The stakes are always high when West Oktibbeha County and East Oktibbeha County high schools clash in athletics.
The annual battle for bragging rights and the Superintendent’s Cup at 7 p.m. Friday in Maben will have added playoff significance in the Class 1A, Region 3 race.
“There will be a big crowd and lots of emotion,” West Oktibbeha coach Adam Lowrey said. “This is the Oktibbeha County Super Bowl.”
Winners of four straight, West Oktibbeha is 6-2 and 4-1 in the region. East Oktibbeha has lost two straight and is 5-3 and 3-2. The top four teams in the region advance to postseason, and with Nanih Waiya and Noxapater at 5-0 in the region and Pelahatchie at 5-1, the importance of this game will be magnified.
“We really need to turn this thing around,” East Oktibbeha coach Randy Brooks said. “The last two weeks we have not played up to our potential. Now is the time for us to get right. We really need to bring our best effort in the next couple of weeks to make the playoffs.”
East Oktibbeha is in sole possession of fifth, two games ahead of sixth place.
The standings lend credence to why some are calling this “a playoff elimination game.”
“We finish with East Oktibbeha, Noxapater, and Pelahatchie – our three biggest games,” Lowrey said, “so really the bulk of our season is straight ahead. We can’t quit now. There is still a lot of hard work left to be done.”
East Oktibbeha will play Nanih Waiya next week and finish against Weir.
“It is obviously a must-win,” Brooks said. “However, you can’t get caught up in all of that. You have to play it a game at a time. All of the focus is on West Oktibbeha. We haven’t beaten them in a while, so it is time to find a way to get that done.”
West Oktibbeha has won four straight in the series, including a 29-20 victory last year in Crawford. To reverse those fortunes, East Oktibbeha will have to stop the high-flying offensive attack that has scored 36 points or more in each of the past four wins. The low-water mark in the run was last week in a 36-30 win at West Lowndes. East Oktibbeha beat West Lowndes 6-0.
“We really didn’t stay true to our fundamentals against West Lowndes,” Lowrey said. “Once I found out my receivers couldn’t catch a cold, we had to run the football. We ran our way to victory. And that is really not like us. The good news is I don’t know what coach Brooks is thinking.
“As a coach, you always try to take something away, so now the question is do you take our passing game away or do you take our running game away? It’s a difficult decision. We will try to win with the other.”
West Oktibbeha scored twice in the final 6 minutes, 42 seconds to pull out the victory. The Timberwolves intercepted passes on three West Lowndes fourth-quarter possessions. Tiberias Lampkin ran 18 times for 92 yards. Quarterback Von Smith was 15 of 23 for 197 yards with two interceptions and a game-winning 3-yard touchdown run.
“Tiberias has really come on for us the last couple of weeks,” Lowrey said. “We call him a fullback. Some people get confused about that because we don’t run a true I-formation. However, he is the fullback to us. He does the things we need to do offensively and defensively to be successful. He has really played well the last couple of weeks and given the team a lift.”
East Oktibbeha has dropped back-to-back region games to Noxapater (41-18) and Pelahatchie (41-28).
Against Pelahatchie, the defense allowed the Chiefs to rush 40 times for 391 yards. Pelahatchie led 20-0 less than six minutes into the game, and 34-6 at halftime.
“We are still working on the mentality of winning,” Brooks said. “It is a process. Sometimes it is hard to take that final step. It will be tough to win out, but we are going to keep competing. We will continue to practice hard and play hard. We will eventually get this thing where we want it.”
East Oktibbeha quarterback Davalyn Bell was 18 of 29 for 225 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards. James Brown ran for two touchdowns, while Jamal Halbert had two touchdown catches. The Titans had 335 total yards.
Casey Ousley rushed for 253 yards and three touchdowns for Pelahatchie.
“West Oktibbeha has several talented athletes,” Brooks said. “They are playing with a lot of confidence. Our margin of error on the defensive side of the ball is thin. On the offensive side, we will have to play a little better technique-wise and take advantage of our opportunities.”
Lowrey knows the strength of his ballclub. He also understands the motivation on the other side of town.
“We will need to play our best game,” Lowrey said. “East Oktibbeha is better than the last two weeks indicate. Both teams are playing for their postseason lives. That will make Friday’s game even more intense.”
East Rankin Academy (5-4, 2-2) at Starkville Academy (8-1, 3-1)
The Volunteers will play their final regular-season home game at 7 p.m. Friday in a Class 3A, District 2, Division II matchup at J.E. Logan Field.
With a win, the Volunteers can make sure Friday’s game won’t be their last at home this season. A victory will give Starkville Academy the district championship and a chance to host a first-round playoff game Nov. 4.
“This is why you play the game,” Starkville Academy coach Jeff Terrill said. “You want to play for championships. We have that opportunity Friday night. This is a very big game for our program.”
Starkville Academy will close the regular season with a game at Presbyterian Christian. If Starkville Academy loses Friday, it will have to win next week and have East Rankin Academy lose to Copiah Academy to earn the district title.
“You always want to be a position where you control your destiny,” Terrill said. “You really want to be playing your best football at this time. You want to play games that have meaning. We have worked real hard to be in this position. Now we have to take advantage of it.”
In its final non-district game, Starkville Academy cruised to a 55-12 win against Winston Academy on Friday in Louisville. The Volunteers scored on five of six first-half possessions and led 34-12 at halftime.
“Our focus was really good,” Terrill said. “I thought we played with the mind-set and the determination you have to have to win on the road. Offensively, we did a good job of keeping drives alive. On defense, we attacked and really played physical.”
Quarterback Drew Pellum had five touchdowns, including three rushing and two passing. Pellum completed his only two passes for 45 yards. He ran 17 times for 144 yards. Ryan Mann ran nine times for 115 yards, including a touchdown.
Mann will try to top the 1,000-yard mark Friday night. The senior back has 156 rushes for 944 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pellum has run 116 times for 689 yards and nine touchdowns. Colby Runnels has run 72 times for 596 yards and eight touchdowns.
Pellum is 18 of 46 passes for 351 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Hunter Bolin has a team-best six catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns. James Mapp also has 100 receiving yards and one score.
Angus Catchot and Mann each lead the team with 41 tackles. Jordan Bright has 38 tackles, including 13 for loss. Catchot has 12 tackles for loss. Brandon Sharp has a team-best three interceptions.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.