By DAN BISER

A year ago, the West Columbus-Red Springs football game was one of the biggest in the Southeastern 1A-2A squads. West Columbus came away with a 26-24 win in that key meeting and that vaulted the Vikings to a runnerup finish in the conference.

This year, both the Vikings and Red Devils are faced uphill battles and each will be out for their first conference win of the year when they meet Friday night at 7:30 at Red Springs.

West Columbus is 1-5 and riding a five-game losing streak. The Vikings opened conference play last Friday a 24-13 loss to Fairmont.

Red Springs is 1-6 and 0-2 in the conference after getting bounced by previously winless West Bladen 47-22 last Friday.

Coach Vernon Brigman’s West Columbus team held a brief 13-12 lead over Fairmont before the Tornadoes registered two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out the win and spoil the Viking Homecoming. The Vikings had two touchdowns called back due to penalties in lasst week’s game.

Red Springs, which posted a 9-3 record last year, picked up its only win of the season last month with a 34-29 win over East Columbus, getting the game’s winning points on a touchdown with less than a minute remaining.

The West Columbus offense has had to rely on the multiple talents of junior back Travis Leggett this season. In last week’s game. In the Stallions last three games, Leggett had broken four touchdown runs of at least 57 yards and he threw a touchdown pass to Courtney Hayes against Fairmont.

Tabor City native Clay Jernigan is in his first season as Red Springs head coach after serving as an assistant on the Red Devil staff.

West Columbus and Red Springs join Southeastern conference rivals South Robeson and West Bladen as teams that have only one victory thus far this season.