Two teams are taking a midseason bye week as the Demopolis Tigers and Sweet Water Bulldogs are using their “11th” week now as opposed to the beginning or end of the season.
However, the other four Marengo County teams will be in action starting on Thursday with Marengo Academy hosting Patrician Academy.
The only in-county game this week is in Thomason as A.L. Johnson High School hosts Ellwood Christian for homecoming.
Linden and Marengo will be on the road in two tough games as both schools travel to face ranked teams in 2A and 3A respectively.

Marengo Academy meets Patrcian Academy for annual matchup
The Longhorns (3-1, 2-0) took care of business last week traveling to Tuscaloosa and coming away with a 51-0 victory over North River Chrstian.
It took MA all off 32 plays to rack up 346 total yards, 294 of which came on the ground. The two-headed backfield of Robert Tutt and Cameron Peppenhorst showed its might as Tutt ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and Peppenhorst added 73 yards and a score 10 carries.
This week, Marengo Academy meets the Patrician Academy Saints (1-3, 0-1) in AISA-A Region 2 action on a Thursday night at the Linden Athletic Field.
PA is not off to the hottest of starts under fifth year Head coach Jonathan Lindsey, suffering a tough 50-7 loss at Clarke Prep last week. However, this is a team with recent championship experience coming up short in the AISA-A title game in 2015 and will not be walk in the park come Thursday night.
Annual opponents, these teams have met every year since 1971 and exclusive on Thursday nights for the past four. The Longhorns have a slight edge in the all-time series, leading the Saints 23-22.
MA has come out on top in the last three games including last year’s 43-0 road shutout.

A.L. Johnson celebrates the past with homecoming against Ellwood
It’s homecoming week in Thomaston. A week full of fun and games for the everyday students, but a week of little more added intensity for the football team who doesn’t want to be the reason the week ends on a sour note.
Coming off a tough 34-0 loss to Marengo, the A.L. Johnson Eagles (1-4) look to end the week positively with a win against the Ellwood Christian Eagles (1-4) in a non-region contest composed of Class 1A opponents.
DeAndre Croom ran for some tough yards against MHS during last week’s contest, but without backfield mate Johnny Robertson, who was hobbled by injury on the opening contest, the Eagles were just unable to get the offense on track consistently before the defense eventually gave out in the loss.
Ellwood Christian comes in coming off a loss to the top ranked team in Class 1A Maplesville to the tune of 63-0. Maplesville lead 56-0 at halftime. The visiting Eagles haven’t scored in two weeks and have been outscored 214-40 coming into Friday night’s game.
Meeting for the fifth time in as many years, A.L. Johnson holds a 3-1 record against Ellwood Christian including a 32-18 victory that helped ALJHS secure a playoff berth in Class 1A Region 4 last season.

Linden meets Washington County in a battle of pride and power
When the Patriots travel to Chatom Friday night, Linden and Washington County may be battling in the biggest battle for bragging rights game between the state’s smaller schools.
Linden (4-0) is the second ranked team in Class 1A and has gone virtually unchallenged so far this season. The only time games have been close is at the start of the clock.
Last week, the Patriots rolled to 431 yards of offense and the defense was just as dominant holding the Millry Wildcats to just 131 yards of offense.
Charles Blackmon accounted for three touchdowns, one receiving from C.J. Robinson and two on the ground in the victory. Xavier McIntosh, Johnathan Biggs and Timothy Thurman, Jr. all found the endzone for the Patriots and DeAntonio Williams scored twice including the first touchdown of the game.
If it weren’t for a touchdown just over a minute into the season against Hillcrest-Evergreen, the Linden defense would be unblemished. Only one team in the state has given up less points than the Patriots seven points. Maplesville has yet to surrender a score of any kind.
Washington County Bulldogs (3-1), ranked seventh in Class 2A dispatched of 2A Region 1 opponent J.U. Blacksher 52-26 on the road. Austin Kinsey scored four times and racked up 224 yards on the ground. Kinsey even tossed a pass from under center 47-yards for another touchdown.
No team in this series, which is tied at 2-2, has ever claimed consecutive victories. Last season, Linden won 13-12 thanks to a last minute touchdown pass from Robinson to Blackmon. Kinsey left his mark on last year’s game as well, scoring on a 62-yard run early in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a lead.

MArengo High squares off with Mobile Christian for the first time
While there won’t be as much hype surrounding this week’s contest for the Panthers, playing well and competing hard is just as important.
Marengo High (3-1) travels down Highway 43 to face the Mobile Christian (3-1) in an inter-classification contest and the first ever meeting on the gridiron between the two squads.
While nothing is on the line as far as post-season, Panthers Head coach Eberne Myrthil mentioned after last week’s 34-0 win over rival A.L. Johnson that this week will be learning to execute and playing to the best of the team’s ability.
In last week’s win, senior quarterback Cordarius Pritchett accounted for three touchdowns in the shutout victory along with an interception from the safety position.
Although Mobile Christian has a one in the loss column, the team is truly undefeated with the loss coming courtesy of a forfeit from the season opening victory over Lighthouse Christian out of Florida when the Leopards self-reported using an ineligible player.
Last week, Mobile Christian knocked off T.R. Miller 27-19 in a battle of Class 3A Region 1 ranked teams by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.
Sophomore Eric Poellnitz was electric for in the contest scoring a receiving touchdown and on a kickoff return for 88 yards. Poellnitz finished with four receptions for 122 yards.
This will be the second of a stretch of three road games for the Panthers before returning to Dixon Mills on Oct. 07 for homecoming against J.F. Shields.