Here’s what awaits football teams in The News Courier’s coverage area this week.

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Team: Athens (8-2, 3-2 in Class 6A, Region 7)

Opponent: No. 7 Oxford (8-2, 5-1 in Class 6A, Region 6)

All-Time Series: First Meeting

The Skinny: The Golden Eagles are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Athens will travel to face No. 7 Oxford, which has produced a strong season as well.

The Yellow Jackets are allowing just 14.4 points per contest defensively and their two losses have come against ranked teams in 6A No. 2 Clay-Chalkville and 6A No. 6 Hartselle.

The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, put together their best regular-season offensive output (39.2 PPG) under coach Cody Gross and are seeking their first playoff victory since 2019.

Athens lost to Hartselle and 6A No. 4 Muscle Shoals this season.

Quotes of Note: “It’s always a big deal to be in the playoffs. It’s an expectation we have here in Athens that we haven’t met the last couple of years, so it’s just good to be one of the 32 teams still practicing in 6A.” — Athens’ Cody Gross

“We’ve got a heck of a challenge ahead of us. Oxford’s a perennial powerhouse in the state and this year is no exception. They have a real stingy defense and an explosive, high-flying offense, so there is no deficiency in their team. But we get to go down there and give them our best shot.”

Team: James Clemens (7-3, 6-1 in Class 7A, Region 4)

Opponent: Hoover (4-6, 4-3 in Class 7A, Region 3)

All-Time Series: Hoover leads 2-0

The Skinny: The Jets return to the playoffs for the second time in three campaigns under coach Chad McGehee after claiming their fourth region title since 2018.

The Buccaneers suffered their first losing season since 1998 but rallied to win three of their last four games — the lone loss coming to 7A No. 2 Thompson — to grab a seat at the postseason table under second-year coach Wade Waldrop, who guided James Clemens to 54 wins from 2013-20.

Prior to taking over at James Clemens, McGehee served as Hoover’s defensive coordinator for three years under then-coach Josh Niblett.

The Jets are looking to advance to the second round for the first time since 2019.

Team: Tanner (7-3, 6-0 in Class 2A, Region 8)

Opponent: Lamar County (7-3, 4-2 in Class 2A, Region 5)

All-Time Series: Tanner leads 2-1

The Skinny: The Rattlers delivered a tremendous 2023 performance under sixth-year coach Oscar Bonds, winning the program’s first region title since 2016 while averaging 39 points per game.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, won their first six contests before stumbling down the stretch, dropping games against Aliceville, Sulligent and Winfield and finishing fourth in their region.

Lamar County can score, though, averaging 33.7 points per game and could test a Tanner defense that’s been a solid unit all season, allowing just 19.9 points per game while forcing numerous turnovers.

The Rattlers hope to advance to the second round for the second time in three seasons.

Quotes of Note: “Traditionally, Lamar County has always been a pretty tough team for us to play. When we played them two years ago, we beat them by just a touchdown, so it’s going to be a competitive and physical game.” — Tanner’s Oscar Bonds

“Our guys have been working hard all year. When we started off 0-2 there were a lot of doubters, but they worked to get to this point and they’re playing to make the community proud.”