The high school football playoffs roll on this week setting up some big showdowns for many area teams. Here’s a look at each team and their incoming matchup:
Columbus Christian Academy vs. Tallulah Academy
Sitting at 9-0 on the season, the best year of football Columbus Christian Academy has ever put together has left it sitting on the doorstep of the MAIS Class 1A state championship game.
After drilling Tunica Academy 58-14 last week in the second round of the Division II playoffs, mostly due to two touchdown throws and four scoring runs by quarterback Matthew Benge, the Rams earned the right to host Tallulah Academy of Louisiana Friday in the semifinals for the opportunity to make their first-ever championship game appearance.
“Everybody feels good,” head coach Marcus Davidson said. “(The) atmosphere seems to be good, everybody is in good spirits. (We) have everybody pretty healthy, I mean we have a few bumps and bruises but that’s expected this time of the season.”
All hands will be needed on deck Friday to stamp a victory over the No. 6 seed Trojans, who already have an upset victory under their belts in the playoffs. Just two weeks after losing to the same team 40-8, Tallulah knocked off No. 3 seed Briarfield Academy, a postseason favorite, 22-18 last week in the second round. It was an upset that sent some ripples throughout 1A, Davidson said.
“Everybody basically had Briarfield and Desoto (School) put into the state championship all year long, so Tallulah knocking them off was quite the upset in MAIS,” he said.
All hands will be needed on deck for the Rams to stamp a victory over the Trojans. Statistically, CCA averages 29 more points per game but Tallulah’s defense has only given up an average of 25 points through its 12 games, which is slightly better than CCA’s 26 through nine contests. The Rams, who are the highest seeded team left in the bracket at No. 2, are taking their next task very seriously.
“They’re big, they’re quicker than they look, I can tell. They’ve always had some speedy guys,” Davidson said. “They’re big across the front, which is going to be a mismatch for us and everything because we don’t have a lot of size. I mean, we have a couple of guys with some decent size but they’re big across the front. … We are just going to hope that our speed holds on to get us through again as it has all year. They’ll be coached well, and I’m just hoping that some of our misdirection and motion and everything can get them unbalanced so I can do a count, make a numbers game of it and get them where they aint.”
Keeping the Trojans offense off the field is a key to victory for CCA, Davidson said.
“We’ve got to make sure we don’t give them any extra possessions of the football and get them stopped a couple of times, that way we can score and hopefully be on the upper end at the end.”
Heritage Academy at Magnolia Heights
One of the the Patriots’ two losses in the regular season was a narrow 31-28 defeat at Magnolia Heights, and now the team has a chance to earn some revenge today in the semifinals of the MAIS Class 4A Division II playoffs in another battle against the Chiefs in Senatobia.
With head coach Tobias Smith not on the sidelines due to a penalty handed down by the MAIS, Heritage pounded Oak Forest Academy 35-7 to begin the postseason last week.
“It was different to see a team get to practice all week and get prepared and you are out there with them all week and you are not out there with them on Friday, but we have a really good staff and a really good team; they are an older team so they understand. We executed and played a good football game,” Smith told The Dispatch.
Smith did not delve into details as to why he was not able to coach last week, stating, “I only want to talk about our playoff game going forward.” A voicemail left by The Dispatch at the MAIS’ office regarding Smith being removed from coaching duties last week was not returned by press time.
The Chiefs punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 52-21 victory over Bayou Academy and have an offense that has scored at least 40 points in eight games this season.
“They are a really good team,” Smith said. They play hard, they play tough, they are well-coached. This game is going to come down to who executes the most and who plays the hardest.”
Starkville Academy at Parklane Academy
The Volunteers are back in the semifinals for the first time since 2023 and they’re tasked with taking on the reigning MAIS Class 5A state champion Parklane Academy today on the road.
Starkville Academy (7-4) pulled out the upset last week in a 10-7 victory over Copiah Academy, and head coach Chase Nicholson said the win has given his team a boost of momentum.
