Bobcats have region championship in sights
Published 12:05 am Thursday, October 20, 2016
![Hennis Washington and the Opp Bobcats look to win their region on Friday night. Josh Dutton/Star-News](https://www.andalusiastarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/10/1020-spt-Opp.gif)
Hennis Washington and the Opp Bobcats look to win their region on Friday night.
Josh Dutton/Star-News
The Opp Bobcats have a chance to clinch the top spot in Class 3A, Region 2 when they travel to Daleville Friday night for the final region contest of the season.
“I expect it to be a pretty intense game,” Opp head coach Brent Hill said. “You have two teams going up against each other that haven’t lost a region game. It’s pretty simple at this point, you win and you are region champions and if you lose you are runner-up.”
Hill said that his Bobcats know what is at stake on Friday night.
“This is one of those situations where it’s one of your biggest games of the year,” Hill said. “It’s for the region championship. These are two teams that have worked really hard to get to this point. Our kids know what’s on the line Friday night.”
The Bobcats have been explosive on offense this season and have out scored opponents 339-156.
Opp comes into the game on three game winning streak. The Bobcats only loss of the season came to Class 4A’s No. 1-ranked Andalusia Bulldogs.
Daleville comes into the contest on a seven-game winning streak since losing its opener to Class 5A Carroll-Ozark.
Daleville has scored 280 points while giving up 175 in eight games this season.
“They are just as an explosive team as we are,” Hill said. “They are a triple-option team that is very good at what they do. There are three guys on their offense that can run with anyone that we have.”
Hill said that the Bobcats must limit Daleville’s big-play opportunities.
“We have to be able to keep them from hitting on big plays,” Hill said. “We also have to get them into second and third-and-long situations. They want to run the ball and we have to be able to get them away from what they want to do. There hasn’t been many times this year that teams have been able to that to them.”
The winner of the contest will be the region champion and the loser will be the runner-up. Both teams have secured home field in the opening round of the playoffs.
Kickoff between Opp and Daleville will be 7 p.m., Friday in Daleville.