The opening round of the playoffs takes place tonight among private schools, while MHSAA schools jockey for playoff spots as the regular season winds down.
MAIS playoffs
Lamar School (3-7, 3-2 MAIS 5A-2) at Starkville Academy (6-4, 3-2 MAIS 5A-1): It seems like a long time ago, but these teams played earlier this season, a 28-14 win for the Volunteers. In that game, the Vols held the Raiders to 4.5 yards per pass attempt and had an interception. Junior Austin Acton rushed for 112 yards on 10 carries for Lamar, 46 of the yards on one play.
Their 3-7 record suggests the Vols could advance easily to a rematch next week against Heritage Academy, but the Raiders have lost to some very good teams: Heritage (9-1), Simpson Academy (7-3), Jackson Prep (6-4), Presbyterian Christian (7-3), Hartfield Academy (8-1) and Leake Academy (9-1), the No. 1 seed in the bracket, have beaten Lamar. Lamar’s wins? The Raiders have beaten East Rankin (3-7), Park Place Christian (3-7) and St. Joseph Madison (4-6).
So Lamar hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record and hasn’t lost to a team with a losing record. Again, Starkville Academy is 6-4.
Regular Season
Cleveland Central (4-4, 3-2 5A-1) at New Hope (4-4, 1-4 5A-1): If the Trojans win out, they will be 3-4 in the region with a slim chance of forging a three-way tie for fourth place in the region. Too many things have to happen for that, but a winning record is within reach, and after four consecutive losing seasons, that would be big deal for New Hope.
But Cleveland Central will be a tough out. The Wolves’ two region losses came to the top two teams in the standings: West Point and Lafayette. With Greenville (0-5) left after this, they know a win all but locks up the No. 3 seed for the postseason. They will not be looking past the Trojans.
Moreover, the Wolves defeated the Lake Cormorant team that doubled-up New Hope (28-14) just last week by a 25-14 score four weeks ago. Against Columbus, the Wolves put up 35 points while the Trojans were held scoreless.
These teams have not met since Cleveland Central emerged from the court-ordered consolidation of Cleveland and East Side high schools; then again, New Hope only played Cleveland once. So there’s no history. But with the Wolves trying to finish with their first winning record since the school opened in 2017, and the Trojans trying to finish with their first winning record since the year before, both should be fired up for this one.
Germantown (4-5, 2-3 6A-2) at Starkville (8-1, 4-1 6A-2): Germantown is as middle-of-the-road as it gets. One game under .500 both overall and in the region, the Mavericks have allowed just nine more points than they have scored.
Starkville is far from middle of the road, both in their records and in their 271-142 point differential, plus the Yellow Jackets will be fired up after Oxford spoiled their bid for an undefeated season last week. For the record, Oxford defeated Germantown 37-28 on Oct. 8.
Starkville won this matchup 41-7 a year ago, and while the Mavericks seem more competitive than that now, that doesn’t mean they can pin a second consecutive home loss on Starkville.
Saltillo (2-7, 1-4 5A-1) at West Point (6-2, 5-0 5A-1): You can search high and low, wade through results from every game, check all the statistics you fan fine, and it just won’t be possible to find a way the Green Wave lose this game.
Historically, West Point is 14-0 against Saltillo, and last year;s 27-0 game marks the fewest points the Green Wave have scored in the series. In the series, West Point has scored 599 points to Saltillo’s 99.
This season, Saltillo has allowed at least 35 points six times; West Point has scored at least 40 points in three consecutive games. In this one, nothing has to give.
Patrician Academy (Ala.) (6-2, 2-2 AISA-AA-2) at Pickens Academy (Ala.) (5-4, 2-3 AISA A-2): The Pirates close the regular season with a nonregion team against a team that beat them 48-0 last season.
Patrician Academy comes in on a roll. After losing two early region games to fall to 1-2, the Saints have reeled off five consecutive wins and have been scoring points in bunches. The Pirates are coming off of their second-biggest margin of victory this season, a 38-6 win over Meadowview Christian, but the Trojans are 0-9 and have been outscored by almost 400 points, so there’s not much to draw from there.
Pickens Academy will open postseason play Nov. 5 at Lowndes Academy.
Aberdeen (5-3, 2-1 3A-4) at Noxubee County (5-3, 2-1 3A-4): Lesson learned: If one website claims a game has been moved, check others and confirm it if there is conflicting information. This game is, in fact, tonight, so we repeat the capsule today.
Since a 28-0 loss to region champ Amory, the Bulldogs have won three consecutive games. The Bulldogs have scored progressively more points in each, beating Nettleton (28-17), East Webster (33-16) and Hatley (51-0).
None of that should bother the Tigers, who were competitive against Amory (a 34-22 loss), crushed Hatley (52-0) four weeks ago and rolled past Nettleton (46-24) last week.
Sophomore Martavius Wicks leads Noxubee County in rushing with 607 yards, and the team as a whole is averaging 9.1 yards per carry. The passing game has been inconsistent, partly because of injuries, but when it connects the Tigers are averaging 15 yards per catch as a team. Last week, for example, junior Lamar Stewart was at quarterback and completed only 5 of 14 passes, but those five completions went for 96 yards and a touchdown. Stewart was terrific running the ball, with 161 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries.
Chaunssey Triplett (12), Kyrin Olver (11) and Ramoan Jackson (10) led a very active defense in tackles against Nettelton, which managed just 4.1 yards per carry to Noxubee’s 11.5.
Much like Caledonia, the numbers would suggest Noxubee County has a strong chance at gaining the No. 2 seed out of 3A-4. The winner of this game likely will host the winner of tonight’s game between Mantachie and Booneville, while the loser will travel to Water Valley in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.
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