CLINTON — Maybe now people in Noxubee County will believe Deloria Stewart.

If not, the Noxubee County High School athletic director might have to sprinkle some pixie dust through Macon, Brooksville, and Shuqualak to convince them their small town is about to be invaded.

Bring your earplugs, though, because the invasion will come with plenty of pyrotechnics.

“They think I am making it up,” Stewart said, “especially when I mention the Jumbotron. They say, ‘I know you’re not telling the truth now because we see that only see at Mississippi State.’ ”

On Monday, Stewart, Noxubee County High football coach Tyrone Shorter, and Louisville High football coach M.C. Miller, were just some of the people who participated in C Spire Wireless’ “Bright Lights Football” news conference to highlight the two rivalry games that will take place in the state of Mississippi in the next two weeks.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Louisville will take on Noxubee County in “The Toothpick Bowl.” That game that likely will determine the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A, Region 4 champion.

The following week, Madison Central will play at Northwest Rankin in “The Cross-Town Cat Fight.” Both games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South to an audience of nearly 13 million in seven states.

Formerly known as Cellular South’s “Y’all vs. Us” series, the event was re-branded when Cellular South changed its name to C Spire. Now in its third year of broadcasting select rivalry games in the Southeast, the Louisville-Noxubee County game will be the 12th matchup. The series opened last week with “The War on the Eastern Shore” between the Daphne (Ala.) Trojans and the Fairhope (Ala.) Pirates.

Preparations in Louisville and Macon will continue today through Thursday. Scott Parenteau, public relations specialist with C Spire Wireless, said television production crews likely will arrive in Macon on Wednesday to begin setting up their equipment.

In addition to being broadcast live on television, the game will feature NFL-caliber pyrotechnics, aerial video, and the world’s largest mobile Jumbotron video messaging and display board.

Stewart has been working to arrange all of the details since before the season started. Even though the game was announced months ago, Stewart said people still don’t believe her when she tells them they better get to Tiger Stadium early Thursday to make sure they have a seat.

That’s why she joked Monday at the news conference that she was going to have to work as “Tinker Bell” to make sure everyone knew she was telling the truth about all of the pageantry surrounding the event.

“You don’t know what you’re bringing to Noxubee County,” Stewart said Monday morning at the news conference. “I have been telling people there is going to be the whole 9 yards. I have just been saying, ‘Come to the game and you’ll see.’ ”

Stewart said the school has brought in five extra sets of bleachers and has set them up in the end zone closest to the school. She also said the school hoped Monday to bring in more and could work with Central Academy, a private school in Macon, to bring more bleachers to the stadium.

In addition, Stewart said fans will be allowed to bring lawn chairs and to sit in the end zone of their team. The goal, she said, is to be prepared to accommodate a crowd of more than 6,000.

“I really think it will exceed my expectations,” Stewart said. “We are such a small school and such a small town. You just don’t know what this is doing for our town and for our school.”

According to its website, Macon is a city of 3,100 and 3.5 square miles. Despite its size, Noxubee County has established itself as one of the state’s top football programs. Led by Miller, who left the school after the 2009 season, Noxubee County won its first state title in football in 2008. This season, led by Shorter, who is in his second season as head coach, Noxubee County is second in the state in Class 4A behind Lafayette. Noxubee County lost to Lafayette in the Class 4A North State title game last season.

This year, the winner of Thursday’s game likely will secure the region title with one regular-season game remaining. Noxubee County (8-1, 3-0 region), which has won seven games in a row, has a matchup remaining against Caledonia, while Louisville, which has won eight in a row, has a game left against Leake Central (2-1 region). Noxubee County beat Leake Central 52-13 two weeks ago.

Stewart said the city will provide overflow parking for fans at the arena, sports park, and the Civic Center on Highway 45. She also said shuttles will be provided to take fans to and from their vehicles if there isn’t enough parking on the grounds of the high school campus.

Stewart said gates will open at 4 p.m., and that tailgaiting will be allowed in the rear parking area of the campus. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Violators will be removed from the campus.

Tickets for the game will be pre-sold for $7 Wednesday and Thursday until 3 p.m. at Noxubee County High. Tickets also will be $7 at game time.

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.