By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

The second of our two Games of the Week in Week 3 of the high school football season will pit Pelham and Homewood against each other for the third time in the last three years, and if it’s anything like the previous two matchups, we are in for a treat.

The last two years, this game has gone down to the final two minutes in each team’s season opener with Pelham falling 21-14 two years ago and 29-22 last year.

This year, while it has the potential to be another thrilling game, I also think there is a chance for one of these two teams to prove they are much better than the other this year.

In its first two games, the Pelham Panthers have looked dominant to say the least.

After falling behind Calera 21-0 in the first quarter of the Panthers’ season opener, they were able to bounce back and outscore the Eagles 45-3 the rest of the game and haven’t looked back since.

In Week 2 of the season, Pelham went on to dominate 5A Bibb County by a final score of 42-12, which puts them at outscoring their opponents by a combined 87-36 this season and 87-15 over the last seven quarters of play.

The biggest key in that two-week stretch has been the emergence of the defense. I knew Pelham’s offense was going to be one of the best in the state this season, but the defense stepping up and giving up just 15 points after that 21-point first quarter against Calera has been the biggest sign to show this team can compete for a championship.

I was a big believer in the Panthers winning the Class 6A, Region 5 championship coming into the season, and I’m an even bigger believer now with the defense stepping up playing the way it has. And in that game against Bibb County, the 12 points given up were late in the contest when the game wasn’t in reach at all.

The only question mark for this team has been at quarterback, but both Matthew Rye and Xavier Langford have shown positive signs. Rye is coming off a game in which he ran the ball nine times for 58 yards and a touchdown and was 3-of-6 passing for 80 yards and a touchdown. In that same game, Langford was 3-of-3 passing for 24 yards, while he also ran for a touchdown and 39 yards.

A reason for confidence in the offense, is because there are so many other skill players on that side of the ball. Brandon Sledge, Dylan Peterson and Jaylen Cook have not only emerged as solid running backs, but can play all over the field, especially Sledge who is off to a monster start.

He is coming of a game where he rushed five times for 26 yards and a touchdown, had a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown and recovered an onside kick, while the week before was even better with 100-plus yards on the ground.

Against Bibb County, Peterson had eight rushes for 41 yards and a touchdown, while Cook had a catch for 29 yards and a touchdown that saw him run over a defender, break another tackle and leap close to 5 yards into the end zone.

One other player worth mentioning, who can play on both sides of the ball if necessary, is Edward Gipson. Gipson is one of the most athletic playmakers in the county and takes away defenders on the offensive side of the ball from those other playmakers due to his ability.

That just breaks the surface on how talented this offense can be.

On the defensive side, Pelham has seen consistent and solid play from Ryan Jewell who is coming off a 10-tackle performance against Bibb County, while Braden Marlow, Patrick Durr, Phillip Duke, Cameron Carr and several others have stepped up defensively.

It’s a defense that is going to have its hands full with a solid Homewood quarterback in Larkin Williams, but the Panthers should have some confidence after seeing the Patriot’s lack of offensive production through the first two weeks combining for just 28 points after beating Hueytown 18-7 and losing to Vestavia Hills 17-10.

Homewood’s defense on the other hand has impressed in the first two games, allowing just 14 points per game so far, making this a matchup of Pelham’s 43.5 points per game offensively against Homewood’s 14 points per game defensively.

I could be completely wrong, but coming into this week’s game, I feel that Pelham is the better team hands down. Don’t get me wrong, Homewood is still one of the toughest teams in the state, but I am that high on Pelham right now.

Homewood is going to have to score points to stay in this game, and I haven’t seen them prove they can do that yet this year.

As long as the Panthers don’t come out nervous, and play with the same intensity and mentality they have through the first two weeks of the season, I expect them to walk out victorious.

Pelham 31, Homewood 17