The Keith Bears (3-5) host their final home game of the season against region opponent the A.L. Johnson Eagles (1-7) on Friday night.

Both teams are tied for seventh place in Class 1A Region 3 with 1-5 region records. Keith and A.L. Johnson’s singular region win came against Ellwood Christian Academy (ECA).

The Bears defeated ECA 46-6, and the Eagles put up a season-high 50 points in the 50-30 win against ECA.

The rest of the region, however, has given both teams trouble.

Outside of the ECA game, the Eagles have scored only 30 points against the other five region teams they’ve faced.

Keith has performed slightly better scoring 50 points against the other region opponents, but the defense hasn’t been able to keep the games close.

As far as the game goes, it should be an offensive gun show between the Bears and the Eagles. Eagles quarterback Robin Harris is a tall athlete who is capable of making plays with his feet if the pass isn’t there. But defensive backs can’t peek into the backfield too much, because he can be a dangerous passer once he gets in sync with his receivers.

On the other hand, Keith’s tradition of running the ball would be an effective way to keep Harris and the Eagles offense off the field. The Eagles have allowed 51.6 points per game to opponents.

Southside at St. James

Southside’s final game of the season is a road region game against the St. James Trojans (7-1) in Montgomery.

At 0-9, the Southside Panthers have one opportunity remaining to get a win in the 2018 season.

The Trojans are perfect in Class 3A Region 3 games and sit at the top of the region standings, whereas the Panthers are at the bottom.

The Panthers hadn’t caught a break all season. Southside’s bye week isn’t until next week, and they haven’t been able to regroup and turn things around.

The Panthers struggled to score in the first four weeks of the season, but haven’t been able to stop anyone since they fixed their own scoring issues. Southside has allowed an average of 38.2 points per game to opponents this season, and haven’t held any team under 21 points.

The Trojans average 33.1 points per game and have scored more than 40 points in its past two games. They shutout Pike Road 28-0, defeated Beulah by 29 points and beat Montgomery Academy by 22. Those were the other top teams in the region, and they didn’t get close to the Trojans.

The Panthers are in danger of the programs first season without a win since 2000.

Selma vs. Aliceville

The Selma High Saints are trying to end their seven-game losing streak when they host the Aliceville Yellow Jackets (7-1) at Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

This non-region game doesn’t help a Saints team that won’t make the playoffs this season, but the opportunity to end the losing streak should have the Saints motivated for this game.

Selma is averaging 23 points per game against opponents, but they have only held two teams under 20 points this season.

Opponents are averaging 34.8 points per game against the Saints.

The Saints ended their region schedule last week against Wetumpka and finished at the bottom of the Class 6A Region 3 standings.

Dallas County at American Christian

The Dallas County Hornets (0-7) final region game of the season is a road contest against the American Christian Patriots (8-0).

The Hornets and the Patriots are on opposite ends of the Class 4A Region 3 standings, and the production numbers tell the same story.

This season, the Patriots have scored 359 points while allowing 79 to opponents, and the Hornets have scored 58 while allowing 261 to opponents.

The Hornets aren’t making the playoffs, but the team only has two games remaining to find a way to get in the win column. Dallas County has scored in its past three games, which is its longest streak of the season.

Meadowview Christian vs. Crenshaw Christian

The Meadowview Christian Trojans (0-8) will host the Crenshaw Christian Cougars (8-1) for its homecoming and senior night game on Friday night at Wasden Field.

It’s the final game of the season for the Trojans in their first year back in 11-man football. The return to the AISA has been a bumpy road for the football program, but they’ve made it to the end of the season.

The Trojans scored in five of its games this season, and held its opponents under 50 points in its past two games.

Crenshaw Christian is a playoff team, whose only loss came to No. 7 Pike Liberal Arts. The Cougars are averaging 31 points per game on offense and allow less than 10 points per game to its opponents.

The Trojans will celebrate its homecoming and recognize its seniors for fighting through a grueling season.

Ellwood Christian at No.2 Linden

Last week the Ellwood Christian Eagles (0-8) took 12 players to Isabella and lost 81-0. This week the team goes on the road to face the No. 2 Linden Patriots (8-0) on Thursday night.

The Eagles best game this season was the 50-30 loss to A.L. Johnson, when they were in the game until the team imploded in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots have earned their spot as the second-ranked team in Class 1A with their dominant play this season. Linden’s offense is averaging 41.9 points per game and limiting opponents to 8.9 points per game. Last week, the Patriots shutout A.L. Johnson 78-0. They defeated Class 6A Selma 20-16, and beat Keith 49-8.

ECA will have its hands full with a dominant offense with multiple weapons.

This is ECA’s last region game on the schedule, and they only have one more game left to play after Linden.