By Staff
Glen Jackson
FCT Sports Columnist
After winning their opening round playoff games at home last Friday, No. 4 Red Bay and No. 8 Russellville will play on the road tonight.
Below is a recap of the first week of the playoffs and a look at tonight's matchups.
Red Bay Tigers
The Red Bay Tigers used a powerful defense and a solid ground attack last Friday night as they advanced to the second round of the state playoffs by defeating Pleasant Valley 45-14.
Josh Senkbeil, who leads northwest Alabama in rushing yards, Anthony Horton and Cody Armstrong led the Tiger offense, which racked up six touchdowns.
Horton finished 4-of-8 passing for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and Senkbeil had three scores for a team-leading 25 touchdowns this season.
The No. 4 Tigers improved to 11-0 and will face Sand Rock (9-2) tonight on the road.
Red Bay will be without Horton, who was injured last Friday and will be out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL. The Tigers will start sophomore Cody Palmer, who played in Red Bay's spring game as Horton was rehabbing a previous ACL tear.
Russellville Golden Tigers
Cory Trapp wanted to be sure the No. 8 Golden Tigers advanced to the second round of the state playoffs Friday night. The senior quarterback, recovering from a pinched nerve, was 13-of-21 for 143 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Russellville defense, which is holding opponents to less than 14 points per game, came away with five turnovers, including two interceptions by Caleb Mitchell.
The Golden Tigers (10-1) will play at No. 1 Briarwood (11-0) tonight in a second-round matchup of two of the best teams in the state.
Glen Jackson is a guest columnist for The Franklin County Times. Jackson is president and CEO of Southeastern Athletics, Inc. He can be reached at (256) 332-5513.