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Sports Scene
Rivalry - noun - The act of competing or emulating. If we know nothing else about sports in this area or in the South, it is the importance and definition of a rival or rivalries. But ours are a little different than the dictionary. Our have a deeper meaning We have them in every sport and at every school, but it is in football where it is embraced by more people. Some might argue with that, but let me know when 5,000 plus show ups for any other sporting event in the county, and then I will change what I wrote. Until then football is the king. The Alabama High School Athletic Association, in their infinite wisdom decided to place schools in regions, as opposed to areas, thus killing off a handful of traditional rivals. With the state mandating region games be played every week except the first, fifth and 10th. That is one of the reasons we have such great games like Leroy-Jackson and Thomasville - Sweet Water to open the season. Now we are in the fifth week of the season and that means round two of the great rivalries. One has the looks, on paper, to be monumental. Both Leroy and Sweet Water are defending state champs who are ranked number one in their classes. But this game is a dangerous one in that one of the schools will fall from the unbeaten ranks, and likely will drop from the top spot in the polls. The two are on a collision course for Birmingham and a possible repeat title. But it is one the fans talk about all year, especially since Sweet Water won 35-6 last year. That is all the motivation Leroy will need. But closer to home is the 91st meeting between Clarke County and Jackson. The game does not have the same luster as the CCHS-THS game, but there may be greater importance this season. One team is rolling and a win here might send a signal that they have arrived and are ready to make serious noise. The other is looking for identity. They are searching for something to hang their hat on, that one thing that can help ensure their season doesn't go bust. The weird part is that this is usually discussed when talking about region games, not countyrivalry games. CCHS is unbeaten for the first time in a decade and a win over another 4A opponent, the first was T.R. Miller, would do wonders for the team. This season they have found a passing attack to go along with a potent running game. That helps keep opposing defense from stacking the box, but the biggest reason for the success is the play of the defense. The unheralded unit is allowing less than five points a game. On the flip side is the Jackson Aggies. Even though they lost to Leroy in the first week of the season, it was a game where they showed they could play with the Bears, and had a chance to win. Throw in a win over Monroe County, a comefrom behind-win over Southside-Selma, coupled with a tough loss to Thomasville and you have a team that is up and down. They need a win here to right the ship and prove they are ready to be one of the top teams in their region. The 91st meeting means they have been scraping for a long time and there have been epic battles. But when the dust settles Friday night at H.G. Prim Stadium, we all might agree that this is best we have seen between these two in a long time.
That's all folks.......
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