The stage has officially been set for Columbus after clinching its first appearance in the playoffs in six years.
Against a juggernaut in West Point last week, the Falcons were unable to bid for a district championship, but they have a new goal in front of them come Friday night.
Their bid for a deep playoff run begins on the road at Neshoba Central in the first round of the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
“We know that (Neshoba Central) is a physical team,” Columbus head coach Joshua Pulphus said. “We know that they’re an experienced team, one with plenty of playoff experience. They’re an established program. We know we’re going to see their best, but we’ve been preparing this entire week for that.”
Neshoba Central (7-3) is a team that’s coming off a close semifinal playoff loss last season against West Point and has a hunger for revenge and a state championship.
They’re also a team that Columbus (5-6) hasn’t seen much of in its program history, playing the Rockets just once before, back in 1992.
Things have significantly changed since that point 30 years ago, but looking at the stats, this game won’t be one that looks to be a high-scoring affair.
That means the Falcons defense, which has come up big time and time again, will need to play a near-perfect game of football to give Columbus a chance at victory.
Caledonia (5-6) at Clarksdale (10-1), MHSAA Class 4A playoffs, second round
In what was a disappointing regular season for Caledonia with just a 4-6 finish, the Cavaliers haven’t wavered in the face of difficulty.
A massive regular-season finale win against Shannon gave the Cavs a first-round playoff game last Friday, and they capitalized with a 21-18 victory over New Albany.
Now, Caledonia has momentum on its side heading into the second round, in which it travels to play Clarksdale on Friday.
“I thought our kids did a great job of persevering the other night,” Caledonia head coach Michael Kelly said. “We could have laid down after those turnovers, key players not being able to play, starters sitting, but they gutted it out.”
Caledonia gave itself a chance to win by simply playing hard on the field and not letting an early 10-0 deficit or anything that happened during the game get to the players.
That tough-minded attitude is going to be incredibly important if the Cavs want to have any chance of a long playoff run in November.
Clarksdale will undoubtedly be a tough task, coming in with a 10-1 record and a 41-0 dismantling of Choctaw Central in the first round.
It won’t be easy for the Cavs, but anything is possible in the bright lights of the postseason.
Noxubee County (7-4) at Independence (7-3), MHSAA Class 3A playoffs, second round
Noxubee County had a point to prove in its MHSAA Class 3A first-round playoff game against Amanda Elzy after a 6-4 regular season.
That point was made loud and clear after the Tigers stormed out to a 39-0 lead by the middle of the third quarter, taking out their starters at that point as they cruised to a 39-14 victory.
Now, the task at hand for Noxubee County comes against a team it has never played before in program history, Independence, in Friday’s second-round playoff matchup.
“It doesn’t matter what team we’re playing, we have to win the line of scrimmage,” Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young said. “It stays the same. The offensive line has to open it up for the running backs and we have to protect our quarterback.”
Having dynamic starting quarterback KaMario Taylor operating at full health has been a major boost for this team as well.
His frame and vision on the field on Friday opened up not just the running game but the passing game as well.
Independence, like Noxubee County, can score, averaging 39.4 points a game offensively this season. Friday could very well be a shootout-type game, but the Tigers have plenty of weapons to get plenty of points on the board.
Holmes County Central (7-4) at West Point (8-2), MHSAA Class 5A playoffs, first round
Any early-season doubters of West Point have been swiftly silenced this season after an 0-2 start gave way to an eight-game winning streak and a sixth district championship in seven years.
The Green Wave dismantled Columbus last Thursday in a 35-0 shutout to secure that district title and now, they have their sights set on a return to the MHSAA Class 5A title game and a 12th state championship in school history.
“Our goal from the beginning was to keep control of our own destiny,” West Point head coach Chris Chambless said. “We’ve done that and we can still do that by winning again, win the district and do what you can to win a state championship.”
Hosting the first round is the first step toward that deep November run as the Green Wave take on Holmes County Central on Friday night.
West Point is one of the highest-scoring offenses in the entirety of Class 5A and in all of Mississippi, averaging 36.4 points per game so far this season.
The offense is fueled by the run game, a potent three-headed monster of Kahnen Daniels, Quinterion Tillman-Evans and Keshawn Henley, and the defense has given up less than 10 points in four of its last five games.
If the Green Wave come out firing, it’s going to be a long night for HCC.
Starkville (8-3) at Southaven (10-0), MHSAA Class 6A playoffs, first round
Starkville found itself in an interesting predicament three games into its district schedule. The Yellow Jackets started 0-3 and needed to turn the tides quickly for a spot in the playoffs.
They did just that, finishing the season on a four-game winning streak to finish 4-3 in district play and a playoff spot secured.
That positive momentum of the last four weeks of the season is going to be crucial for Starkville because the road immediately gets very tough in the first round of the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs, taking on a 10-0 Southaven team that’s allowed just 8.2 points a game to opponents.
“We’re continuing to work,” Starkville head coach Chris Jones said. “The work isn’t finished. We’re not finished. We still have a long ways to go, still have to continue to get better every day.”
Starkville has the ability to hang with any team in the state, including Southaven, but the Yellow Jackets have been consistently inconsistent at times this season.
There have been defensive lapses, offensive struggles and everything in between, but even against an unbeaten Chargers team, Starkville is going to make noise.
Lumberton (5-6) at West Lowndes (7-3), MHSAA Class 1A playoffs, first round
West Lowndes got a bye week at just the right time the week before its regular-season finale against Vardaman.
For a team ravaged with injuries and dealing with illnesses, a week of rest was key, and it immediately showed as the Panthers won, 40-7, securing themselves a first-round playoff game and continuing positive momentum.
This high-scoring offense hasn’t stopped in recent weeks, scoring 36 or more points in its last five games, and what a better time to continue that than in the postseason.
“Our confidence level is pretty high,” West Lowndes head coach Anthony King said. “We’re playing good football on both sides of the ball and everybody is healthy.”
Health is such a key thing right now because of how far into the season it is. Many teams in West Lowndes’ district and across Class 1A are beat up.
That makes now the perfect time to capitalize, especially from an offensive standpoint. Quarterback Elijah Johnson has been nothing short of spectacular this season and does a great job of anchoring this offense.
Friday’s game will be won in the trenches with whoever will show up at the line of scrimmage the best. The West Lowndes running game has been as good as it’s been this season because of the offensive line, so being able to control the neutral zone will be the key to victory.
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