By Joshua Huff, sports editor
The resurgent Center Point Eagles return to the field this Friday to face winless St. Clair County in a clash of Class 5A Region 5 foes. The Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak and remain undefeated (2-0) in the region.
Center Point made easy work of fellow region resident Munford, 32-12, this past Friday in the second week of region play for both teams. The Eagles have every intention of pushing their winning streak to three games when they travel to face the beleaguered Fighting Saints. The Eagles will wrap up their season with five out of their final six games on the road.
St. Clair County enters the contest 0-4 and has been outscored 42-147 this season. It fell to Mortimer Jordan, 49-7, this past Friday, which is a team that Center Point defeated in week three.
There’s not much history to dive into between Center Point and St. Clair County. The two teams have faced just once before, with the Eagles winning, 22-7, in 2018. Throughout the past three seasons, the Fighting Saints have seen a success 2017 campaign fall into obscurity with a substandard 2-8 season in 2018 and a winless season so far in 2019. The Fighting Saints sit alone in the cellar of Region 5, with Sylacauga at the top with a 4-0 (2-0) record followed by Central Clay County (3-0, 2-0) and Center Point (3-1, 2-0).
Photo By Ron Burkett
The Eagles relied on a stellar defensive performance and strong showings from Javon Davis and R.J. Orr in the victory over Munford. Orr finished the game with two receiving touchdowns and with an interception. Despite the victory, head coach George Bates remains far from pleased about how his team performed.
“You’re always blessed to get a win, but it won’t be one of those situations where we go and hoorah in the locker room. It’s going to be, we’ve got a long way to go,” Bates said. “We made too many mistakes, and we’ve got to have a great week of practice to get to where we want to be.”
Though it is not wise to overlook an opponent, the lack of a threat that the Fighting Saints pose is not the barometer for success that Bates hopes for. The Eagles are expected to cruise on Friday, but with a back-loaded schedule of away games that included Sylacauga and Central Clay County, the Eagles need all the quality competition they can get.
The next three opponents for the Eagles, St. Clair County, Homewood and Springville, have recorded a combined three wins at this point in the season. Their final three opponents, Sylacauga, Moody and Central Clay County, have won a combined eight games, with Moody accounting for the only losses.
