Northridge Jaguars

After several teams took the week off last week to prepare for the second half of the schedule, most of Tuscaloosa county is back and ready for more area play. Three different 6A Region 4 matchups might be the difference makers for teams to make a playoff run. In addition, several surprise teams have matchups that could affect their comeback seasons.

Friday night, the Northridge Jaguars (6-0, 3-0) took down the undefeated Gordo Green Wave (5-1, 3-0) 17-13. While these teams have deep football roots in Tuscaloosa county, this is the first time that both teams have played. Junior Northridge running back LiEric Street led the Jaguar offense by rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

One of the most anticipated West Alabama high school football matchups of the week has been moved. The Gordo Greenwave (5-0, 3-0) was scheduled to host the Northridge Jaguars (5-0, 3-0) on Thursday at Pickens County High School. The kickoff has been moved to Friday Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Pickens County High School.

This week, many of the Tuscaloosa-area schools are looking at off weeks, but many other schools in west; Alabama are taking on cross-division and even cross-class showdowns. These may not affect playoff races, but they can definitely halt some of the valuable momentum that teams have been storing as they progress through the season.

The Northridge Jaguars (5-0, 3-0) took care of business Friday night against the Brookwood Panthers (0-5, 0-3) with the help of their potent running attack. The Jaguars had four different ball carriers with touchdowns on their way to the 45-16 rout, including junior Lieric Street who contributed 130 yards and a touchdown.

Last week, Tuscaloosa-area schools didn’t look great. Besides a miracle in Wetumpka by Hillcrest, west Alabama was full of blowouts. Still, this week provides several big area matchups that could be big statement wins for a few schools in a rut.

While the thermometer still registers in the high-eighties, going into week four makes it feel more and more like fall and football season. Not all Tuscaloosa-area schools are competing in area matchups, but there are still some big games to look out for.

As another electric week of high school football in the state of Alabama comes to an end, some teams in the Tuscaloosa area are looking fierce early on.

Tonight, the Northridge High School Jaguars (3-0, 1-0) won a hard-fought game against the Paul W. Bryant Stampede (0-3, 0-1) with the final score of 20-12.

Friday night, Northridge High School (2-0, 0-0) made a statement with a 26-0 win over Central High School (Tuscaloosa) (1-1, 0-0).