Bye week comes at perfect time for Pinson Valley with undefeated Gardendale on deck

By Joshua Huff, sports editor

PINSON — For the first time in recent memory — three years to be exact — Pinson Valley finds itself in a situation that is alien: the Indians have lost two games for only the first time since going 8-4 in 2016.

In that final year with Matt Glover at the helm, the Indians advanced into the second round of the playoffs before falling to Austin, 38-44. In the following years, the arrival of current head coach Patrick Nix has elevated Pinson Valley into a state champion as the Indians finished 15-0 in 2017 and 13-1 in 2018.

With each opponent circling Pinson Valley on the schedule, maintaining its position on the throne of Class 6A Region 6 has ramped up in difficulty. After the Indians’ recent region loss to Oxford, 33-34, they follow a bye week with a trip to yet another undefeated Region 6 foe, Gardendale.

Pinson Valley was just minutes away from recording its fourth consecutive win this season, but a tipped pass in the endzone fell into the waiting arms of an Oxford receiver. This follows two consecutive Indians touchdowns that propelled them into the lead.

Photo by Ron Burkett

Currently, Pinson Valley sits third in Region 6 behind only Oxford (5-0, 2-0) and Gardendale (5-0, 3-0). Shades Valley lags just behind at 1-1 in the region, but the Mounties will drawl the short straw if the two teams end the season deadlocked after the Indians won their week two matchup, 23-7.

Defense was not a concern going into the Oxford game. Pinson Valley had entered having allowed just one touchdown per game after its season-opening loss at Hewitt-Trussville. But, against a Yellow Jackets team that had not scored less than 40 points per game this season, the Indians’ defense struggled to contain the Oxford attack from the second quarter on.

Granted, the Indians did manage to hold the Yellow Jackets to less than 40 points (34), which is a small victory considering the damage Gardendale has dealt to opponents this season.

Offensively, Pinson Valley had little trouble moving the ball in the first quarter; however, the Oxford defense adjusted from man to zone, which caused all sorts of problems for the Indians. Pinson Valley would regroup late in the fourth quarter behind the magic hands of Keyonteze Johnson and GaQuincy McKinstry. The two receivers combined for 16 receptions with 266 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Barry White shook off a shaky second half to finish 18-for-40 with 312 passing yards, two interceptions and three touchdowns.

Schedule wise, the decision to include a bye week midway through the season is a brilliant move. The Indians even get another bye week on Oct. 24 following three consecutive region games, with two of three of those games on the road.

Win or lose against Gardendale, the Indians are still in good shape come the playoffs. Their remaining region games come against sub 500. opponents, Huffman and Pell City. Pinson Valley dispatched the two in 2018 with a combined score of 93-13.

Gardendale heads out of region play this week with a trip to Hazel Green. The Rockets remained undefeated this past week with a last-second victory over Clay-Chalkville. Garndendale was led by do-it-all senior Kendale Allen.

Allen recorded 64 snaps on offense against the Cougars. He had 11 catches for 225 yards and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. He notched two touchdowns in the game. On defense, he recorded 25 total tackles (18 solo) while playing 55 snaps. His tenacity and willingness to contribute on both sides of the ball is one of the reasons that the Rockets are undefeated and can claim of having the best defense, along with Pinson Valley, in the region through three games (only 48 points allowed).

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