Column – Week 8 high school football preview

The Deshler Tigers suffered their third loss overall and second in Class 4A, Region 7 play Friday night in a 44-21 loss to Brooks.

The loss further deepens the water the Tigers must tread in their bid for the 2024 postseason after falling to Hatton Aug. 30 on top of being in a nine-team region.

However, the win over Central the previous week certainly leaves the Tigers in the postseason hunt.

Deshler will have a chance to build momentum heading into the Nov. 1 showdown with undefeated West Morgan by facing 4-4, 3-3 West Limestone at home this week.

Last year, Deshler topped the Wildcats 55-14. The Tigers hold a 9-3 all-time advantage as well.

After that, Deshler will travel to play East Lawrence (2-5, 1-4), another important region game where the Tigers should be the favorite.

West Limestone, Hatton and Deshler each have three region wins right now, while Central and Brooks have four. The top four teams of each region move on to the playoffs.

Muscle Shoals

“We just didn’t come to play.”

That’s what Muscle Shoals head football coach Scott Basden told the Trojans’ radio crew at halftime of his team’s 49-48 loss to Jasper last weekend.

Though no two teams match up quite the same, Muscle Shoals had topped two teams that had already defeated Jasper this season and appeared to be the favorite going into the contest.

The Trojans (5-2, 4-1) have another open week this week to help heal any nagging injuries and prepare for the annual showdown with Hartselle (6-1, 4-0) at home on Oct. 25.

Though the Trojans fell to the Vikings, it was only their first loss in Class 6A, Region 7 play.

If Muscle Shoals defeats Hartselle, the Trojans will still top the region, as no other teams but those two currently have at least four wins.

Last year Muscle Shoals won 55-49, but the year prior it was Hartselle that earned a 29-26 victory.

At any rate, expect J.F. Moore Stadium to be packed when the Tigers come to town.

Colbert County / Colbert Heights / Sheffield

The Indians extended their winning streak to two games with a 46-13 win over Clements last week.

The victory moves CCHS to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in Class 3A, Region 7.

Next up for Colbert County is a home game against Elkmont (2-5, 1-4), with the final area game at Sheffield Oct. 25.

The Bulldogs fell to Lauderdale County 53-20 and are now 3-4, 2-3.

Sheffield will play at Clements (1-7, 0-5) next week before hosting Colbert County.

Colbert Heights fell to Rogers 42-15 and is now 4-4, 2-3. Next up for the Wildcats is a game against undefeated Mars Hill (7-0, 5-0) on the road.

Mars Hill currently tops the region, with Lauderdale County and Rogers tied for second. The latter two will resolve that tie this week.

As for Colbert County, Colbert Heights and Sheffield, the three are in a tie for the fourth and final playoff spot, as they each have a 2-3 region record.

The Wildcats have thew toughest path ahead, as they have already fallen to both the Bulldogs and Indians and have Mars Hill and Lauderdale County left to face.

The fourth-place team and final playoff contender from Region 7 will likely be the winner of Colbert County and Sheffield in two weeks.

Cherokee

Though Shoals Christian was winless coming into the contest and was something of a revenge game for the Indians, Cherokee could not weather the Flame and fell 13-6 last weekend.

The loss is an unexpected one, but the playoff hopes are far from over for Cherokee (5-3, 3-2).

The Indians are currently in fourth place in Class 1A, Region 7. Vina and Addison are both 3-2, but the Indians have a win over Vina and a loss to Addison.

That puts Addison at third and Cherokee fourth. The Indians have tough contests coming up against Meek (4-3, 4-1) and Hackleburg (7-0, 5-0), both on the road.

Hackleburg and Meek are No. 1 and No. 2 in the region, so a victory over either essentially locks a playoff spot for Cherokee.

However, if the Indians fall in both games, there’s still a chance.

Vina has Addison and Meek left, and if the Red Devils lose both of those games, and if Shoals Christian (1-6, 1-4) and Phillips (1-6, 1-4) don’t win out, mathematically the Indians would remain the No. 4 seed with the tiebreaker over Vina.

There are only a few games left in the 2024 regular season, and the next few games will determine much for the teams in Colbert County.