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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Coosa Valley Rebels enter coach Vince DiLorenzo’s third season back in charge with new faces and are ready to make an impact in the AISA this year.

Their journey begins at Cornerstone on August 25, where they will take on their county rivals and try to take back the rivalry trophy from the Chargers. Cornerstone will have a week of experience after playing in Week 1, while Coosa Valley will hope that their Week 1 bye results in fresher legs for their team.

Then, they will start both their home and region schedule against Lowndes on September 1. Coosa Valley was shut out by Lowndes last year and will look to bring more offensive firepower to their home opener this year.

Coosa Valley will stay at home to play Lakeside on September 8 in the second of two straight region games. The Rebels hope that home-field advantage is the difference here as they wrap up three games within the county.

Next, they’ll hit the road to take on Pickens on September 15. Last year’s loss to Pickens was one of just two victories for the Pirates all season, which makes this matchup one that the Rebels could potentially flip in their favor this year.

After that, Coosa Valley returns home for back-to-back non-region home games against Banks on September 22 and Evangel Christian on September 29. While the Rebels lost to Banks last year, they beat Evangel Christian last year in Montgomery in a close 14-12 contest, and they’ll hope to repeat the feat this year at home.

They go back on the road afterwards to Crenshaw Christian on October 6 looking for another regional win.

Following that matchup, the Rebels take on Abbeville Christian on October 13. This will be a rematch of last season’s opener, and Coosa Valley hopes that having more experience under their belts will make the difference this year, while Abbeville will look to win again, this time on their home turf.

Coosa Valley will then wrap up their regional schedule and three game road trip against Southern Academy on October 21. If the region comes down to the wire, this game could potentially make the difference between reaching the playoffs and missing out, making this matchup one that both teams want to win.

Finally, the Rebels will end their 2023 regular season schedule against Sparta Academy. Last year’s matchup was another close win on the road for the Rebels, and they will look to make it two years in a row in Coosa Valley’s final home game of the season.