Arab (1-5, 1-3) at Etowah (5-1, 3-1)
Last week’s results: Scottsboro 24, Etowah 20; Southside 31, Arab 10
2012 meeting: Etowah 30, Arab 13
Series record: Etowah leads 12-8
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Don’t let the record fool you. Arab High is not your typical 1-5 football team. Three of the Knights’ five losses were by five points or less.
“They’re good enough that they could easily be 5-1,” Etowah coach Drew Noles said. “They’ve been in every game but didn’t convert the plays necessary to win.”
That sounds suspiciously like last week’s Blue Devils team.
“We didn’t do the things it takes to win,” Noles said. “We had our chances but we blew them. Effort and desire aren’t a problem, though.
Etowah – page 3B
“These kids are playing hard. They’ve just got to do what we coach and they’ll be okay.”
Noles said that though he doesn’t like any loss, last week’s is the kind that his team can look back on and learn from.
Etowah has lost nine turnovers in the past two games – a statistic that makes winning very tough.
From stage left enters Arab, a team with a potent offense that “hasn’t been stopped by anyone.”
“They use a lot of backs and do a lot of shifting to try and confuse the defense,” Noles said. “Their offensive line is big and strong, so the backs have some good holes to run through.”
The Blue Devils currently are tied with Scottsboro for second place in Class 5A, Region 7, but the Wildcats hold the tiebreaker by virtue of last week’s win. Arab is tied for fourth place with Boaz.
Last week against Scottsboro, Kordell Rudolph was 14-of-21 in passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
Lamar Thomas caught four passes for 121 yards while Jordan Powell had four receptions for 43 yards.
Paul Ruiz led Etowah with 67 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Stacy Williams added 48 yards on 13 carries.