A key Class 7A matchup that could determine a region title and two key games in Class 4A highlight a huge slate of high school football in north Alabama.

Here are five matchups to watch in Week 9 of the season:

AUSTIN (7-0) AT JAMES CLEMENS (5-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. Friday, Madison City Stadium, Madison

Last week: Austin beat Bob Jones 42-28. James Clemens lost to Sparkman 15-14.

Last year: Austin won 28-7.

Region records: Austin is 5-0 in Class 7A, Region 4; James Clemens is 4-1.

ASWA rankings: Austin is ranked No. 8 in Class 7A. James Clemens is not ranked in Class 7A.

The skinny: A huge matchup in a chaotic Class 7A, Region 4 will be one of the biggest games in the state this week. The two Class 7A powers will head into this one with plenty at stake, with this contest acting as a defacto-area championship game. An Austin win would give the Black Bears their first Class 7A, Region 4 title since 2022. If the Jets win at home, they’ll have to beat an Albertville team that currently sits at 0-7 to claim their second straight region title. With an injury seeing star running back Gavin Fuqua exit against Bob Jones, Jeremy Perkins said he is unsure of the Austin standout’s status ahead of this matchup. Still, both teams have plenty of talent on offense and defense ahead of this huge matchup with the highest stakes of the season on the line.

CENTRAL-FLORENCE (6-1) AT WEST MORGAN (7-0)

Time/location: 7 p.m. Friday, Rebels Stadium, Trinity

Last week: Central-Florence beat East Lawrence 49-14. West Morgan beat Danville 61-14.

Last year: West Morgan won 56-14.

Region records: Central-Florence is 4-1 in Class 4A, Region 7; West Morgan is 5-0.

ASWA rankings: West Morgan is ranked No. 5 in Class 4A. Central-Florence is not ranked.

The skinny: Already matching its win totals from the last two seasons, a strong Central-Florence team will head into Trinity and take on a West Morgan squad that has won 21 regular-season games and gone 18-1 in region games over the last three seasons. This monster nine-team region has seen plenty of chaos already with Brooks, Hatton, Deshler and West Limestone all sitting at .500 or better in region play. A victory for West Morgan would certainly help push Drew Phillips’ squad one step closer to a second straight region title, but a matchup against a tough Deshler team follows a game against winless Wilson. As for Central-Florence, which hasn’t won a region title since 2013, a win would provide confidence in a tiebreaker if the Wildcats win their remaining slate of Hatton and Danville.

NORTH JACKSON (5-2) AT WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN (5-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. Friday, Earl Van Dyke Stadium, Huntsville

Last week: North Jackson lost to Plainview 33-32. Westminster Christian beat Madison County 40-21.

Last year: Westminster Christian won 56-35.

Region records: North Jackson and Westminster Christian are both 4-1 in Class 4A, Region 8.

ASWA rankings: North Jackson is ranked No. 8 in Class 4A. Westminster Christian is not ranked.

The skinny: This matchup between two solid Class 4A squads will mean all the difference in a highly competitive Class 4A, Region 8. With both teams sitting at 4-1 in region play behind Randolph, who is 5-0 in Class 4A, Region 8, a loss could be the difference maker in hosting a first-round playoff game and traveling on the road for the first round. While North Jackson owns the all-time series over the Wildcats (5-3), Westminster Christian has won the last two matchups and scored at least 55 points in both. Who will win this year’s matchup and move one step closer to a home playoff game?

ARAB (5-2) AT SCOTTSBORO (6-2)

Time/location: 7 p.m. Friday, Pat Trammell Stadium, Scottsboro

Last week: Scottsboro lost to Guntersville 34-7. Arab had a bye week.

Last year: Scottsboro won 28-14.

Region records: Arab is 3-1 in Class 5A, Region 8; Scottsboro is 4-1.

ASWA rankings: Scottsboro is ranked No. 9 in Class 5A. Boaz is not ranked.

The skinny: A loaded Class 5A, Region 8 will see two of three one-loss teams in regional play face each other with high stakes. With Scottsboro having a bye before its season finale against non-region foe Mars Hill Bible, a victory would guarantee the Wildcats a first-round home game in the Class 5A playoffs. The Knights still have a matchup against rival Boaz on its schedule, but a victory against Scottsboro would still be necessary for Arab to host a first-round playoff game. While Arab has won two of the last three in the series, Scottsboro has won seven of the previous nine matchups and leads the all-time record 21-42-2.

JASPER (5-2) AT HARTSELLE (6-1)

Time/location: 7 p.m. Friday, J.P. Cain Stadium, Hartselle

Last week: Jasper beat Muscle Shoals 49-48. Hartselle beat Athens 21-19.

Last year: The two teams did not play last season.

Region records: Jasper is 2-2 in Class 6A, Region 7; Hartselle is 4-0.

ASWA rankings: Hartselle is No. 9 in Class 6A. Jasper is not ranked in Class 6A.

The skinny: After knocking off previously unbeaten Muscle Shoals last week in a 49-48 last week, the Vikings will head into J.P. Cain Stadium on Friday looking to play spoiler yet again against a Hartselle team that’s unbeaten in Class 6A, Region 7. This will be the first all-time meeting between the two teams after Jasper moved from Class 5A this offseason. A win would put Jasper one step closer to its first playoff appearance since 2022, with the Vikings not winning a playoff game since 2019’s team that had an undefeated regular season in Class 5A. As for Hartselle, which is looking to win its third region title in four seasons, a win or a loss would still set up a defacto Class 6A, Region 7 title game against Muscle Shoals next weeks for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs; the top two seeds would likely host Gardendale, Mortimer Jordan or Minor with Parker and Homewood sitting atop the region and playing for the Class 6A, Region 5 region title this week.

Editor’s note: Updated ASWA rankings are published every Wednesday at 5 a.m. on AL.com.

Thursday’s games

Buckhorn at Mae Jemison, Milton Frank Stadium

Friday’s games

Appalachian at Woodville

Arab at Scottsboro

Ardmore at East Limestone

Asbury at Sylvania

Austin at James Clemens

Bob Jones at Albertville

Brindlee Mountain at Collinsville

Central-Florence at West Morgan

Cleveland at Falkville

Columbia at Athens

Cullman at Decatur

Danville at Hatton

D.A.R. – Open

Decatur Heritage at Red Bay

Douglas at Brewer

Elkmont at Colbert County

Fort Payne at Hazel Green

Guntersville at Boaz

Holly Pond at Fyffe

Huntsville at Florence

Jasper at Hartselle

Lee-Huntsville – Open

Madison County at Randolph

New Hope at Plainview

North Jackson at Westminster Christian

Pisgah at Gaston

Pleasant Valley at North Sand Mountain

Priceville at Lawrence County

St. John Paul II at Madison Academy

Section – Open

Sheffield at Clements

Sparkman at Grissom, Milton Frank Stadium

Tanner – Open

West Limestone at Deshler

Whitesburg Christian at Geraldine

Games in Madison County:

Sparkman at Grissom, Milton Frank Stadium

St. John Paul II at Madison Academy

Madison County at Randolph

Fort Payne at Hazel Green