Keith head coach Harry Crum knows there’s a lot of talk about playoff scenarios surrounding his team heading into this week’s matchup against Maplesville, but he isn’t talking about any of it.

Crum said his team should ignore all of the different playoff scenarios this weekend and focus on winning Friday night against the Red Devils, because a victory will put the Bears into the playoffs.

However, winning, Crum admits winning will be a tall order, considering Keith has never defeated Maplesville.

“It would be the biggest win in the history of Keith High School,” Crum said.

In order to win, the Bears know they need to limit negative plays.

“We need to minimize the mistakes,” Crum said. “We need to play mistake free ball. No fumbles, no turnovers. We need to play the best defensive game we’ve ever played to have a chance to win this game.”

However, Crum realizes that shutting out the Red Devils may not be possible, considering how much talent they have. Instead, he wants his team to understand that when Maplesville makes a good play, they’ve got to move onto the next one.

“We are going to have some resilience because they have been able to score the ball the entire year and score in bunches,” Crum said.

As far as the playoff scenarios surrounding his team, Crum knows them well, but he isn’t getting into them with his players this week.

“I told our guys to go out and give it their best and leave everything they’ve got on the field. We aren’t going to worry about the scenarios,” Crum said. “There are about four different scenarios that could play out. We have got to go out and handle our business and hopefully everything will fall into place.”

Undefeated Maplesville has shutout three opponents this season, including Holy Spirit last week in a 55-0 victory.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m at Keith High School.

 

Selma at Satsuma

A win over Satsuma on Friday night will put the Selma High School Saints into the postseason.

Selma has won straight games, including last week’s 48-7 victory over Sumter Central. Over the last two weeks, the Saints defense has come up big.

Five interceptions in the week against Greenville helped Selma capture its biggest victory of the season and last week against Sumter Central the defense and special teams scored three touchdowns.

The Gators have lost three straight games. Last week they were steamrolled by Demopolis 49-7. With only two wins on the season, Satsuma has a chance to pick up its biggest win of the season Friday night against the Saints.

Last season, Selma defeated Satsuma 57-21.

 

Akron at Ellwood Christian

With each team’s playoff hopes alive, but out of their own hands, Ellwood Christian and Akron will battle Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Eagles have hit a rough patch in their schedule, with five consecutive losses.

Ellwood Christian is averaging 9.2 points per game over the last five games, one of the reasons they remain winless. Turnovers usually play a big part in Eagles losses, including last week where Ellwood Christian fumbled three times inside the Sunshine 10-yard line.

Akron hasn’t fared much better over its last five games, losing four of them. The only victory for the Rams during that stretch was against Sunshine, who defeated Ellwood 16-6 last week.

Last season, Ellwood Christian defeated Akron 36-7. Friday night’s game will mark the Eagles homecoming.

 

Dallas County at Elmore County

The 2013 season started out with a lot of hope for the Dallas County Hornets, but so far any progress the program has made has not transferred to the scoreboard.

The Hornets sit at 2-6 overall, 0-6 in Class 4A, Region 3 play, heading to Elmore County Friday night.

After failing to win a region game in 2012, the Hornets are still in search of their first region win in 2013.

The Panthers are coming off of a 28-13 victory over Holtville. Last season, Elmore County defeated Dallas County 43-28.

 

Clarke Prep at Morgan Academy

With the playoffs no longer a factor, Morgan Academy looks to close on a strong note in 2013 over the next two weeks.

After starting the season 2-0, Morgan Academy has lost six games in a row. Clarke Prep has lost three consecutive games, including last week’s 26-14 defeat to Escambia Academy.

 

Southside at Bayside Academy

The Southside Panthers look to play the role of spoiler Friday night when they travel to Bayside Academy to take on the Admirals.

With Bayside Academy safely in the postseason, but still fighting for seeding, the Panthers look to pull off their biggest victory of the season.

Southside won its first region game of the season against Cottage Hill, but has dropped five consecutive region contests since.

Last season, Bayside Academy defeated Southside 39-14.

 

Sparta at Meadowview Christian

The Meadowview Christian Trojans were unable to build on a win over Cornerstone Academy this past week against Pickens Academy, but they look to get back in the win column this week against Sparta.

Meadowview lost to Pickens Academy 42-14 last week.

Sparta has lost two consecutive games, scoring only 13 points during the last two weeks.

Last season, Sparta Academy defeated Meadowview Christian 37-13.