MONTGOMERY – Maplesville High School and Loachapoka High School square off tonight in the AHSAA TV Network/WOTM TV Game of the Week in what will be the Class 1A, Region 4 championship game.
      Both teams are 5-0 in Class 1A, Region 4 with two region games remaining. The spoils are simple. The winner takes the crown and the No. 1 seed into the AHSAA Class 1A state playoffs in November.
      Tonight’s game, which kicks off  7:05 P.M., is being produced by Vince Earley and his talented crew from WOTM TV. Caleb Brooks and Mickey Shadrix will be in the announcers’ booth for the game, which will be shown live over WOTM, My68 TV in Birmingham, and the AHSAA TV Network member cable affiliates. It also will be live streamed over the NFHS Network’s subscriber-based platform and WOTM.tv.
    The game will be the Indians’ home  game. However, due to some stadium problems, the two teams will face off at Class 3A Beulah High School’s Bobcat Stadum – a fellow Lee County school located 31 miles north of Loachapoka just off I-85 near the Georgia state line.
     Maplesville (5-2), coached by Gary Abbott, is averaging 37.4 points per game with balanced running and passing  game. The Red Devils rank sixth in Class in scoring and 10^th in scoring defense allowing only 13 ppg. Loachapoka is scoring 36.9 points —  ranking seventh in Class 1A – and are allowing only 11.3 points to ranked sixth in Class 1A. The Red Devils rank 10^th in scoring defense.
     The Indians (7-0), coached by Frederick Newton, have been very opportunistic on defense this season with junior linebacker Javion Gary leading the way with 32 tackles and five interceptions – returning two for touchdowns. Loachapoka’s defense and special teams have scored seven TDs this season including four pick sixes, one fumble return, one kickoff return and one punt return, Senior defensive end Jamari Payne, a husky 6-foot-3, 265-pound senior, has scored on a 70-yard fumble return, an interception return and spent the rest of his time in the opponents’ backfield registering eight sacks and 12 quarterback hurries in seven games. Freshman linebacker Mitchell Chenier has eight tackles for losses   and junior tackle Jaylen Hart has recorded 12 tackles for losses this season.
     Pacing Newton’s offense is senior running  back Jeremiah Darlington, the team rushing leader with 716 yards on 117 carries with 13 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions. Quarterback Quinjavis Nelms, a junior, is 35-of-70 passing for 489 yards and five TDS. Senior Chris Lipscomb is the leading receiver with 16 catches for 276 yards and two TDs – including one covering 80 yards. Junior speedster Jakarie Walker has gained 136 yards rushing with two TDs on 14 carries, has five punt returns with one TD and a kickoff return for another score.
   Newton, in his fourth season as head coach, is 27-12 overall. His team is 16-2 in their last 18 games.
     Abbott’s Red Devils opened the season with two straight non-region losses and are currently on a five-game winning streak ever since. Maplesville’s football history is one of the most storied small-school programs in the AHSAA with four state titles (1996, 2014, 2015, 2016) to their credit. The Red Devils have been region champions 24 times since 1984 and compiled a 121-12 record in the decade stretching from 2010-2019.
    Maplesville, which owns a 618-340-19 record since starting football in 1934, won the first Class 1A state championship held in the Super 6 (now Super 7) format in AHSAA history in 1996. The 618 wins rank second in Class 1A in the AHSAA. Abbott is 42-14 since taking over the program in 2019.
    This year’s team  is anchored on offense by a youth movement with eighth grader Nehemiah McCary leading the team with 621 rushing yards on 64 carries. He has eight rushing touchdowns and has returned six kickoffs 233 yards for a 38.8 average and on TD. The Red Devils are balanced on offense averaging 175.1 yards rushing and 110.3 yards passing. Sophomore James Lagrone has added 347 rushing yards on 69 carries with six touchdowns.
     Senior Bradlee Padgett has been a dependable leader. He is 48-of-101 passing on the year with 708 yards and eight TDs and only four picks. His top receiver is another sophomore tight end Aiden Abbott. The 6-2, 195-pound Abbot has 22 receptions for 392 yards and eight TDs. Senior Johnathon Wilson has 15 catches for 149 yards and one score. Wilson also has four of the Red Devils’ eight interceptions on defense.
     Sophomore Cade Smith leads the team with 44 tackles, including 6.3 stops resulting in losses, and junior linebacker Darrin Elliott has 40 stops. The Red Devils lead the series with the Indians 7-4 with five straight wins since 2016. The  two teams have met twice in the state playoffs with Loachapoka winning both times.
     The AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week is one of eight varsity games scheduled for tonight with 11 of those games scheduled to be live streamed over the NFHS Network. A total of approximately 160 broadcasts are currently scheduled for the NFHS Network tonight and tomorrow night. Five are scheduled to be on the NFHS Network.
      To access the AHSAA Game of the Week the NFHS Network, go to the following link
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/gam844fd84b8b

      Among other top games being live streamed over the NFHS Network across the state tonight is Opelika (4-4) at Enterprise (5-2) in Class 7A, Region 2. Other key games set for the NFHS Network Friday include: Class 1A: Elba (7-0) at Florala (6-1); Class 2A: unbeaten Pisgah ((7-0) at Fyffe (6-1); St. Luke’s Episcopal (6-1) at Clarke County (3-4); Luverne (6-2) at Reeltown (7-0); Class 3A: W.S. Neal (6-1) at Thomasville (6-0); Oakman (6-1) at Gordo (7-1); Class 4A: Booker T. Washington (5-2) at Andalusia ((8-0); Class 5A: Moody (7-1) at Leeds (5-2); Arab (5-2) at Guntersville (6-0); Holtville (6-1) at Demopolis (5-2);  Class 6A: Sidney Lanier (5-2) vs. Carver-Montgomery (6-2) at Cramton Bowl; Clay-Chalkville (7-0) at Oxford (6-1);  Class 7A: Central-Phenix City (7-0) at Auburn (6-1); and Bob Jones (4-3) at Austin (6-2).

       The AHSAA Radio Network’s Scoreboard Show will also air across the state Friday night. Go to www.ahsaaradionetwork.com for network information.