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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Vincent broke through in a big way last year by winning their first playoff game since 2011.

Now, the Yellow Jackets enter 2023 with an identical regular season schedule to the last year’s where they only lost one game all season.

They’ll start the 2023 regular season with a trip to non-region opponent Ragland on August 25. Last year’s match was one of Vincent’s closer games of the regular season, as the Jackets took a 41-26 win. Ragland will look to get revenge this year now that they are on their own home turf.

Then, Vincent starts their home schedule with a matchup against Winterboro on September 1. The game will be a great chance for Vincent fans to see the new faces on their team after a week of experience on the road.

The Jackets will then begin their quest for a regional championship with a home game against Central Coosa on September 8. Last year’s contest was a dominant opening statement to the rest of the region, and the Jackets hope that this year will bring similar results at home.

Afterwards, they’ll travel to Fayetteville on September 15 for the first of back-to-back road games. Fayetteville will also look for revenge after last year’s shutout loss, which was part of three straight shutout wins for the Jackets.

Then, Vincent takes on B.B. Comer on Thursday, September 21 in what could be one of the games of the season regardless of classification. Vincent’s one-point loss last year at home was the only blemish on an otherwise spotless regular season. This year, the scene shifts to B.B. Comer, where the meeting between the two sides could decide the regional championship and playoff positioning once again.

The Jackets will then have a brief break from regional play, but it won’t be any less pressure-filled as they face local rivals Childersburg on September 29. Both teams will show up ready for battle, but Childersburg may come in with even more motivation after losing last year with hopes of taking down their successful neighbors on Highway 280.

Vincent will close out their three-game homestand against Ranburne on October 6 and Woodland on October 13. The matchups are also Vincent’s last home contests of the regular season, and they look to use these games to build momentum to carry into their season-ending road trip and a potential playoff berth.

The first of Vincent’s final two road games is against Isabella on October 20, another rematch of a close contest from last year. The Jackets won the game by just seven points last year, and this year will be a tougher challenge as they have to go on the road to repeat the feat. This could be another game that determines playoff positioning or even the regional title as the second-to-last region game of the year.

Vincent’s last regional game is also their regular season finale, and they will take on Thorsby on October 27. This is the last chance for either team to make a statement before the playoffs, and if any playoff spots or seed order is yet to be determined going into this game, expect a highly-competitive game.

Vincent will have their bye week as the final week of the season as they hope to utilize it as a rest period before embarking on another deep playoff run for the second straight season.