Game week finally has arrived for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) and the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS).
All of the predictions are out and coaches are putting together game plans for their openers.
As the countdown to kickoff winds down, let’s look at the games that will help define this season.
n Noxubee County at Starkville High (Friday): Few area rivalries have delivered the drama of the annual season opener between the Tigers and Yellow Jackets.
A year ago, Jeffery Simmons had the critical extra-point block and Noxubee County went on for a 26-20 overtime win. The Tigers struggled through the rest of the non-region schedule before winning 10 straight and the MHSAA Class 4A State title. Starkville won its final 14 and the MHSAA Class 6A crown.
n Noxubee County at Columbus (Aug. 26): Few losses have bothered Randal Montgomery and his Falcons more than last season’s 25-8 loss at Noxubee County. Columbus made numerous red zone turnovers and could have had a different fate.
Coach Tyrone Shorter has never backed down from a difficult non-region schedule at Noxubee County. This will be a huge measuring stick game for Noxubee County. On the other side, Columbus hopes for improvement in its offensive line.
n West Point at Starkville (Sept. 2): People still remember the epic overtime battle in the 2012 Class 5A North State playoffs. Starkville won that game 29-28 in overtime. The Yellow Jackets won the state title a week later.
In recent years, the Starkville defense has held the upper hand, holding West Point to three points in two wins. It will take a supreme effort for Starkville to continue that mastery. West Point will score a bunch of points this season and will need to do so to pull out a victory here.
n Columbus at New Hope (Sept. 2): The Lowndes County rivals meet in New Hope this season. Columbus had its way last season in a 27-6 victory at home. It was the most disappointing effort of the season, according to coach Kris Pickle.
This season, new-look New Hope, which plays in Class 5A, will try to slow down one of the favorites in Class 6A. To their credit, the Trojans played well defensively against the Falcons last season. This will need to happen again for the team to have a chance.
n West Point at Columbus (Sept. 9): Marcus Murphy and Chris Calvert had back-breaking runs in West Point’s 13-3 victory against Columbus last season at Hamblin Stadium.
That game was played right after a massive rainstorm. Both teams struggled on a wet track after the downpour. One of the biggest questions this season will be how a young Columbus defense will fare against a power running game. We should get some answers in this one.
n Noxubee County at West Point (Sept. 16): As if non-region games against two of the Class 6A favorites is enough, Noxubee County continues the grind against one of the favorites in Class 5A. The Green Wave won 21-6 last season in Macon.
Noxubee County learns a lot about itself by playing games such as this one. The Tigers will face an enormous task because West Point has a little more size on its offensive line. A good start will be key because the Noxubee County offense won’t want to get into a scoring match.
n Heritage Academy at Starkville Academy (Sept. 23): After last season’s realignment, this game took on even higher implications. In MAIS Class AAA, District 2 play, each team only plays three district games. This is one of those three and should again go a long way toward determining the district champion.
Starkville Academy’s Chase Nicholson made his coaching debut in the rivalry with a 35-14 win in Columbus last season. The Patriots had won the previous two matchups in the series. With both teams breaking in a lot of new faces and Heritage Academy breaking in a new head coach — Sean Harrison — it will be interesting to see how this one shakes out.
n Houston at Caledonia (Sept. 30): After a breakthrough season in 2014, Caledonia only managed one Class 4A, Region 4 win and missed the playoffs last season. Almost everybody is back, though, from that team, which has increased the optimism surrounding the program.
Houston won 39-7 at home a year ago. The Hilltoppers only managed two region wins, but this one was enough to push them into the playoffs. Spencer Unruh, Zion Ford, and company should make amends for that setback this season.
n New Hope at Oxford (Oct. 14): Similar to Caledonia, New Hope missed the playoffs in 2015 after a breakthrough season in 2014. Despite winning three games last season, few people could question the Trojans’ work ethic.
For New Hope to return to the playoffs, some Class 5A, Region 1 road wins would be big. This game would be a huge get for the Trojans. Oxford is reloading after key graduation losses from off its Class 5A North State championship team in 2015.
n South Panola at Columbus (Oct. 28): If the Falcons haven’t provided enough evidence by the end of the third month of the season, this Class 6A, Region 1 showdown should help determine if Columbus is for real. Columbus saw a five-game region winning streak snapped with a 35-13 loss at South Panola last season.
Both teams should make the playoffs, and each should finish in the top two in the region standings, much like a season ago. However, to win a state championship, beating South Panola is almost a given. This will be a good dress rehearsal to see if Columbus is up to such a challenge.
n New Hope at West Point (Oct. 28): Speaking of New Hope and road wins, this would also be an excellent opportunity for a signature victory. A lot has happened since that time, but New Hope won in 2014 the last time the teams played at Hamblin Stadium.
However, this is a different West Point team. The Trojans will face a stern test to slow the Green Wave’s rushing and passing attack. Both teams hoped to have locked up playoff berths by this time.
n Starkville at Clinton (Nov. 4): The best game on the schedule is set for the last week of the regular season. Starkville beat Cam Akers-less team 45-7 in the regular season and then held off Cam and his mates 45-27 in the postseason.
Both teams have their sights set on the Class 6A title. Each should have home-field advantage in the playoffs. However, a region title will be on the line. Here’s hoping the teams deliver a masterpiece worthy of an encore a few weeks later.
Scott Walters is a sports reporter for the Commercial Dispatch. He may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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