New Hope football, with its back to the wall through three quarters of Friday night’s season opener against Caledonia, used the running game to power through, scoring 21 unanswered points in an eventual 28-10 victory.
After a win in an all-time rivalry that the Trojans have dominated, the program turns to play a team they’ve been mostly dominated by in Shannon.
Last season, New Hope ended a 14-game losing streak against the Red Raiders, winning for the first time in the rivalry’s history, a 34-0 shutout victory. They’re hoping to make it two straight this Friday.
“We’ve seen them throw 25-30 times a game, but we’ve also seen them over film running power, counter and things like that,” New Hope head coach Seth Stillman said. “We’re going to try to prepare for it all, and our goal is if we go out and play hard, then we’re going to get the result we want.”
The run is going to be something to watch out for on Friday, especially starting running back LaDarius Tate, who ran for over 100 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Tides turned for the Trojans in 2021 with that shutout victory, so Shannon will be looking for revenge in a big way to immediately shut down any momentum moving forward in the rivalry.
Columbus (0-1) at Southaven (0-0)
It was a rough start to the 2021 season for Columbus football, being shut out against a local rival in Starkville last Friday, 28-0.
On top of that, injury issues have already begun to plague the Falcons, especially playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
“One thing we talked about as a team is how do we fight adversity,” Columbus head coach Josh Pulphus said. “With Week 1, we got hit in the mouth. We had to fight adversity, so now, our young team is doing a great job of building upon their previous mistakes.”
Playing a team of Starkville’s caliber is just what Columbus needed, even though Friday’s game resulted in a loss.
It’s great preparation against a great team that will expose the weaknesses of a team and showcase things that need to be immediately worked on and improved upon.
This Friday’s game, a road test against Southaven, is going to show that work. Columbus has historically matched up well against the Chargers, having won 3 of the last five meetings and 14 of 25 overall.
Caledonia (0-1) at Amory (0-1)
A tired defense was what separated Caledonia football from a season-opening victory against a longtime rival in New Hope.
In the second half, the Cavaliers struggled to keep offensive drives going, which turned the game on its head in favor of the Trojans, who stormed ahead in the fourth quarter for a comeback victory.
So far this week, the game plan has been centered around sustaining those drives to help jumpstart the entire team.
“I thought our guys bounced back this week,” Caledonia head coach Michael Kelly said. “We had a really good day at practice. Sitting around the film session, our kids, they understand things we did wrong. They know they have to get it fixed and us as coaches know we have to get it fixed.”
Caledonia, despite the loss, is riding a positive wave into this Friday’s game against Amory, a team they beat in a close game in 2021.
The Panthers have given the Cavaliers fits in the past, but in the last six all-time meetings between the two schools, they are 3-3, so Friday is very much anyone’s game.
East Union (0-1) at Heritage Academy (1-1)
Things were not going to be easy for Heritage Academy last Friday, facing a Jackson Prep program on the road that has consistently been one of the best in the state.
The Patriots got a gut punch against Prep, trailing 41-7 at halftime on its way to a 55-7 loss, but with Heritage returning home to play East Union on Friday, there looks to be no worry in this program.
“It’s a tough one to swallow, but football, it’s just like life,” Heritage Academy head coach Lance Pogue said. “You dust yourself off and get ready for the next one. That’s where we’re at. We had a good week and we’re excited about the game ahead.”
In the one all-time meeting between the schools last year, the Patriots got the better of East Union, blowing them out in a 41-15 victory.
Like Heritage, East Union is coming off its own blowout loss last week, a 52-6 home defeat at the hands of New Albany.
Heritage since the start of the 2021 season, is 10-0 when scoring 35 or more points, so if they can rack up points early against East Union, it could be a long night for the Urchins.
Starkville Academy (2-1) at Leake Academy (1-1)
A rare Saturday night game wasn’t going to throw off Starkville Academy as it improved to 2-1 on the season, defeating Trinity Collegiate School (South Carolina), 35-20, in Carrollton, Ga.
The Volunteers are back to Friday night lights this week, taking on a Leake Academy team that got the best of them in 2021 in a 31-point loss.
“Last week doesn’t matter,” Starkville Academy head coach Chris Nicholson said. “We’re 0-0 this week and we’re trying to focus on that and getting better as a team, focusing on cleaning up mistakes we’ve made the past few games, just trying to get better.”
Consistency has proved to be the formula for success with the Volunteers, having been in every game so far this season and a team that by all accounts, should be 3-0 so far.
At this point last season, Starkville Academy was 1-2, scoring just under 12 points a game. Through three games in 2022, the Vols are averaging 24.3 points a game and look like a much more explosive offense overall.
Friday will be another tough test: a revenge game against the Rebels.
Amanda Elzy (1-0) at Noxubee County (1-0)
Last Friday was a statement season-opening victory for Noxubee County, which dominated Philadelphia on the road from start to finish, winning 51-15.
That’s about as good of a start as you can ask for in high school football as the Tigers return home for their home opener against Amanda Elzy, the first actual meeting between the two programs since 1989.
“We had a good win against a good team, but we still have some improving to do,” Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young said. “Those kids have been working hard and we’re pulling out the things that we’ve been better at as our main keys and trying to focus on things that will continue to make us better.”
The offense, for one, is already clicking on all cylinders, having scored 50-plus points in a game for the second time in as many seasons.
Elzy gave up 24.1 points per game last season, but one that struggled to score itself, averaging under 15 points a game as an offense. The biggest key will be keeping that offense in check.
West Lowndes (0-1) at Okolona (0-1)
After winning nine of out the first 10 meetings between the two schools, Biggersville has now won five straight against West Lowndes after a 40-14 Week 1 victory last Friday.
The tide has very much turned in recent history, and the Panthers struggled against a stout defense, which leads them to this week and a matchup against Okolona that has brought much more recent success.
“We had a bad week of practice last week because of the rain and us not being able to be outside,” West Lowndes head coach Anthony King said. “It was a physical game last week, and we weren’t ready. We have to put in our best 11 and put our young guys in where we see fit from there.”
Okolona is a good test for the Panthers early in the season, one that’s kept games close between the two schools in recent years.
The Chieftains have held West Lowndes under 30 points in three of the last four matchups between the two, excluding the COVID-related forfeit in 2020, so if the Panthers can get to that magic 30-point mark, a first win of the season will definitely be in the cards.
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