As we prepare to roll the calendar to November, it appears we will have several story lines from the coverage area we will continue to follow.
Prep football this season in our area has been good. Quite honestly, it has been better than expected.
The games matter the most now with playoff implications dotting the Week 11 schedule. For the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, Classes A, AA and AAA actually begin playoff action Friday night.
Meanwhile, across the state line it appears five of the six West Alabama schools in the coverage area will see postseason play.
Back home, all of the focus this weekend rides on two huge Top 10 showdowns.
In Class 6A, Region 1 play, No. 10 Columbus plays at No. 1 South Panola in a battle for the region championship.
Since both teams have clinched playoff berths and will host first-round playoff games on Nov. 13, Columbus coach Randal Montgomery said his team is simply “playing with house money.”
Beating Horn Lake and DeSoto Central did not cause a stir on the statewide radar. However, Columbus has also beaten Southaven, Olive Branch and Tupelo. The Falcons have been totally dominated in the all-times series with that trio. To be able to beat each in one season immediately moves this year into the magical category.
Columbus can silence the doubters even more by knocking off the state’s premier team in arguably the state’s most difficult venue.
Columbus checked in at No. 9 in this week’s Clarion-Ledger Super 10. The Falcons are No. 10 by Mississippi Girdiron magazine.
This is heady stuff for a program with two playoff wins all time. Columbus is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and will be playing a home playoff game for the first time since 2005.
The good news for Montgomery is the bigger the game, the better his team plays. We will see if Friday proves to be a trick or treat for the upstart Falcons.
In Vicksburg, No. 6 Warren Central plays host to No. 2 Starkville in a head-to-head battle for the Class 6A, Region 1 lead.
It is hard to believe that Starkville is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in region play but could still finish first, second or third in the region race. After playing at Warren Central, Starkville will return home for third-place team Clinton next Friday.
A year ago, Starkville was in a similar situation. The pressure of an undefeated regular season mounted on the Yellow Jackets as they were fortunate to escape both Warren Central and Clinton in the final two weeks of the season.
Starkville does appear to be the favorite in this region yet again. However, life on the road can be difficult. You can have more challenges than you would normally find.
At the end of the day, both of these matchups are huge and they are fun for the participants. However, Friday’s winners will have little bearing on the playoffs, Columbus knows it would most likely have to beat South Panola again on the way to winning the Class 6A state championship. Starkville knows it has the athletic ability to run the playoff table, regardless of where it starts in the race.
So word is, sit back, relax and enjoy the big stage. Friday night will be fun.
In Class 5A, West Point has won four straight after dropping its Class 5A, Region 1 opener to Oxford. Both Oxford and West Point appear to be on a collision course for a playoff meeting for a second straight season. The Green Wave feels like they can compete with the Chargers. A playoff rematch would most likely be different than the Oxford runaway from the regular season.
In Class 4A, Region 4, Noxubee County is undefeated and the region’s top seed. In Class 3A, Region 4, Aberdeen is undefeated and the region’s top seed. Both teams have blown through region play with few tests. Aberdeen lost some close games early but proved it can also win some close ones with Friday’s 33-28 win over North Pontotoc for the region lead.
The area’s best keep secret is West Lowndes in Class 1A, Region 1. The Panthers clinched a playoff berth with Friday’s 36-7 win over Hamilton.
West Lowndes has overcome all kind of adversity, including losing its starting quarterback due to injury. Still, the Panthers just keep humming along. One more win could nail down a first-round home playoff game Nov 13.
In the MAIS, Starkville Academy, Heritage Academy and Oak Hill Academy all begin postseason play Friday night. In both the Class AAA bracket and in the Class A/AA bracket, four wins are necessary to grab a state title. The MAIS has eliminated North State and South State with all 16 playoff participants being seeded. The academy play in our area has been strong this season.
Finally in MAIS, Eight-Man play, Hebron Christian (7-2) faces Kemper Academy (9-0) for the District 2 championship. The Eight-Man playoffs begin next Friday. Let’s go ahead and assume these two will meet again and it will matter a whole lot more when they do.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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