Each season, one week of college football games emerges as a pivotal Saturday where championships could be won or lost. National television hypes up that week’s matchups and folks eagerly anticipate the day’s play to see who is left standing in the championship race.
For area high school fans, temperatures are beginning to drop and region play is beginning to crank up in earnest. To that end, we have several key games Friday night, helping make this weekend’s slate one of the most critical for the entire 2013 season.
RIVALRY GAME
Columbus and Starkville both play their first-ever games in Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 play Friday night. The added significance is magnified since the teams play one another in Columbus.
The teams have not played since 2010 when Columbus won a 32-30 decision when both schools belonged to the same Class 6A region.
By shifting from 1-6A to 2-6A, Columbus is finally away from the death triangle of Olive Branch, Southaven and South Panola. The new region finds a much more manageable path. Madison Central was the pre-season coaches’ pick to win the region but appears vulnerable. No 2-6A school is in this week’s statewide rankings by the Associated Press.
Since the top four teams make the playoffs, Columbus and Starkville appear poised to achieve that fate.
Columbus fought and clawed its way into the playoffs last year for the first time since 2005. This season, if it remains healthy, Columbus will have a much easier time securing one of the four spots from this region. However, the top two teams have home field advantage and this contest – though game one in region play – will go a very long way toward determining that.
Starkville is playing its first season as a Class 6A school, after winning last season’s Class 5A state championship. The Yellow Jackets also have the necessary depth and talent to finish in the top half of this region with some type of consistent play.
Both teams are 2-2 overall. Columbus owns an extremely-nice win over West Point and a nail-biter over New Hope. The Falcons have lost to Noxubee County and Louisville. However, it is important to note quarterback Trace Lee suffered two different injuries in those defeats and did not play the majority of the second half in either setback.
Starkville has solid victories over Noxubee County and Southaven. The Yellow Jackets were overwhelmed by West Point and Oxford.
So in the common opponents department, the squads are 1-1 against Noxubee County and 1-1 against West Point.
It should be an outstanding contest and will hopefully deliver the drama the two rivals gave us a decade ago.
In Lafayette County, West Point meets Oxford. While it is the Region 1-5A opener, the contest could wind up deciding the region champion. The winner will certainly have a major leg up in securing one of the two host spots from this region.
Oxford is 4-0 and ranked as the state’s top Class 5A team in the latest AP rankings. The Chargers have impressed in wins over Jackson Prep, Starkville, East Side and Lafayette County. Last season, Oxford finished 11-2 but did not put its best foot forward in a second-round playoff loss at Starkville. The Chargers rely on a high-octane offense but did not score until the game’s final quarter against the Yellow Jackets.
Thus, the redemption tour is underway and so far Oxford looks up to the part.
West Point may be the area’s strangest story through four games. Now standing at 2-2, West Point has frustrating losses to South Panola and Columbus, but excellent wins over Starkville and Noxubee County. After scoring 88 points in the first two games of the season, the Green Wave managed only four total offensive touchdowns in the past two weeks against both Columbus and Noxubee County.
Oxford typically likes to throw the football and West Point has struggled defensively with passing teams more than rushing teams. Sophomore Jimmy Abraham threw for right at 300 yards in a win over Starkville last month.
In its purest form the game matches the Oxford passing attack against the bruising West Point ground game, led by Aeris Williams.
However, in the end, the game’s outcome most likely rests with the West Point defense.
West Point won 35-21 last season. However, the 21 points did represent the second most given up by the West Point defense during the regular season a year ago.
This contest has the makings of a shootout. We will see if West Point has enough firepower to pull through.
ACADEMY BATTLE
Oak Hill Academy coach Daniel Merchant likes the progress the Raiders have made. Oak Hill also ended a similar postseason drought by qualifying for the first time since 2007 a year ago.
Despite the success and the renewed enthusiasm in the program, Oak Hill has not been able to close the gap on Heritage Academy.
Since Oak Hill Academy and Starkville Academy do not play in football, this is the lone Golden Triangle rivalry game for the Raiders. Heritage Academy has won the last two meetings, 49-0 and 42-0.
This season, Heritage Academy is off to a 4-1 start, with the lone loss coming to Jackson Academy. Oak Hill Academy is 3-2, with victories over Hartfield Academy, Winston Academy and Newton County Academy.
Without question, Oak Hill Academy has closed the gap between the two programs. Both are playing really strong football. Both are well-coached and both have a confidence which comes from winning games.
We will see how far the gap has been closed Friday night in Columbus.
Scott Walters is a reporter for the Dispatch. Contact him at swalters@cdispatch.com and follow him on Twitter at @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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