By Bart Moss / For the FCT

The race is on in region play, with week one in the books and week two coming up. Red Bay and Russellville are looking to remain unbeaten. Phil Campbell and Vina are both looking for their first wins of the season. Tharptown will host a traditional football powerhouse.

Phil Campbell (0-2) at Clements (2-0)

The Phil Campbell Bobcats will be on the road for the second straight week as they travel to Clements. The Colts are coached by former Bobcat head coach Michael Parker.

Phil Campbell is coming off two straight tough losses and looking to right the ship. Clements won its first two games convincingly over Elkmont 29-0 and Tanner 32-6.

“Clements has a really good running back and a very solid offensive line,” said Phil Campbell coach Kevin Barnwell. “They like to spread it out and extend the field. We are going to have to be smart and play assignment football to have a chance to succeed.”

Red Bay (3-0) at Addison (2-1)

The Red Bay Tigers will travel to Addison to take on a perennial 1A power that moved up to 2A in the most recent reclassification.

The Bulldogs are tough to beat at home. Addison is 2-1 with wins over Curry 20-12 and Winston County 51-18 and a loss to Piedmont 32-20. Red Bay has yet to be tested, but Addison could match the Tigers with a similar style of play.

“Addison plays with a lot of confidence, having lost only one game at home in the past three years,” said Red Bay coach Michael Jackson. “We will have to contain their quarterback and limit mistakes to have a successful night.”

Russellville (2-0) hosts Hayden (1-2)

The Russellville Golden Tigers went on the road last week and came away with solid road win over Corner. Russellville started slow but made the necessary adjustments and played well on both sides of the ball in the second half. The Golden Tigers had great field position all night long, and Kenner Perez’s field goal in the fourth quarter to put Russellville on top by 11 points was huge.

This week the Golden Tigers will host Corner’s rival, Hayden. Hayden is 1-2 with a lone win over Springville 21-15 and two losses – to Oneonta 35-21 and Lawrence County 25-22.

“Hayden runs the Wing-T on offense,” said Russellville coach John Ritter. “It will be a challenge to stop them consistently. They are a very well-coached team. We will have to play four good quarters of football to have a chance to win.”

Tharptown (1-1) hosts Colbert County (2-1)

Tharptown struggled mightily to contain the speed and athleticism of Sheffield last week. It doesn’t get any easier this week as the Colbert County Indians come to Tharptown for the two schools’ first-ever meeting.

Colbert County is always loaded with speed and talent and has long history and tradition in football. The Indians lost their first game to Central 28-14 but have won the past two, against Cherokee and Tanner.

The Wildcats will likely be without their two best players, Carson Petree and Luis Macias. Both are suffering from knee injuries.

“All you have to do is say Colbert County,” said Tharptown coach Kevin Lacey. “They are tough and athletic, and they have a rich tradition with some great teams and some great individual athletes. We have had a lot of adversity, and we are going through a tough time right now. We have to learn from every experience and grow and get better.”

Vina (0-3) at Cherokee (0-2)

The Vina Red Devils have struggled to put points on the board so far this season. This week the Red Devils will travel to Cherokee to take on the Indians.

Cherokee has yet to win a game as well, losing to R.A. Hubbard 26-22 and Colbert County 47-0.

“Cherokee has a lot of speed and runs the ball well,” said Vina coach Jason Harris. “We will have to tackle much better to compete with them. I see some things we can do offensively to create some opportunities; we just have to make the plays.”