Madison County, Guntersville looking forward to non-region challenge

Scott Sharp enjoys a challenge.

Dominoes. Checkers. Horseshoes.

Doesn’t matter.

If the Madison County football coach is competing, he wants an opportunity to face the best.

Sharp applies that principle in his paying gig, as well.

During his tenure as a high school football coach, when it comes to scheduling, the philosophy is simple: Non-region weeks are great opportunities to play tough competition and games with regional interest.

This week’s contest checks both boxes.

Fourth-ranked (4A) Madison County makes the short trek across the Tennessee River Friday night to play fifth-ranked (5A) Guntersville. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

“Playing up against stiff competition is a great opportunity to prepare your team for what they might face if you’re fortunate enough to get into the postseason,” Sharp said. "This is the third week (this season) where we’ve played up in classification.

“At the end of the year, it makes you better. Or, at least that’s my opinion.”


Make no mistake, Madison County (5-0) has its eyes on postseason prizes.

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A year ago, Madison County played well into November, reaching the Class 5A quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Central-Clay County.

Once again, there are lofty expectations in Gurley.

Madison County opened the season with overtime wins against Buckhorn (6A) and Boaz (5A) before reeling off three consecutive region wins — by wide margins.

But the teeth of Madison County’s Class 4A, Region 7 schedule comes in the second half of the season —on the nearby horizon — with games against perennial power and fifth-ranked Madison Academy, along with a North Jackson team that clearly is on the rise.

That’s one reason why, for Madison County, this week’s trip to Guntersville offers so much intrigue.

“This is one of the best teams we’ll face this season,” Sharp said. “They’re talented. They’re well-coached. They’re just a great program, which makes this good barometer for where we are at as a team, and where we need to improve to reach our goals.”

On the opposite side of the river, the feeling is mutual.

Since the Alabama High School Athletic Association debuted its playoff era in the mid-1970s, there are not many Tennessee Valley programs that can rival Guntersville’s postseason appearances.

Guntersville has made 29 postseason appearances in the past 36 year, and the Wildcats only have missed the playoffs twice in the past two decades.

Once again, Guntersville (5-0) appears poised to continue its season into November.

After receiving a forfeit from East Limestone in the season-opener due to COVID-19 related concerns, Guntersville has reeled off four-straight wins while averaging 45.5 points per game. That span includes a 35-9 win at Class 6A Arab.

“Overall, I like the progress we’ve made as a team,” Guntersville coach Lance Reese said. "We’ve done some good things offensively and defensively, and we’ve been sound on special teams.

“With that said, we haven’t faced a team that has the kind of speed we’ll see this week against Madison County. This is a game where we’ll get a good gauge on how we stack up against the type of teams we’ll face in the postseason.”

Madison County and Guntersville are not strangers. Separated by 30 miles — and the Tennessee River — the two programs are natural rivals who, during the past decade, have made football a reason to celebrate an annual reunion.

Guntersville leads the series with a 16-3 record, and then Wildcats have won six of the past seven meetings, including last season’s 49-42 shootout.

“This has become a pretty good series,” Reese said. “Up until this year, we had been in the same region. On top of that, our two schools are similar. They’re located close to us, so a lot of our players know their’s. And Coach Sharp is a guy I’ve got a lot respect for. All that combined, this is a game our players and fans look forward to playing each year.”

In four games, Guntersville has given up just four touchdowns — against Arab, Fairview, Crossville and Douglas. On the flip side, the Wildcats have been highly efficient on offense.

Last week, during a 50-0 drumming of Class 5A, Region 7 opponent Douglas, junior receiver Cooper Davidson caught three passes for 60 yards and three touchdowns, and he also returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown.

Logan Pate added 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Guntersville on 11 carries, and D’Wayne Hundley intercepted two passes.

“They pose a lot of challenges on both sides of the ball,” Sharp said. “When you watch them on film, it doesn’t take long to see that they’ve got a lot of tough, physical players. But that’s what you always expect from Coach Reese’s teams.”

Madison County’s season has followed similar themes.

Through five games, Madison County has averaged 36.8 points per game, with the Tigers scoring a season-high 70 against region opponent New Hope.

Madison County also features one of the state’s top defensive tackles in Kevin Montague, a 6-foot-3 and 240-pound senior who was an all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association a year ago.

Last week against Randolph, Montague recorded eight tackles with six sacks and blocked a field goal attempt.

“Kevin has played especially well,” Sharp said. "Every week, you know Kevin is going to lay everything he’s got on the line and play at a high level.

“Now that we’re about to enter the meat of our schedule, we’re going to need a lot from Kevin, and everyone else on our team. The next few weeks of our schedule are extremely tough, but as competitors, you love the challenge.”

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