Series record: Westbrook 7, NSM 5
Last meeting: 2011 NSM 39, Westbrook 7
Last week: Westbrook Christian 35, Section 0; Fyffe 33, North Sand Mountain 23
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
Region 7 of Class 2A is mighty crowded with teams trying to make the playoffs. Fyffe is guaranteed a spot and has already won the region title.
Below that, however, is a morass of five teams jockeying for three postseason slots.
The top two of those squads are Westbrook Christian and North Sand Mountain, which have both lost only to Fyffe. Therefore, the winner of this game tonight (Oct. 26) in Rainbow City earns second place.
“All of that tiebreaking stuff gets mighty confusing,” Westbrook coach Tony Osborne said. “But we don’t want to have to deal with any of that. We want to win (tonight) and finish second. That’s our goal, but it’s also North Sand’s goal, of course.”
Osborne predicts a competitive, close game, as both teams are very similar on offense.
“Their offense presents a big challenge because, like us, they run a lot of formations and a lot of plays to try and take advantage of what the defense gives,” he said. “Their quarterback (Tyler Vann) is a challenge in himself. He’s got a good arm, but what makes him dangerous is what he can do running. We’ve got to keep him contained in the pocket.”
The Warriors are coming off a huge win over Section, while the Bison are coming off their turn to lose to Fyffe.
“Both teams will be fired up,” Osborne said. “It should be one of those games where the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.”
Last week against Section, Jonathan Ford completed 11-of-18 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Devernon Marshall caught four passes for 61 yards.
Jake Kilgo was the Warriors’ leading rusher with 68 yards on nine carries.