Tanner has edge in county rivalry series

One point is all that has separated Tanner High and East Limestone's football teams the past two seasons. And it's the Rattlers who are kings of the series at the moment in the Limestone County rivalry game.

When Class 2A Tanner (3-1) hosts 4A No. 4 East Limestone (4-0) on Thursday, it's the Indians who have something to prove.

Tanner took a 28-27 win last year at East Limestone and a 19-18 overtime home-field win in the 2005 season opener.

"We really haven't mentioned the streak at all this week, but East Limestone is a big game, and we know it can go either way," Tanner coach Laron White said.

An East Limestone team whose schedule includes 4A powerhouse North Jackson and defending 5A state champion Athens, also counts Tanner among its biggest games of the season.

"Having not beaten (Tanner) the last two years has really added to it because we felt like we gave both of those away," East Limestone coach Jeff Pugh said.

"It'll be a real plus for our program if we can get through this one. We need this one to get ready for the rest of the season."

Decatur faces nonregion rival: As Decatur travels to Sparkman for a nonregion contest Friday, there is a rivalry feeling to the contest even though there are no postseason implications.

It's Sparkman's homecoming, which usually serves as a motivator for both sides. Also, the two programs have split contests during the past four years.

Sparkman took a 22-7 over Decatur at Ogle Stadium last season. Decatur won 7-0 in 2005, and Sparkman won 23-20 in overtime in 2004. Before that, Decatur had dominated the series.

Looking to extend a three-game winning streak, Decatur (3-1) hopes to defeat Sparkman (2-2) like fellow River City school Austin did last week, beating the Senators 34-31 on a late field goal.

Touchdown Club meets Friday: The Touchdown Club will host its weekly Game Day Breakfast on Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 at Cracker Barrel on Beltline Road Southwest.

Guest Speakers for the event will be third-year Brookhaven Middle football coach Darrell Allbright and first-year Cedar Ridge Middle coach Jeff Carraway is in his first year as head football coach.

Austin High coach David Norwood will announce the players of the week, who will be honored for last week's victory over Sparkman. Norwood also will review last week's game and discuss what to expect when 6A Austin (2-2) hosts 5A No. 2 Russellville (4-0) at Ogle Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.

All club members and football fans are invited to attend.

Decatur High reunion: Decatur High will honor the school's class of 1977 before the Red Raiders' home football game Friday against West Point.

The seniors in that class were the cornerstone of the 1976 Decatur football team that advanced to the state semifinals before falling 24-20 to eventual champion Mountain Brook. Class members who are interested in attending the reunion should visit dhs1977.myevent.com, and register.

Danville hosts Tournament of Champions: Danville High's volleyball program is preparing to host the 2nd annual Tournament of Champions on Saturday, which includes top names such as defending tournament champion Bayside Academy, as well as local teams Hartselle, Addison, Athens Bible, Speake, Brewer, Hatton, Lawrence County and Elkmont.

Twenty-one of the 24 teams participating were ranked in the last state volleyball poll, including top-ranked Jacksonville (4A), Lexington
(3A) and Bayside Academy (2A).

"It turned out to be a really good tournament last year, and so we decided to make it bigger this year and got a great response," Danville coach Holly Little said.

Little said additional help from neighboring schools is what has made the tournament possible.

The tournament will use seven courts at three sites: Danville, Hartselle and Speake.

Around the state

Class 6A showdown in Opelika: One of this week's most highly anticipated nonregion matchups is Friday when Class 6A No. 1 Prattville travels to play 6A No. 6 Opelika. Both teams are undefeated, and Prattville is ranked third nationally in the USA Today's prep football Super 25 and riding the state's longest current winning streak at 19 straight victories. Prattville ended Opelika's season last year in the state semifinals with a 23-16 win.

The Lions lead Class 6A in scoring with 46.5 points per game, while Opelika is second with 44.5 points per game.

State champs face off: Nonregion matchups this week provide some interesting games outside of classifications. One of the most interesting pairings in the state this week is Leroy, which won the 2A title last season, vs. defending 1A state champions Sweet Water.

The two schools, located 30 miles apart, are ranked first in their respective classes and both come in with impressive winning streaks. Danny Powell's Leroy Bears have won their last 11 in a row, while
Stacy Luker's Sweet Water Bulldogs have won their last 16.

Last year, Sweet Water beat Leroy 35-6.

Colbert Heights' Yates' passing frenzy: Colbert Heights' senior quarterback Jeremy Yates extended his streak of 300-yard passing games this season to four last week as the Wildcats beat Clements 31-12.

Yates was 17-of-20 passing for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

Chris Smelley holds the state record for most passing yards in a season with 4,120, completing 220-of-374 passes for 59 touchdowns in 2005.

Predicting the preps

Daily Sports Writer Brooke Milam predicts how area teams will fare in this week’s games:

Thursday’s game

East Limestone 20, Tanner 19 Friday’s games

Jess Lanier 17, Athens 13

Priceville 24, Danville 10

West Morgan 28, East Lawrence 14

Madison Academy 28, Elkmont 20

Hartselle 17, Cullman 14

Lawrence County 21, Hatton 18

Brewer 31, Hayden 24

Addison 26, Meek 12

Vina 12, Mount Hope 8

Munford 20, R.A. Hubbard 10

Hazlewood 28, Muscle Shoals 17

Falkville 22, Vinemont 13

Ardmore 22, West Limestone 15

Speake 38, Westminster Christian 9

Decatur 17, Sparkman 14

Austin 21, Russellville 20

Wilson 19, Clements 16

Last week: 16-3 (.842)

Season record: 47-23 (.671)