Football Game Preview: Decatur Red Raiders vs. Columbia Eagles

Decatur is a perfect 9-0 against Columbia since September of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Red Raiders will welcome the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Decatur will be strutting in after a win while Columbia will be coming in after a defeat.

Decatur headed into their last contest having not scored more than 13 points for five straight, but Lee let them put that streak behind them. The Red Raiders blew past the Generals 35-12 on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Red Raiders in their matchups with the Generals: they've now won six in a row.

Reid Roberson had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and also threw for 165 yards and a pair of TDs on only 14 passes. Those 84 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Quaylen Hampton, who picked up 152 receiving yards and two scores.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Decatur was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Cayden Oliver

Total Tackles

09/26/25 @ Lee	10
09/19/25 @ Hartselle	7
09/12/25 @ Muscle Shoals	9
09/05/25 vs Jasper	9
08/29/25 vs Austin	18
+ 11 more games

Another reason for the win was Decatur's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Cayden Oliver was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. He has been hot for a while, having also posted five or more total tackles the last 16 times he's played. Another thorn in Lee's side was Casey Justice, who forced one fumble and made 14 total tackles (1.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, Columbia scored the most points they've had this season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They fell 28-24 to East Lawrence. While Columbia had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored East Lawrence 6-0.

Columbia's loss dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Decatur, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-5.

Everything went Decatur's way against Columbia in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as Decatur made off with a 42-16 victory. In that game, the Red Raiders amassed a halftime lead of 42-8, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.