Stakes high for Bob Jones and Austin
In action earlier this season, Bob Jones defense sacks Florence quarterback Kendrick Doss.
Rarely has a regular season football game had so much riding on it as the contest Friday night between Bob Jones (6-2, 5-1 in region) and Austin (7-1, 5-1 in region) at Madison City Schools Stadium.
Two weeks ago it appeared the game would be to determine the Class 6A, Region 8 champion and runner up. But all that changed last Friday night when Florence upset Austin.
Bob Jones still controls their own destiny and with a win can claim the top spot in the region for the fourth season in a row. But the loser now will drop all the way to third in the region if Florence(5-3, 5-1 in region) follows through with a win at Sparkman (1-7, 1-5 in region) in a game also on Friday.
Back on September 14, Bob Jones held on for a 48-42 win over Florence. That game is the only region loss Florence has had.
A win over Austin, who was ranked #4 in 6A for two weeks prior to the Florence loss, will be a tall order.
“They have a really good football team,” said Bob Jones coach Kevin Rose. “They are very fast. They have better athletes than we have. Their #24 (Josh Walker), every coach you talk to says he is the best player in the region. They also have a 3-year starter at quarterback (Chris Sparkman).”
Rose coached with Austin coach Jeremy Perkins at Hoover before both came the their current schools.
“He is a really good football coach and has done a good job at Austin. His guys are going to be well-coached and well-prepared.”
Bob Jones brings a lot of momentum into the game with a 4 game winning streak. The defense is allowing 7 points per game and the offense scoring an average of 25 during the last four games.
“If we can continue to rush the football effectively and not turn it over I think we will have a chance to win. We have played really good defense in the red zone especially the last three weeks. If we can hold them to a reasonable number we will have a chance to win,” Rose said.
The Patriots dual threat on offense of Kevin Wright and Jay Rogers has powered the offense. Wright has over 1,000 yards combined rushing and receiving and leads the team with 11 touchdowns. Rogers has over 800 yards rushing and is averaging 6.2 yards per rush and has 9 touchdowns.
Bob Jones has been in this situation before under Rose. Two out of the last three years the region championship came down to the game with Decatur.
Finishing third in the region means hitting the road for the first round of the state playoffs that start November 9 so the sense of urgency is now heightened for both teams.
The road has not been kind to Bob Jones this season. Their two losses came at Northridge and at Hazel Green. The defense allowed 40 points or over both times.
The anticipation of this game has been building all season.
“This is the biggest game of the season,” Rose said. “Since the start of the season every interview I’ve given has been pointing to week 9 against Austin and what is going to happen.
I think we will get a great effort from our guys. It will be a big crowd, should be bigger than the James Clemens game. We are going to red-out the stadium. It will be a great environment,” Rose said.
The two teams last met in 2009, one year before Perkins came to Austin, with Bob Jones winning 28-0.
