The playoffs are here for many area teams, and for some it is their first postseason appearance in a while, others are looking to make another deep run to the state championship game. Here’s a look at every local team beginning their second season tonight.
Columbus Christian Academy
For the first time since 2022, the Rams are back in the postseason and will begin their trek for the program’s first state championship today at home against Tunica Academy in the MAIS 1A Division II playoffs – and the team has put on quite the show in getting there.
The Rams breezed through the regular season undefeated at 8-0 and averaged 62 points per game behind the stellar rushing of quarterback Matthew Benge and running back Imonn Hill, both reigning 2A track and field state champions. Benge heads to the postseason with 1,582 yards on 90 carries for 24 touchdowns, which is the third-most yards in the state in 8-man football. Under Hill’s belt are 1,132 yards on 72 carries for 15 scores, which is the fourth-most yards just behind Benge.
The Rams were a well-oiled point-scoring machine during the regular season but will have to scrape off the rust today after not playing in a game since Oct. 17.
“It’s been tough to try to maintain not practicing too much and keeping them healthy and practicing not enough and trying to stay conditioned and everything,” head coach Marcus Davidson said. “Everybody is healthy but everybody is excited to host a playoff game even though it’s been a long layoff. The enthusiasm of the players and the school and the support and everything has been good.”
Tunica (5-6) comes into the playoffs with a 38-0 first-round victory over Tensas and has an offense that averages 29 points per game but a defense that gives up 36.
“I do know that their quarterback has been out a few games from the beginning of the year up through the middle of the year, but they’ve had him back the last two or three weeks and they’ve been winning ever since he’s been back,” Davidson said. “They’ve put up some good numbers and everything as well.”
The biggest challenge for the Rams will be making sure they can pick back up where they left off, Davidson said.
“I’ve told everybody that this is one of my toughest coaching years, not in preparing and getting people ready, but in keeping them prepared both mentally and physically because of the layoff and the game’s situation of how everything is going to unfold,” he explained. “It has been tough to balance or maintain everything, but I do think the guys are up for the task, and we’re looking forward to (tonight) for sure.”
Heritage Academy
The last time the Patriots won eight games in a season they went all the way to the state semifinals during the 2022 season.
Heritage Academy is looking to embark on a run to beat that mark as it embarks on its second consecutive postseason berth today at home against Oak Forest in the MAIS 4A Division II playoffs.
The Patriots (8-2) are riding a two-game win streak wave of momentum to end the regular season and finished second in District 2-4A with a 3-1 record in conference games. With an offense and defense full of weapons like quarterback Joshua Tate and receiver Xzavier Webber, the team has three games of 40-plus points and held foes to two scores or fewer four times this season. The Yellowjackets, on the other hand, haven’t had as much success. Oak Forest slogged through a 3-6 year, giving up 20 points per game and only scoring an average of 16 points.
Starkville Academy
The Volunteers are heading to the playoffs for the 12th straight season, a mark that goes all the way back to 2014 and includes their run to the 2017 state championship, and to kickoff their postseason drive is tonight’s MAIS 4A Division II game hosting Copiah Academy.
Starkville Academy (6-4) opened its year with four straight wins before the losses started to get mixed in, and the team suffered back-to-back defeats by Heritage (34-14) and Hartfield (42-20) to conclude regular-season play. Losses aside, the Vols are feeling good and feeling ready to take on the Colonels.
“Well, we’re excited. It’s always fun to be in the playoffs,” head coach Chase Nicholson said. “It’s a different kind of week and it always feels different. We’re just excited to get to (tonight). They guys have been working hard all week, so I know they’re excited and we’re just ready to get there.
Last year, Copiah made a long playoff run that ended in a narrow 17-10 semifinal loss to Parklane Academy, the eventual 5A champions. They’ve picked up where they’ve left off this season and posted an 8-2 finish with a 3-1 mark in District 4-4A. Their only two losses were dealt by Heritage Academy (30-29) and Jackson Prep (35-5).
“They’ve been a good football team the past few years. They’ve been competitive and have been picked to make a deep run the past couple of years or whatever. They’ve got a good team, obviously their record shows it. They’ve got some good football players. We know it’s going to be a good matchup, that’s why we’re playing this week. They are in the playoffs for a reason just like we are.
“They like to run it. They’ve got some good running backs, but they are going to throw it. .. I think they are a pretty balanced attack. They are going to do a good job of trying to run the ball, establish the run, and we want to stop the run.”