“That was a tremendous effort and we have to repeat that,” he said. We also know that it’s possible and is something that we can do. I think everybody is really excited to be where we are and just excited to play (today).”
The Pioneers bring a 9-1 record into the game that includes four straight shutout victories, one of which was 37-0 over SA, and even took down Jackson Prep 18-7 to start the season.
“(They) are a good football team, obviously their record shows that. They had a big win over Jackson Prep and they’ve been favored to win it ever since then,” Nicholson said. … “They’re just a complete football team. They have a lot of weapons across the board, good running backs, a good offensive line, good receivers who can catch and a quarterback who can put it where he needs to. The defense is well-disciplined and they play good technique, just a good football team. There is a reason they are one of the last four still standing.”
The Vols’ defense stood tall against Copiah and Nicholson said they’ll have to do it again if they want to leave Parklane with the upset.
“We have to eliminate the big plays since they can throw the ball pretty good,” he said. “We have to eliminate their two best receivers, but obviously you can’t sell out to them because they have good runners so you have to be able to stop the run. You just have to go out and play football. We have a good plan for them I feel like and so we have to execute that.”
West Point vs. Vicksburg
The road to a 3-peat as Class 5A state champions for the Green Wave begins today at home against Vicksburg. West Point (10-0) toppled every foe it faced so far this season to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs and the mantle of the No. 1-ranked team in the state, but none of that matters when the ball is kicked off and the playoffs are underway.
“It’s 0-0,” Morgan said. “What we or what anybody else has done previously up to this point, it doesn’t matter. Just have to go 1-0, or if you lose you go home, so that’s been the message. We have to focus on this week and put all our attention on Vicksburg. They are a fine football team. Anybody you play this time of year is a good football team and has the capability to beat you. They are very dangerous, they have good athletes and they’ve got our full attention.”
The Gators (5-5) ended their regular season with three straight losses in which they were held to 16 points and have given up at least 22 points in all of their five defeats, four of which their foes scored more than 32 points.
“Offensively, (they) have very good athletes, a lot of speed all over the field, and they can get loose on you and score from anywhere. So, we have to tackle and play good, sound team defense. … Defensively, they are as pretty as anybody we’ll play; they look really good. Up front they have two really good looking tackles, big kids, and two defensive ends who are just long and rangy and big, a lot like Tuelp’s defensive ends. … So, just a very good football team.
West Point boasts one of the best defensive squads in the state that has kept teams to an average of just 9.6 points a game.
“(Assistant) coach (Charles) Herron and our defensive staff do a great job of keeping that fire in our guys to make sure that we are hungry and paying attention to the little things and getting a little bit better individually each day so we can get better as a team each day,” Morgan said.
New Hope vs. Holmes County Central
After an 8-2 start to last season, the Trojans’ winning ways didn’t translate into the playoffs and the team was bounced out in the first round, a streak that goes back to 2017 across three postseason appearances.
But that was last year and the team is focused on right now.
“Last year was last year and it was a completely different team from last year to this year,” head coach Allen Glenn said. “I’m not naive enough to think that our kids don’t remember that because a lot of those guys played on that team last year, but the goal is to continue to play and take it week by week. That was the 2024 New Hope Trojans and this is the 2025 New Hope Trojans and we are focused on us.”
This year, New Hope (7-3) is back in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs with only the goal of going 1-0 each week as they host Holmes County Central today to get the postseason started. The game will be a clash of two high-powered offenses with the Jaguars averaging 39 points per game and the Trojans scoring an average of 38 points a contest.
“They are a very athletic, well-coached team,” Glenn said. “(Head) coach (Marcus) Rogers does a great job with his guys. … The kids play hard, they’re very athletic so it will definitely be a tall task – but it’s just a typical playoff game in 5A football. It will be an exciting matchup.
“(We) just have to limit turnovers and play clean football. You want to play your best football this time of the year and I think it’s very important that you stick to who you are, and obviously important that you limit penalties and take care of the football.”
