STEENS — The first two weeks of the season for both Oak Hill Academy and Columbus Christian Academy have been weeks to forget.
Both the Raiders and Rams have started out the season 0-2, with CCA having been shut out through its first two games and OHA having missed on two opportunities to close games out.
That now brings on a matchup of the two local teams to Steens on Friday night where one will emerge with their first win of the season.
“We’ve gotta find a way to win and close games,” Oak Hill head coach Bill Rosenthal said. “I feel like both those games, we were in, had the lead, but we just have to find a way to win.”
Columbus Christian is looking not only for its first win of the season, but its first points of the season.
Coming into the fall with a smaller roster for an 11-man school, that hasn’t afforded the Rams many opportunities to switch off players at positions.
Many are playing both sides of the ball, but with turnovers being the issue in last Friday’s loss, cutting down on those could be the key to success.
For Oak Hill, it’s as simple as finding a way to close things out. The Raiders had a slim one-point lead in the fourth quarter against Marshall Academy that slipped away, but they’re not looking to replicate that in Steens this week.
“You gotta be able to run the ball and not turn the ball over,” Rosenthal said. “We’ve only had one turnover in two games and caused six, but we’ve only scored one touchdown from those turnovers. We have to be able to take advantage of those things when they happen.”
Choctaw County (1-0) at New Hope (0-1), 7 p.m.
NEW HOPE — Friday’s season opener was a tough one against a tough team for New Hope, a blowout loss against Itawamba Agricultural on the road.
The Trojans knew the formula to success against a stacked opponent, but in the end, IAHS proved to be too much.
Now, the attention turns to Friday, the home opener against a new opponent in Choctaw County, the first meeting between the two schools.
“Last week was frankly pretty embarrassing,” New Hope head coach Seth Stillman said. “The effort that we put into it, what we showed on the field was not up to our standard.”
Players were not on the same page with different plays. Players getting on and off the field proved to be problematic, and against a good team like Itawamba, New Hope paid the price.
Those mistakes will prove to be costly again if made against Choctaw County, a team that’s reached the Mississippi High School Activities Association playoffs all but one year since 2013.
However, from talking with Stillman, it sounds like those problems have been addressed and improved as much as possible in a week’s time.
“I feel like our organization has been a lot better this week,” Stillman said. “A lot of the hiccups have been ironed out that we had last week and we’re excited to get out there on Friday night.”
Itawamba Agricultural (1-0) at Caledonia (0-1), 7 p.m.
CALEDONIA — Caledonia might have begun its season with a loss against Nettleton, but the performance from the Cavaliers in that losing effort was strong.
Nettleton escaped at home with a 26-20 win, and with a young team, growing pains for Caledonia were expected.
However, it’s given the team added confidence heading into Friday’s home opener against Itawamba Agricultural.
“That’s part of being a young team,” Caledonia head coach Michael Kelly said. “It’s early in the year. You’re going to make mistakes. … We have to eliminate turnovers. We harped on that in practice. We focused on that in practice.”
Turnovers are key for any team to come out with a win, and in close games, they’re all the more important for momentum swings.
IAHS presents a different challenge as a team that’s consistently been one of the better Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A schools over the past decade.
Itawamba is going to be firing on all cylinders out of the gates, and Caledonia has to find a way to limit the damage as much as possible, something it wasn’t able to do in a 35-7 loss last season.
“I don’t think we can let them get in a rhythm and if we can get one and give ourselves a fighting chance in the fourth quarter, we’re going to have to play well,” Kelly said. “If our kids can play with some emotion, we’ll give ourselves a chance at the end.”
Starkville Academy (3-0) at Carroll Academy (0-2), 7 p.m.
CARROLLTON — For the first time since 2018, Starkville Academy has started out a season 3-0, doing so in impressive fashion over the last two weeks.
What was a close 17-14 overtime win against Lamar School to open the season has turned into two wins by margins of 19 points or more.
Over the last two games, the Volunteers have outscored opponents 69-23, including a dominant 30-3 win over Leake Academy, and SA has a great chance of going 4-0 against Carroll Academy this Friday.
“Those guys have done a really good job,” Starkville Academy head coach Chase Nicholson said. “You want to see them locked in and focused week in and week out. It’s been a lot of fun to watch them this week. We’re excited about Friday night.”
Cooler temperatures in North Mississippi this week have allowed the Vols to get after it in practice more compared to weeks prior.
Nearly two hours of practice were lost last week due to high temperatures, but that added time on the field has helped immensely.
This is a favorable matchup for the Vols, and despite the first meeting between the two schools since 2008, SA is looking to make a statement once again.
“We have to go in there with a fire that we’re going to win this game,” Nicholson said. “We’ve got to remain focused. We gotta do what we do and worry about us.”
Other games
Kemper Academy (1-1) at Hebron Christian (1-1), 7 p.m.
Aliceville (Ala.) (0-1) at Center Point (Ala.) (1-0), 7 p.m.
Southern Academy (Ala.) (2-0) at Pickens Academy (Ala.) (0-1), 7 p.m.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion