Tigers, Trojans set for region battle

By Andy Brown

Published: October 2, 2007

It wasn’t quite as simple as option left, option right and Shyrone Parker up the middle, but it was pretty darn close.
Last season when the Tigers welcomed region-rival Charles Henderson to the Bluff City, then-Eufaula quarterback Jerrel Jernigan rushed for two touchdowns both of the 54-yard variety while leading a Tiger rushing attack that rolled up 299 yards on 29 attempts – an average of 10.3 yards per carry.
Chris Wilson scored on a 41-yard reverse and Chris Williams added a 5-yard touchdown for the Tigers en route to a 42-6 thumping of the Trojans.
The Eufaula defense was just as good, holding the Trojans to just 37 yards rushing on 29 carries and intercepting Charles Henderson quarterback Brent Poole twice.
Following the game, Charles Henderson head coach Hugh Fountain offered a simple explanation.
“They whipped us in all areas of the game,” he said. “They basically did whatever they wanted with us. Football is a pretty simple in that if you can’t block and tackle you can’t win. We didn’t do a good job of tackling and it showed up on the scoreboard.”
By that logic, one could deduce that these days the Trojans aren’t having too much trouble tackling their opponents. Through the first five games of the season, Charles Henderson owns a perfect record with wins over Wilcox-Central, Carroll, Tallassee, Valley and Class 6A Dothan.
The Trojans have yielded 72 points this season and have won their games by an average of 19 points.
That’s a stark contrast from last season when the Trojans entered their showdown with the then-No. 3 Tigers coming off back-to-back losses to Valley and Dothan. A loss to the Tigers made it three in a row.
No doubt Charles Henderson is looking for a little revenge following last season’s embarrassing loss at the hands of the Tigers, who went on to claim their fourth region title in five years and finish as the Class 5A state runner-up.
And while the Trojans certainly look the part of a contender for the region title, something Eufaula head coach Dan Klages predicted prior to the start of the season, they haven’t played a team the caliber of Eufaula yet this season.
As good as Charles Henderson’s defense has been the Eufaula defense has been even better.
The Tigers have yielded just 12 points in the last four games, and just 26 points on the season (Central-Phenix City scored a defensive touchdown and returned a punt for a touchdown in its 28-14 season-opening win over the Tigers).
I’ve heard some talk that maybe the undefeated Trojans should be favored. It’s not a crazy thought.
They’ve had some impressive wins this season. They always have talent and they’re at home.
But it’s hard to pick against the defending champion, especially when the defending champ’s lone loss is to a Class 6A school in the season opener which was also the first test for a host of Tigers, including first-year quarterback Zack Brown.
So, while the argument for Charles Henderson to be the favorite in Friday’s showdown is a good one, even compelling, I still lean toward the Tigers.
After all, Eufaula is still the region champ until someone knocks them off.