can go through that fire, whether they win or lose some, and I mean if we can sneak in the playoffs, then at that point, we’re a dangerous team.”
Clay-Chalkville wraps up the long month with a trip to Driver Stadium to take on Gardendale. Each of the four previous meetings has been won by the Cougars, but have never lacked for offense. The teams have combined for 310 points in just four contests against one another.
