By Joshua Huff, sports editor
SPRINGVILLE – The Springville football team concludes the 2019 season this Thursday as the Tigers host Class 5A, Region 5 opponent St. Clair County in a game in which the loser wraps up region play winless on the year.
Of note: Both programs have failed to obtain a birth in the upcoming playoffs.
In fact, the teams have a combined record of 3-14, 0-12. Springville has recorded the only victories as the Fighting Saints have struggled through a difficult season mired by an inefficient offense and porous defense. St. Clair County has lost its previous two games by a combined score of 0-113.
The Fighting Saints have scored in double digits only twice this season. Overall, St. Clair County has scored only 63 points this season and has allowed 362 points.
St. Clair County’s winless season follows a 2018 campaign in which the Fighting Saints went 2-8 in head coach Matt Glover’s second year at the helm. In his first season in 2017, St. Clair County was a force in Class 5A. The Fighting Saints finished 10-4 and made it to the state semifinals before falling to Briarwood.
Since that loss, St. Clair County is 2-18.
Up next is a Springville team looking to win four games in a season for the first time since 2011. The Tigers, much like St. Clair County, remain winless in the region. Springville has won no more than two region games a season since 2011.
Springville has lost six of its past seven games with the only victory in that span coming on Sept. 27 against Crossville. The Tigers’ most recent loss came in a 56-20 defeat to Mortimer Jordan. The Blue Devils led 50-0 at the half behind senior Keondrick Hankins and back-up quarterback Daniel Parks.
Mortimer Jordan recorded 405 yards of total offense in the win.
The Springville loss to Mortimer Jordan concluded a region slate that, since Sept. 6, has included the likes of Sylacauga, Central Clay County, Center Point and Mortimer Jordan. All four of those teams are tops in the region; however, all of Springville’s opponents this season have an overall record of just 40-45.
The same goes for St. Clair County. The Fighting Saints had a four-game stretch starting at Mortimer Jordan on Sept. 13 that included Center Point, Sylacauga and Central Clay County in consecutive weeks. The Fighting Saints only scored 27 points in that span. They allowed 216 points.
Something must give in this battle of the winless. St. Clair County holds the all-time series record, 25-28, but a victory over Springville will come as a surprise as the Tigers are more than capable of uncapping an offense that has done relatively well at times this season.
