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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Publisher

As hard as it is to believe, we are down to our final two weeks of region play and our final three weeks of the regular season as the 2025 regular season quickly starts winding down.

With that comes the growing importance of each game as several teams are still vying for a playoff spot, playoff seeding and region titles down the stretch.

This week will go a long way in determining that potential and what might lie ahead for several.

Selma at Shelby County

There are two clear frontrunners in Class 5A, Region 3—Demopolis and Northside. The fourth seed in this region, however, is completely up for grabs with three teams sitting at 1-3 in region play, one of those being Selma. Meanwhile, they get the team that is seemingly locked into the three seed position, but a win this week could change a lot in the scope of playoff seeding in this region as a win for the Saints brings the three seed back into play, while the playoffs become a real possibility at that point.

That makes this matchup extremely important for both teams, but particularly important for Selma. The matchup will be a challenging task, but the Saints are coming off their second win of the season in a 36-10 victory over Montevallo and a bye week to give them an extra week of preparation and rest. The Wildcats, however, just put up 50 points in a 50-21 over that same Montevallo team. On paper, the Wildcats look to have the upper hand, scoring eight more points per game, but more importantly, giving up 11 less points per game. That said, this game, outside of last year, tends to be close no matter what the stats say. The Saints will have opportunities off of the bye week, it’s up to them to capitalize and fight for their postseason lives.

Southside at Wilcox Central 

Off of their historic seventh consecutive win to start the season, making them 7-0 for the first time in school history, the Southside Panthers now get a winless Wilcox Central team looking to make it 8-0 for the first time ever. Statistically one of the best teams in the state regardless of classification, they’ll now take on a team that is struggling mightily on both sides of the ball.

Southside is not only in the top 10 of scoring and top 10 of defense in the state, but they’re scoring north of 50 points per game at 51.4, while they’re giving up just 6.7. Take those numbers, flip them, and you still don’t get to the numbers Wilcox is averaging. The Jaguars, sitting at 0-7, are scoring 8.9 points per game and giving up 44.1. This is a great opportunity for the Panthers to get an early lead and gain experience ahead of a huge showdown against Thorsby for the region title a week later. 

Dallas County at Thomasville

Dallas County had its two-game winning streak snapped this past Friday night in a 54-8 loss to Thorsby, but it’s a loss that brings no shame with the Rebels in a tie for first in the region. Instead, it brings the opportunity for growth, which is what head coach Darryl Watts focused on after the game, knowing the opportunity that lies ahead for his team over the final two weeks of region play with a playoff spot still within grasp.

The Hornets currently sit at 2-3 in the region, which is currently behind Greensboro and Hale County for the final two spots in the region and tied with Thomasville. The good news, they basically control their own destiny when it comes to chasing down a playoff spot. Win the final two over Thomasville and Hale County, and there’s a very good chance the Hornets are in. Taking on Thomasville this week, it’s a matchup that will be challenging, but one that brings opportunity if Dallas County plays its best football. Thomasville, however, has shown much more offensive consistency at 35 points per game, compared to 11.1 for the Hornets. That looks to be the difference maker right now, which means Dallas County’s defense will need to be ready to force this into a lower-scoring game for the team’s best chance.

Keith vs. Maplesville 

Keith has now lost three consecutive games after a promising start that saw them jump out of the gate with a 3-1 record. In that span of three consecutive losses, the schedule has gotten more challenging, which has led to difficulties on both sides of the ball. The Bears have scored 12 or less in each of the last three, while the defense has given up 45 or more in that same span.

Still, they are scoring 23.4 points per game and are giving up 33.6, which shows the promise they had in the first four games. Coming off a bye week, it’s that early success they need to try to hunt down again, but doing so this week will be a challenge. Maplesville is a contender for the Class 1A State Championship and has been dominant this season. Sitting at 7-0, they’ve scored 35 or more in every game and have given up 14 or less in every game, including four shutouts. With the Keith offense struggling to score points right now, it’s tough to see Maplesville all of a sudden giving up a ton of points in this matchup. Off a bye week, however, we’ll see what Keith’s defense brings to the table in this important battle. 

Morgan Academy at Chambers Academy

Morgan Academy has hit the toughest stretch of its schedule and is currently nursing a two-game losing streak after a strong 4-2 start to the season. Now sitting at 4-4 overall, it won’t get any easier this week against a 6-2 Chambers Academy team that has been strong all season, even in their two losses. The Senators are coming off a 51-16 loss to Lowndes, a team Chambers beat 27-0.

That means there will be an uphill climb for the Senators this week, but it all boils down to bringing a physical approach to the table and not backing down from a tough contest. That is something this team is more than capable of and well-coached enough to make happen. Chambers is also entering the game off a 38-28 loss against McClay, Florida, but their defense has been dominant outside of that this season, giving up 14 or less in all but that game with three shutouts leading into that loss. Morgan Academy is still scoring north of 30 points per game, but they’ll have to be special on that side of the ball this week, while the defense getting back to the unit that gave up 7 or less in in the four wins this season will be the ultimate key.

Ellwood at Autauga Academy

After their 20-18 victory over Central Hayneville, the Ellwood Eagles have lost two in a row to bring their record to 1-7 on the season. Outside of that win, the Eagles have scored 12 or less in every game and given up 28 or more in every loss, including 44 or more in all but two games. Now they get an Autauga Academy team that has won three straight and four of the last five.

The Generals are scoring 24.7 points per game, so they aren’t lighting up the scoreboard, but they’ve been pretty consistent defensively, giving up 20.5 points per game. If Ellwood can find a way for the defense to play one of its better games of the season, there is plenty of reason to believe they can compete in this game. That said, Autauga has proven it on multiple occasions, which gives them some confidence in a matchup like this.