By Staff
Scot Beard
VINA – After opening the season with an impressive victory over Shoals Christian the Vina football team has slipped, dropping games to region foes Mount Hope and Hazlewood.
Despite their 1-2 record, the Red Devils are not out of the hunt for a playoff berth yet.
If the Red Devils defeat R.A. Hubbard tonight – and all the other teams in the region that are favored to win pull out victories – Vina would be in playoff contention.
Assuming Hazlewood defeats Waterloo, the Golden Bears would have four region wins and would be in first place. If Speake beats Mount Hope, the Bobcats would improve to 3-1 and retain second place in the standings.
If Phillips defeats Tharptown they would have a 2-1 record in the region while Waterloo, R.A. Hubbard and Vina would all have two wins each. That would create a four-way tie for the final two spots for playoff berths.
Vina and R.A. Hubbard have played two common opponents so far this season – Hazlewood and Shoals Christian.
The Golden Bears defeated both teams, beating R.A. Hubbard 37-13 in the opening week of the season and shutting out Vina 45-0 last week.
Both teams beat Shoals Christian. Vina opened the year with a 22-13 victory over the Flame while R.A. Hubbard pounded the Flame 31-7 last week.
Vina has been plagued by turnovers the last two weeks. If the Red Devils can get that under control and pick up a crucial road win tonight, they will regain control of their playoff destiny.