By By SCOTT COOPER – Sports Writer
As they prepare for Friday night's Battle of Murder Creek against the T.R. Miller Tigers, the Blue Eagles of W.S. Neal are coming off possibly their best performance of the season.
A 27-20 win over previously unbeaten and fourth-ranked Straughn raised the Blue Eagles' season record to 5-3 and kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4-2 Region 1 mark.
Neal head coach Jim Fountain put the victory in perspective by saying the win was important in more ways than one.
The annual battle against their cross-creek rival takes on even more importance this season, as the Blue Eagles can lock themselves into a Class 3A playoff position with a win. In the event of a Neal loss, a Clarke County win over Elba would give both Neal and Clarke County 4-3 regional records. In that scenario, Clarke County would get the playoff nod due to having defeated the Blue Eagles, 14-7, in an earlier meeting between the two teams.
Fountain paid tribute to the Tigers by saying Miller's year-in and year-out success can be attributed to an ample pool of quality athletes.
Although the Blue Eagles have a healthy respect for the Tigers and realize they must perform well to come away with a win, a confident Neal football team will make the short trip to Brewton Municipal Stadium Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.