It starts with a victory
That’s the easiest way the Columbus High School football team can take the first step to earning a playoff bid.
That’s where the Falcons need some help. Columbus (6-4, 3-3 Class 6A, Region 1) then needs Horn Lake to beat Southaven. A Horn Lake victory would drop both of those teams to 3-4 in the region and allow Columbus to secure the region’s third or the fourth playoff berth.
Tupelo (4-2 region) takes on region leader Olive Branch in the other game that could factor into the equation. Columbus holds the tiebreaker against Tupelo by virtue of a 24-23 victory on Sept. 23, so it would earn the third seed if the teams are tied after tonight.
A Horn Lake victory against Southaven and a Columbus loss to Grenada would leave all three teams tied at 3-4 and would force a tiebreaker. The point differential for the two games against the other teams would determine the final playoff spot.
Columbus High School coach Tony Stanford told his players Monday those are the scenarios they face this week. He enters tonight’s game coming off a “slow week” in practice, so he isn’t sure how his players will respond in what could be their final home game of the season.
“There is no need trying to hide anything from them,” Stanford said. “That is the way it is this time of the year in our division, and just about every year.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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