The Bama Buzz Game of the Week: Muscle Shoals hosts Hartselle with region title on the line
Reading time: 3 minutes
It’s the final week of region play for a lot of teams around the state which means most playoff spots and region titles will be decided by Saturday morning.
But it’s also rivalry week for some teams which adds a little extra drama to the mix. Our highlighted game features a pair of North Alabama teams that brought us one of the best games of 2023. Here’s what you need to know:
- Who: #6 Hartselle Tigers (7-1) at Muscle Shoals Trojans (5-2)
- Where: James F. Moore Stadium, 1900 Avalon Ave, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661
- When: 7PM, Friday, Oct. 25
- Tickets: $9 | Buy here
The winner of this game will claim the 6A Region 7 championship as well as a top seed for the state playoffs.
Keep reading to learn more about both teams + check out a quick list of other games to watch across the state this week
Hartselle Tigers
After losing the season opener by a single point in double overtime, Hartselle has reeled off seven consecutive wins.
That win streak has included four shutouts and a 5-0 start to region play. It’s the first time in more than 100 years the program recorded four straight shutouts.
Dating back to 2021, the Tigers have won 21 of its last 22 region games including back to back region championships. However, the lone region loss during that span was last year’s 55-49 defeat to Muscle Shoals in double overtime—a result that gave the Trojans the region title.
This season, Hartselle has outscored its opponents by an average of 28 points per game. The 10.8 points allowed per game ranks third best in all of 6A while its 38 points per game is fourth best.
Muscle Shoals Trojans
The Trojans were set up to also be unbeaten entering this week’s region finale but they were upset by Jasper, 49-48, a loss that ultimately knocked the team out of the 6A rankings.
However, a win Friday would still put them in a tie for first place with Hartselle and the head-to-head tiebreaker would give Muscle Shoals its second consecutive region title.
While Hartselle sports one of the best scoring defenses in 6A, Muscle Shoals thrives behind its offense. The Trojans have averaged 46.1 points per game which ranks first in the classification and 14th in the entire state.
Muscle Shoals currently trails the all-time series with the Tigers, 17-12-1. The Trojans have not defeated Hartselle at home since 2017.
Other Week 9 games to watch
We are not going to dive into every matchup with playoff implications or explore tiebreaking scenarios because I don’t want to keep you here for hours (you can ask me specifics on my Twitter account if you have questions about your team or region).
But we will highlight every game in the state that is a winner-take-all situation for region championships, many of them in smaller classifications. Here are the games to watch:
- Class 5A Region 2: #1 Catholic Montgomery at Andalusia
- Class 4A Region 4: #2 Pleasant Grove at #7 Bibb County
- Class 4A Region 5: Dora at #5 Good Hope
- Class 3A Region 1: #1 T.R. Miller at Bayside Academy
- Class 3A Region 8: #8 Geraldine at #5 Fyffe
- Class 2A Region 8: #8 Decatur Heritage Christian at #6 Winston County
- Class 1A Region 3: Linden at University Charter School
- Class 1A Region 6: #1 Wadley at Winterboro
What are you most looking forward to in Week 8? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
