AHSAA TV NETWORK GOW

       MONTGOMERY – Benjamin Russell and Pelham high schools come into tonight’s Class 6A, Region 3 game with identical 4-2 records overall. However, the host Wildcats od Coach Smitty Grider are 2-1 in region play and Panthers of Coach Mike Vickery are 1-2.
      Helena (7-0) sits atop of the region at 4-0 and Calera is at the bottom at 0-4. In between, however, Homewood and Briarwood Christian are 2-1 each and Chilton County is 1-3. In other words, the race for the four playoff spots from Region 3 is still in quite a tizzy.
     That makes tonight’s Benjamin Russell-Pelham game even more important. Other region games set for Friday have Briarwood Christian at Calera and Chilton County at Homewood. Helena is off this week. The remaining matchups leave pretty much every spot still up for grabs with just three weeks of region play remaining.
     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.
     Benjamin Russell, which has a storied history going back to 1922, has been one of the state’s most consistently successful programs overall. The Alexander City school has a 669-372-76 record overall in 101 seasons with a Class 5A state title in 2001 and mythical state championships awarded by the media in 1053 and 1960.
     By contrast, Pelham began its football program in 1976 and is now in its 48^th season overall. The school’s overall record is 238-265-0. The two teams have met six times before with Pelham holding a 4-2 edge in the series.
     Coming into tonight’s game, Grider’s Wildcats are averaging 35.7 points a game thanks in big part to an experienced offense led by 6-foot-3, 212-pound senior quarterback Gabe Benton. He has completed 72-of-111 passes this season for 1,188 yards and 15 touchdowns – with just three picks. He has been a regular under center the last three seasons and comes into tonight’s contest with 342 completions in 575 attempts for 5,450 passing yards and 58 touchdowns. He also has 599 career rushing yards.
    Senior Malcom Simmons is the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 470 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Cedarian Morgan has 17 catches for 228 yards and two TDs, senior Chris Foster has 14 catches for 205 yards and three scores, and senior David Lawson has snagged 11 receptions for 147 yards and two TDs. Ta’jerious Wilson, a junior, leads the Wildcats with 558 rushing yards on 82 carries. He has rushed for more than 400 yards in four games this season and has score five TDs.
    Senior linebacker Jykeveion Hicks leads the defense with 57 tackles on the year. Freshman defensive end Kalib Spivey has 40 tackles on the season with five sacks. Sophomore defensive back Aquavious Marbury has 39 tackles and a team-leading two interceptions with 59 return yards on the two picks.
     Vickery’s Panthers are averaging 23.7 points pr game. Pelham’s defense ranks second behind Helena in Region 3 yielding only 17.2 points per game. Senior left-hander Clayton Mains is 40-of-71 passing this season for 707 yards, seven touchdowns and two picks in four games. He is also the Panthers’ leading rusher with 299 yards. He passed for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 517 yards and 10 TDs as a starter last season.
     Senior Michael Grayson is next with 190 yards on 44 carries  and one TD. He also has three catches for 39 yards and another score. Senior Cortez Tolbert is the leading receiver with 14 catches for 419 yards – 29.9 yards per catch – and three TDs. He is also a real threat as a kick returner.
     Defensively, senior linebacker Tyjerious Johnson has amassed 66 tackles – an average of 11 per game – and fellow linebacker William Felton, a strapping 6-3, 212-pound senior, has 46 tackles on the year. Sophomore defensive lineman Uriah Barginere leads the defense with four sacks. Defensive back Kesean Griffin has returned his one interception this season 66 yards for a touchdown.
      The AHSAA TV Network Game of the Week is one of 15 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. Pelham and Benjamin Russell are also planning to produce the game over their NFHS School Broadcast Program links as well.
       To access the AHSAA Game of the Week the NFHS Network, go to the following link
https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/gambd46f4c4ce

      Among the top games being live-streamed over the NFHS Network across the state Friday night as play heads into the second half of the regular season include: Class 1A: Georgiana (6-1) at Elba (6-0);  Class 2A: Lamar County (6-1) at Sulligent (7-0) and Thorsby (5-1) at B.B. Comer (7-0); Class 3A: Trinity Presbyterian (7-0) at Saint James (5-2); Class 4A: Corner (6-0) at Oak Grove (4-2); Class 5A: John Carroll Catholic (5-1) at Ramsay (5-2) and Sardis (5-1) at Scottsboro (5-1);  Class 6A: Parker (6-1) at Mountain Brook (5-1); Class 7A: Baker (6-1) at Mary Montgomery (7-0); Enterprise (5-1) at Dothan (5-2); Hewitt-Trussville (5-2) at Vestavia Hills (5-1); and James Clemens (5-2) at Austin (5-2).

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