The Colonels have outscored their foes 295-131 on the season and have three shutout victories. Not letting Copiah keep its offense on the field for sustained drives is a key to victory for the Vols.
“We just have to keep playing great defense, stop the run, and we’ve got to make some explosive plays on offense and keep the ball away from their offense,” Nicholson said.
Oak Hill Academy
One of the best starts to a season in program history has morphed into the first postseason appearance for the Raiders since 2023.
Oak Hill Academy went 4-0 to kick off the 2025 campaign and tacked on three more wins for a 7-3 finish to the regular season, including a 1-1 mark in District 3-2A to earn a berth in the MAIS Division II 2A playoffs. The Raiders’ foe for tonight is Carroll Academy (4-6), a team they’ve played and dominated 44-14 earlier this season. Given the stakes and the fact that the Rebels have gotten one of their better athletes back from injury to bolster an already senior-led team, having that earlier win doesn’t make the game an easier one, necessarily.
“They were without one of their key players in the first game, so you’ve got to be ready for them,” head coach Tom Goode said. “We’re familiar with them, but playing that game, too, they just got to know us a lot better too. A lot of it is that you know the players you are playing against and their skill level. They had a week off last week, and so did we. You always have to prepare for something you have not seen because they have had two weeks to prepare for us.”
The key to victory for the Raiders is keeping the turnovers to a minimum, Goode said.
“We preach it every week to our guys, we just have to go out and not make mistakes and play physical football,” he said. “Penalties, fumbles – the games that we’ve lost this year we put the ball on the ground and make some kind of stupid penalties.”
Noxubee County
The last three playoff runs for the Tigers have gone the distance – all the way to the MHSAA 3A state championship game – but they haven’t been able to come out of it holding the coveted trophy.
When their 19th straight postseason run gets underway tonight against Yazoo County, Noxubee County is hoping this is the year in which it can finally capture its sixth state title.
“(We’re) feeling good. It’s a new season, it’s win or go home – we’ve been putting in the work in the offseason for this moment so everybody is excited about it,” head coach Teddy Young said.
The Tigers rattled off three straight wins to end the regular season at 7-3 overall and a 31-26 loss to Winona was their only hiccup in Region 4-3A play. In their last few games Young has been moving senior athlete Jadien Taylor and junior quarterback Jykeim Goodwin all around the offense, both taking snaps at quarterback, wide receiver and running back, along with their defensive responsibilities in the secondary – and it’s proved to be a successful venture.
Through the last two games, Taylor has accounted for 11 total touchdowns while Goodwin has helped produce eight. Both of those games were triumphs with more than 40 points scored and it’s something Young believes allows his team to get the best out of their playmakers and should help keep the wins coming in the playoffs.
“I think it’s going to work very well,” he said. “Both of them are capable of playing running back, quarterback, receiver. It just gives our offense more things the defense has to gameplan for and it’s been helping us get the guys the ball in different positions in different ways they can affect the game.”
Yazoo comes into the game 5-4 overall and on a two-game slide. The Panthers average 19 points per game but only allow an average of 14 points per contest.
“We have to win the line of scrimmage,” Young said. “We can’t turn the ball over offensively and we have to play great special teams. I think if we do those three things we will give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
The team will have to continue to play without productive running back Laderoun Mosely, who is out with a knee injury. Young said he will miss tonight’s game but there is a chance he could take the field in the future as long as the Tigers keep winning.
West Lowndes
The Panthers have posted back-to-back seasons ending in long playoff pushes and the opportunity to sustain another one arrives at home tonight against Coffeeville in the first round of the MHSAA 1A playoffs.
“Everybody is feeling good. We have everybody 100% healthy, we don’t have depth, but it’s the first round, and we hopefully get off to a good start,” head coach Anthony King said.
West Lowndes finished the season at 4-4 overall and earned a 2-1 stretch in Region 3-1A games, only falling 40-0 last week to region champion Calhoun City. The loss marked the only time the team has been shut out this year and the Panthers have been competitive in every game they’ve played besides a few blowout losses to schools in higher classifications to begin the 2025 campaign. Averaging 23 points per game on offense and giving up 24 points, West Lowndes is set to tackle a Coffeeville team (3-7) that lost five straight games to open the year. Last week the Pirates earned a 20-7 win over French Camp Academy and have lost the last two times they clashed with the Panthers.
“I don’t know too much about them. They look small up front and I don’t think they’ll be physical enough to stop us from doing what we want to do,” King said. “We just have to come out and play a clean game, play a smart game and it should be OK.”
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