Ramsay Rams (7-0)                 vs.        Pleasant Grove Spartans  (7-1)  

NFHS Network has 136 Events Set for this Week

Ramsay-Pleasant Grove Showdown in Class 5A, Region 5
Is AHSAA TV Network Thursday GOW
     MONTGOMERY – Ramsay High School and Pleasant Grove High School have been heading for a showdown since the 2020 high school football season began. The much anticipated battle will be on statewide and national display Thursday night at Birmingham’s Lawson Field as the AHSAA TV Network/NFHS Network Football Game of the Week produced by WOTM TV.
      The NFHS Network’s AHSAA School Broadcast Program has scheduled 136 events this week with 66 varsity football games available via the NFHS Network platform Thursday night and Friday as the 2020 season moves into Week 9.
      The Rams (7-0) and Spartans (7-1) are led by two of the brightest young coaching standouts in the AHSAA. Rueben Nelson took over the Ramsay football program in 2012 after six strong years at Midfield. He jumped head first into a job many advised would be any coach’s demise. Ramsay, a once proud football power in the City of Birmingham, discontinued football in 1976 but resurrected the sport in 2012.
     Starting from scratch, Nelson worked steadily to get the program up and running. After 1-9 and 2-8 seasons in his first two years, he saw his hungry young players buy into his plan and two years later won the school’s first and only state title going 13-2. The Rams have been contenders ever since going 47-12 with 11 wins in 2018 and 10 in 2019.
     Pleasant Grove Coach Darrell LaBeaux is in his third season as head coach. He led the Spartans to a 13-2 record and the Class 5A state finals last year – losing to Central of Clay County in one of the most exciting Super 7 finishes in Super 7 history. The Spartans’ only other loss was a 47-19 setback to Ramsay in week four of the 2019 regular season. His team rebounded to beat the Rams 55-22 in the 5A playoff quarterfinals. Pleasant Grove also beat Briarwood Christian twice last season, 26-14 in the regular season and 16-14 in the semifinals. The Spartans also handed Faith Academy (11-1) its only loss of 2019 in the second round.
    This year, Pleasant Grove’s only loss was a season-opening 29-28 setback to defending Class 6A state champion Oxford (7-1). LeBeaux’s squad also avenged their state championship loss to Central, Clay County by beating the Volunteers (7-1) 37-30 earlier this season.
    The game will be live-streamed over the NFHS Network subscriber-based program and will also be available on the network of cable stations that have joined the WOTM Network in Alabama. Tommy Wood and Rick Rhoades will be handling the commentary for the WOTM/NFHS Network production.
     Kickoff for tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m., and can be seen over the subscriber-based NFHS Network and the WOTM TV Network’s cable station affiliates across the state.
      Next week’s Game of the Week will feature Class 7A power Central-Phenix City (6-3) at Oxford (7-1) on Oct. 29 to close out the regular season.
     WOTM will also feature a playoff game of the week through the first round rounds of the playoffs and will also produce all seven state finals at the 2020 Super 7 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in December for the AHSAA TV Network.
    The NFHS Network is also featuring events this weekend in four sports: football, volleyball, middle school basketball and swimming, with all Super Regional Volleyball Tournament finals set to be shown over the NFHS Network Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
    A total of 66 varsity football games are scheduled for Thursday and Friday with some big region matchups on tap Friday including Hoover (9-0) versus Thompson (9-0) squaring off at Alabaster with the winner claiming the 7A, Region 3 title, and Oak Mountain (6-2) at Hewitt-Trussville (7-2) with the winner taking third place in Region 3. In Class 1A, Region 1, Brantley (8-0) travels to Florala (7-1) with the region title on the line. And in Class 5A, Region 4, Holtville (6-2) hosts Sylacauga (7-1) with the winner capturing second place behind defending 5A state champion Central, Clay County (7-1).
    The NFHS Network link for Thursday’s Game of the Week is:
http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/gam4bafd9fdb3?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=ahsaa.com&utm_campaign=ahsaaweekly

• For information concerning the AHSAA TV Network’s WOTM cable availability, go to the following link:
  https://www.ahsaa.com/Portals/0/WOTM-Coverage-2019_1.jpg 

•  A subscription allows the viewer access to any events on the NFHS Network. Monthly and yearly subscriptions are available. For more information on how to subscribe, go to the following link:
  https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/subscribe/retail
• The complete AHSAA schedule of events set to be livestreamed over the NFHS Network tonight through October 17  can be found at:
  https://www.ahsaa.com/Portals/0/10-21%20NFHS%20Network%20events.pdf
• 
  For this week’s AHSAA Football rankings through last week’s games, go to:
  https://www.ahsaa.com/Portals/0/Sports/Football/Region%20Standings/2020/2020%20Region%20season%20standings%20%20Week%208.pdf?ver=KHqW5UgWwJBl9lBYNKx8NQ%3d%3d