Tonight marks the third week of the football season, and we still have three undefeated teams. Maplesville has yet to play its second game, but that will change tonight. Last week was a rough week for most local teams. The record was 3-4. We hope that record will improve tonight. Here’s a look at tonight’s match-ups.

Carver-Montgomery at CCHS

Chilton County has had a couple of rough weeks, none worse than last week’s visit to Demopolis. Injuries have hit CCHS hard. The Tigers face another big challenge to get their first win of the season. Carver has a big offensive line, and they have run over their first two opponents in a big way. The Tigers must hope they can use their speed to match the Wolverines’ size.

Calera at Jemison

This game could be the best game of the night. These are two of the better teams in this region, and tonight’s game could go a long way toward determining home field advantage.

The Panthers have looked strong so far, but Calera will give them all they want. The Eagles are much more of a running team than last year’s pass-happy team that went to the Class 3A semifinals.

Jemison must force the Eagles into passing situations by limiting the running game. The Panthers must also have a solid running game of its own to complement the passing game.

Isabella at Vincent

The Mustangs aren’t getting any respect. They beat No. 6 Fultondale and still got less votes than the Wildcats in the poll this week. So, I don’t think Isabella will have a letdown, but Vincent offers a much more difficult task. The key players to watch from Vincent are Corey DeLoach, Keyon Wallace and Juwan Rogers. They are the keys to the Yellow Jackets’ hybrid spread attack.

Isabella must continue to run the ball effectively as they have the first two weeks. If they can mix in enough passing and limit their mistakes, the Mustangs should keep this one close and possibly have a chance to go 3-0.

Maplesville at Sunshine

It’s back to work for the Red Devils. The last three years, Maplesville has had a bye week one of the first two weeks. I know that must be difficult on the team because they get to play one less week than everyone else.

Maplesville should have no problem tonight, especially since Billingsley won 41-0 against Sunshine last week.

Verbena at Notasulga

This Devilish match-up features two teams in need of a win. Notasulga has yet to score in 2008, losing by a combined score of 85-0. Verbena should get back on track as long as they don’t commit too many turnovers.

Thorsby at Pickens County

Pickens County has given Thorsby trouble ever since they have moved up to Class 2A. The Rebels must find some offense to muster much more than its seven total points on the season if they hope to keep it close.

John Essex at Billingsley

The Bears should improve to 2-1 tonight as they continue through an easier part of their schedule this year. Before the next big test of Linden, Billingsley just needs to stay focused and keep everyone healthy.

Dadeville at Marbury

The Bulldogs have a tough test in the 2-0 Dadeville Tigers. I think Marbury will definitely keep it close because of their toughness, but the Dawgs must find a way to score more than two touchdowns this week. The only way to do that is to cut down on turnovers and take advantage of opportunities they missed the last two weeks.

– Brent Maze is the managing editor for The Clanton Advertiser. His column appears each Friday.