Jets vs. Senators, game of the year this Friday night
HARVEST – The numbers don’t lie. With both James Clemens and Sparkman sporting undefeated records in Region 4, this Friday night’s battle in Harvest could easily determine who will win the coveted Class 6A region title. Each team will have two region games remaining on its schedule after the upcoming game, but most see this week’s battle the game to set the winner ahead of the rest for the remainder of the 2026 schedule.
The current season numbers for both squads are pretty simple. James Clemens is 5-1 overall and 4-0 in region play scoring 229 points while allowing 134 in return. Meanwhile, Sparkman has records of 6-1, 4-0 and have scored 229 points while allowing just 99 to their seven opponents. Last week Sparkman defeated rival Bob Jones 35-17 while James Clemens outlasted a physical matchup against Buckhorn 38-28 as the Jet’s senior running back M.J. Gideon scored on runs of 45 and 5 yards and caught a TD pass of 19 yards.
Ronnie Watson, head coach of the Sparkman Senators, knows what his defense needs to do to control the game. “There’s no secret that Gideon can get up and go and no surprise you have to beat James Clemens’ offense,” he added. “Our defense has played three physical games in-a-row. Our defense has won games for us. As a unit, they have played well.”
Scoring 38 points per game, James Clemens has what many consider one of the most potent offenses in Alabama. Juan Johnson, in his second season as head coach, understands his scoring machine has the capability of being explosive anywhere on the field. “I’m most happy with our offense playing very consistent this year and our returnees have played well and the squad as a whole has played better each Friday night,” added Johnson. “Our defense has a good core of seniors and has done a tremendous job and outstanding play and our halftime adjustments in the second half have been outstanding. In the last three games, our defense has allowed zero points in the fourth quarter.”
Friday’s face-to-face challenge will be the 15th in the series that has James Clemens owning an 11-3 advantage outscoring the Senators 411-217. The Jets have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Senators as Sparkman last won in 2024 in a classic of 15-14 score. Watson is 1-2 against James Clemens as the Jets won last year’s meeting 31-24 in Johnson’s first as head coach. The last six meetings have been close except James Clemens’ 2022 victory of 41-17.
“The leadership from our seniors has been great from practices to a game,” said Watson of his 2026 squad. “This has been a good turn around for us. As for the game versus James Clemens, we know it means a lot, but I warn our kids to make sure you don’t make the game too big. We understand the two teams are going into a region title possibility.”
A packed crowd is expected at Sparkman Field as fans are urged to arrive early to avoid traffic issues and grabbing a good seat at the stadium that has artificial turf. Once underway, the numbers on the scoreboard won’t lie.
