Atmore’s three area teams will host games on Friday this week. For Escambia County High School and Escambia Academy, this will be the regular season finale.

 

Baker at Northview

The Northview Chiefs will spend this week preparing for a district championship showdown against the undefeated Baker Gators in Bratt.

Chiefs coach Sid Wheatley said Baker has good balance on offense, with a mixture of run and play-action pass.

“The defense will be up to the challenge,” Wheatley said.

The Chiefs defense played well in a loss last week to Walton, where the offense coughed up the ball five times with three interceptions and two fumbles.

The two teams have had two common opponents in other district foes Jay and Freeport. Baker beat Freeport 56-14 and took care of Jay in a close game, 21-13.

Northview shutout both opponents, beating Jay 26-0 at Jay and beating Freeport 35-0 on homecoming night.

Freeport is currently winless, while Jay is 4-4. Both teams are 0-2 in Class 1A, Region 1, play.

 

Baldwin County at ECHS

ECHS comes into Friday’s contest with confidence in their passing game, after giving No. 10 Andalusia all it could handle in a 48-32 loss on the road.

The Baldwin County defense hasn’t given up less than 34 points all year, according to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society website, but coach Lev Holly said the team’s not worried about what BCHS has done so far this season.

“It’s not about Baldwin County,” he said. “It’s about us. That’s what we’ve been preaching for the last five weeks.”

Holly said the team has gotten better every week, but he admitted that the Blue Devils’ longest-running rivalry, at 86 games, is an important one.

“I feel like it’s going to be a big game,” Holly said. “We’re approaching it like it’s business as usual. We want to finish strong and that’s the mindset right now.”

Holly said he feels confident in both aspects of the offense, running and passing, and that they’ll use whatever is working to attack the Tigers.

BCHS has yet to win a game, losing to Robertsdale last week. The Blue Devils have one win, against region rival Monroe County.

 

Macon-East at EA

The Cougars needed a last-second score last year to beat Macon-East 26-21 on the road. This year, coach Hugh Fountain and his team are trying to be part of history, to become only the third football team at EA with nine wins. A win at home against Macon-East gets them there.

To beat Macon-East, the Cougars will have to stop the run, Fountain said.

Escambia Academy is 3-0 against Macon-East. Before the game last year, EA hadn’t met Macon-East since 1997 when they beat them 34-3. They also played in 1996 with the Cougars coming out on top, 41-16.

Macon-East, which sits at 3-6 on the year, beat Pike Liberal Arts 34-13, but lost to Glenwood, 45-21.

EA beat both of those common opponents. They torched Glenwood in the season opener, 53-26 and took care of Pike Liberal Arts, 50-8.