PREP FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK: Smiths Station, Valley looking for win

Mark Rose has never gone through a season like this in 11 years as a high school football coach in Alabama

Before this year, the most losses he’d ever suffered in a season was five. Before last year, that number stood at three.

But here his Panthers sit, 2-7, fresh off two losses by a combined 110-13 margin, heading into what is by no means a gimme game at Ram Stadium against a 6-3 Valley team tonight.

Rose said he can’t afford to get down on himself or his program.

Not when his players aren’t.

“They’ve inspired me,” Rose said. “I’ve never been 2-7 in my life, but they keep coming back and working hard and keep striving to win. They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them.”

Smiths Station is not the only team looking to get off the schneid in the Valley tonight.

The Rams, who looked liked odds on favorites for the Class 5A-Region 2 championship just two weeks ago, have dropped to the final postseason spot in the region since then with losses to Beauregard and Tallassee.

They went from being virtual locks to host a first-round playoff game for the second week in a row to having to travel to Vigor, the region 1 champion by virtue of its 36-16 win over Blount on Thursday.

Even when his team’s playoff fate wasn’t certain, Rams coach Mike McCombs said he was saving all that talk for next week.

“Come that time, we’ll know who we’re playing,” McCombs said. “Right now we’re just worried about Smiths Station. Folks have asked me, and I just know what other people told me. I haven’t looked online, I haven’t done any of the other stuff. We’re just concentrating on us right now.”

Valley’s defense, which has been a strong point this season, will run smack up against what has been one of the few on-field bright spots for the Panthers this season: senior receiver Rod Austin.

Austin, who put on 19 pounds between his junior and senior years, has 44 catches for 719 yards and 12 touchdown catches this year.

That includes 32 catches for 575 yards and 10 scores over the past five weeks.

“He’s had a good year, continued to play hard, block hard, run his routes,” Rose said. “Those numbers are pretty special, especially considering they all know he’s our guy. We don’t spread it around a whole lot. We’re gonna get it to Rod, and he can find a way to get open, whether there’s two on him or whatever.”

Valley has had its fair share of struggles on the offensive side lately, averaging 10.3 points per game over the past three weeks and gaining only about 170 yards in a 31-7 win over Eufaula the week before.

But McCombs’ said tonight’s game is a chance to turn it all around in time for the playoffs, and to send his seniors, a group he credits with easing the transition from former coach Roger McDonald to himself, out with a win in perhaps their final game at Ram Stadium.

“Given the situation, you talk about me coming in late and how I felt, imagine where they were sitting,” McCombs said. “You’re just a couple days out from the start of your senior year and you don’t know who you’re coach is gonna be. All things considered, these guys have done a phenomenal job.”

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Smiths Station (2-7) at Valley (6-3)
Smiths Station Key Players: WR Rod Austin (Sr., 5-9, 190); LB Lorenzo Betties (Jr., 5-8, 230); RB Marcus Bilbrew (Jr., 5-5, 150)

Valley Key Players: WR/S Enrique Florence (Jr., 6-2, 185); LB Koy Page (Sr., 5-10, 190); RB Tim’Vontae Walker (Sr., 5-10, 195)

Stat Pack: Austin has 719 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns ... Walker has rushed for 981 yards and 13 scores ... Betties leads the Panthers with 51 tackles.

Series Information: Valley beat the Panthers, 14-7, last year. Smiths Station has won five of the past seven.