By Joshua Huff, sports editor.
PINSON — Prior to the start of the 2019 high school football season, Pinson Valley head coach Patrick Nix was in search of players who were ready to step into the role left behind by those who helped the Indians win consecutive Class 6A state championships.
That search continues this Friday as Pinson Valley travels to face undefeated Gardendale in what will be a redemption game for the Rockets following the Indians’ 42-7 victory in 2018.
Prior to the start of this season, Nix opened up to WBRC about the questions that surrounded a Pinson Valley team looking to return to its place atop Region 6.
“We have some talent, but it is raw,” Nix said at the beginning of August. “We are going to work them and see who has that ‘want to win’ mentality that it takes. Last two years we’ve had those kinds of guys. Do we this year? That’s the question. Have they worked hard? Yes. Do we have talent? I think so, but it takes everyone to win that last game in December.”
Photo by Ron Burkett
For the Indians, December remains a distant thought as they cling to the third playoff spot in Region 6 with Shades Valley and Huffman still within striking distance.
The time is now for a Pinson Valley team that lost a heartbreaker to Oxford, 33-34, on a last-minute fluke touchdown and a failed offensive drive deep within Yellow Jacket territory. Fresh off a bye week, the Indians now clash with a Gardendale team coming off of a dominating 35-7 victory over one-win Hazel Green.
Despite history being on Gardendale’s side (the Rockets lead the all-time series, 19-7) it faces a tough task this Friday with a Pinson Valley team set on cementing its claim to one of four playoff spots in Region 6. Pinson Valley has taken the road less traveled this season with games against all but one team below .500 (Shades Valley).
This Friday’s game will be the second consecutive game that Pinson Valley has played against an undefeated team. Gardendale, on the other hand, has blitzed through region play with easy victories over Huffman, 30-7, Pell City, 35-6, and a nail-biter of a victory over Clay-Chalkville, 38-35, on a last-second field goal.
Pinson Valley defeated that same Clay-Chalkville team, 31-7.
Of course, tying Gardendale’s undefeated record to its relatively safe schedule is ill-advised — Athens and Clay-Chalkville are the Rockets’ most impressive victories. Oxford entered the Aug. 30 showdown at Pinson Valley in much of the same fashion and proved in the second half that it is one of the toughest teams in Class 6A, Region 6, if not the state.
The Rockets enter this matchup with a quarterback in William Crowder who put up staggering numbers in just one half of play in the victory over Hazel Green. Crowder threw for 241 passing yards with two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing in just the first half.
Not to be outdone, the Gardendale defense has been a force this season. The Rockets are tied with Pinson Valley for second place in the region with just 48 points allowed in three region games. The Rockets are allowing only 14 points per game overall this season.
This past week, the Rockets were led by senior defensive end Amil Williams who had 1.5 sacks and a touchdown on a blocked punt. The defense forced seven three-and-outs and notched three sacks in the game.
The threat for Gardendale is that Pinson Valley nearly defeated a high-powered Oxford squad despite slogging through a brutal five-game stretch to open the season. The Indians enter this contest refreshed with the firm belief that it can compete with any team in the state. All Pinson Valley needs now is for Nix’s search for players ready to step up to come to a conclusion.
Who will those players be?
