By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

After a dominating 40-6 win last week against Calhoun High School, the Keith High School Bears will look to stay on top of the food chain when they face region foe Maplesville on Friday night.

The Bears (1-0) will travel to No. 8 Maplesville (1-0) Friday night for a 7 p.m. showdown to open region play for both teams.

Keith head football coach Harry Crum said his team will face a considerable challenge when they play Maplesville.

“You always want to get that first win under your belt, and we did that last week against a Calhoun team that was very athletic, but I don’t delude myself. They are not Maplesville,” Crum said. “They don’t have the tradition that Maplesville has. I know it’s going to be a hostile environment.”

Crum’s Bears will face a Maplesville team that’s coming off a 35-14 win over Vincent High School last week and is trying to build off last season’s 12-1 finish.

Crum said his team is motivated by playing in the tough environment and will look to pull off the big win Friday.

“They have a long, storied tradition and we’re going in and we want to see if we can pull off a miracle,” Crum said.

The Bears will again rely on a strong running attack and defense.

Keith running back Rodney Ellis, who racked up more than 300 all-purpose yards against Calhoun, will lead a stable of runners against Maplesville.
“Hopefully we can get as many people in the action as we did the other night,” Crum said.

“Last Friday night, we had about six people that ran the football.”

Crum said the Bears will rely heavily on its defense against a Maplesville team that doesn’t stop until the whistle’s blown.

“Our defense did well in the jamboree and they did well last week,” Crum said.

“In order to be competitive, you’ve got to be sound defensively.”