By Joshua Huff, sports editor
SPRINGVILLE — Springville High School’s region struggles continued this past week after Center Point held the Tigers to just one touchdown in a 40-7 rout that sent Springville to 0-4 in Region 5 in a tie with winless St. Clair County (0-6, 0-4).
The Tigers are struggling through a 1-4 record since opening the season 2-0 with victories over Hayden and Ashville.
“We were outmanned, outcoached,” Springville head coach Michael Graben said following the loss to Center Point. “They’ve got so many athletes. For us, when we face teams with the same amount of athletes as we do, we’ve done really well. That’s a part of building up to where we can compete in games like this.”
Springville fell behind against Center Point from the onset thanks to two early touchdowns from Jayson Jones. The Eagle’s defense turned over the Tigers on two of their first three possessions, and both Anterrius Craig and RJ Orr followed with touchdowns of their own that effectively put the nail in the coffin before the first half ended.
“I like to have a few calls back,” Graben said. “But, our kids played hard, like they always do. I’m proud of them. We came out here in the second half and played hard. We told them to win the second half and they did.”
The Tigers next turn to a Moody team coming off of a 7-20 loss at Munford this past Friday. It was the third consecutive region loss for the Devils following an opening region victory over St. Clair County in week two. Moody sits at 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the region. The game will be the final away game for the Tigers this season.
With Center Point, Central Clay County, Mortimer Jordan and Sylacauga holding sway atop Region 5, the likes of Springville, St. Clair County and Moody have already punched its respective tickets into the offseason come playoff time. From here until the regular-season finale against St. Clair County, the Tigers will be looking to develop and harness momentum heading into offseason.
“First of all, those younger guys need to learn the plays,” Graben said. “Once they do, they’re going to be fine. We’re trying to build some depth. When we came into this season we felt like we had two good backs. One of them goes down the first Friday of practice, and Kobye (Payton) has been a warrior.”
Moody enters the contest tied with the lowest scoring offense in Region 5 and with the second lowest scoring offense in Class 5A. The Devils are only scoring on average 15 points per game while allowing 27 points per game on defense. Springville scores on average just 18 points per game and allows 27 points per game on defense.
The Tigers defeated Moody 23-14 in 2018.
