With rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday, all of this week’s high school football games have been moved to Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Birmingham is forecasting an 80 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms Friday night, with up to a quarter inch of rain possible across the county.
“You never want to lose a day of prep,” said Jasper head coach Philip Bailey, “but given the weather forecast for Friday, it’s really the only option.”
The Vikings (0-3, 0-1) head into Thursday’s game on the road against Fairfield (0-3, 0-1) on a three game losing streak. Bailey said that practices have been adjusted this week to adjust for the shorter week, something he feels everyone in the county is going through.
“I think just about everyone I’ve seen has also moved their game to Thursday as well,” he said. “You have to restructure your practices a bit because you lose a day. You have to go a little longer on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure you cover all the things you need to. Kids have handled it well.”
Across the county, Oakman is preparing welcome Tarrant (1-1, 0-1) to HD Collins Field as they look for their second win of the season.
The Wildcats head coach Ryan Hall says success during a short week can depend on the carryover from the week before.
“For example if you face a team that is similar in formation or scheme, you can have a lot of carryover from one week to the next and that can limit the issues,” he said. “The more carryover the easier the adjustment. If there is little carryover it can cause you some problems.”
Oakman (1-2, 1-0) is coming off a 35-12 win against Midfield a week ago.
“You always worry about player recovery on a short week,” Hall said. “Are your players back healthy physically and, even more importantly, mentally and emotionally? Resilient teams handle it better, it seems. At the end of the day both teams typically are dealing with it so it is who can adjust and adapt the best.
“It stills goes back to control what you can control and adjust to what you can’t.”
Thursday’s Schedule
Fayette County (3-0, 1-0) @ Carbon Hill (0-2, 0-0)
Picks:
James – Fayette County
Jeffery – Fayette County
Corner (2-0, 1-0) @ Cordova (1-2, 0-1)
Picks:
James – Cordova
Jeffery – Cordova
Northside (3-0, 1-0) @ Curry (1-2, 0-1)
Picks:
James – Northside
Jeffery – Northside
Dora (1-2, 1-0) @ Haleyville (1-2, 1-0)
Picks:
James – Dora
Jeffery – Dora
Jasper (0-3, 0-1) @ Fairfield (0-3, 0-1)
Picks:
James – Jasper
Jeffery – Jasper
Sumiton Christian (1-1, 1-1) @ Lynn (1-1, 1-0)
Picks:
James – Lynn
Jeffery – Lynn
Tarrant (1-1, 0-1) @ Oakman (1-2, 1-0)
Picks:
James – Oakman
Jeffery – Oakman