And to Glenn, his team is playing their best right now.
“Since the Brother Martin game, we had the one hiccup versus West Point, but I do feel like we’re playing really good complimentary football right now, and we’ll have to continue to do that to be successful (tonight),” he said.
Noxubee County at Coahoma County
On the heels of a 41-15 victory over Yazoo County in the first round, The Tigers’ Class 3A postseason run has led them to today’s second-round matchup at Coahoma County (5-5).
“They won their district. They have some athletic kids, they are big up front offensively and they can run the ball,” head coach Teddy Young said. “They play very hard, so we have to go up there and play one of our better games.”
The penalties flags piled up for Noxubee (8-3) last week but it made up for it with a spree of three straight scores to pull away from Yazoo. This week practices have been about fixing those issues that can prove costly in the postseason.
“We just focused on the little details of cleaning up penalties and stop having slow starts, just focusing on the mental part of the game,” Young said. “That’s the biggest thing we’ve been harping on this week. We’re going on the road and we can’t start off slow.”
Keeping the flags in the belts of the officials and the ball in their hands are what needs to happen for the Tigers to advance further, Young said.
“We must be able to stop the run and try and force some turnovers,” he said. “If we can do those things I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Starkville at Tupelo
The Yellow Jackets are leaving last week’s loss to Oxford in the Little Egg Bowl behind them as they turn their attention toward their first Class 7A playoff debut under head coach John Carr.
Starkville is set to take on reigning Class 7A champion Tupelo on the road today, a challenge Carr said his team is fired up about.
“I mean, everyone is excited about the opportunity,” he said. “You had half the 7A schools last week take up equipment and we’re part of the half that got to move on, and once you get into this situation it’s not like it’s the NBA Finals or it’s not like a best-of-7 series or if you’re the No. 1 seed you get spotted a 7-0 lead or you get an extra timeout or whatever else. It’s one game for 48 minutes and (it’s about) who is the most excited there and who can execute and play the best? I think our players are excited about the opportunity.”
Against the Chargers, Starkville piled up 483 yards of offense but couldn’t punch in much-needed scores in the red zone. Those are some of the positive things Carr and the Jackets (6-4) are taking with them to Tupelo (10-1), where they’ll have to find a way to put the clamps on 7A Mr. Football in running back J.J. Hill, a three-star prospect according to 247Sports and a Mississippi State commit.
“They rely heavily on running the ball,” Carr said. “(Hill) is a tremendous running back whose yards after contact are impressive when you watch it on film. He’s a strong kid, and when you add in the element of the quarterback who they’ve gotten back and they are going to be able to run the football. So, we are going to have to gang tackle and try to get him down before he gets going. Offensively, we have to find a way to make first downs, stay on the field and not give up a bunch of chunk plays.”
West Lowndes at Biggersville
The Panthers are back in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs after shutting out Coffeeville 44-0 last week, but today brings a much tougher task for West Lowndes as it squares off at Biggersville.
Led by quarterback Xae Mayes, who was named Mr. 1A Football, the Lions (10-1) defeated West Lowndes (5-4) 34-9 to open the season, but that was a long time ago. The Panthers have grown into a much different team, head coach Anthony King said.
“It was the first game for my quarterback (Kadon Burton), a sophomore with no experience, and I wasn’t expecting Biggersville to have a quarterback that good because he wasn’t there the year before,” King said. “So, for them to come into the season with a new quarterback and play winning football, that’s pretty impressive, but this time we are prepared for them. We also have a pretty good quarterback. I think Burton is starting to come around into his own now. He’s playing pretty good football and we’ll need him to use his arms and his legs to extend plays.
“Last week he played a pretty good game, well he had about three throws he wishes he could have back, but he played a pretty good game and extended plays pretty good. We need him to make the right decision and we should be OK if he does that.”
So far this season the Lions have outscored their foes 403-147 while the Panthers have a mark of 232-192 against its foes.
Oak Hill Academy vs. Kirk Academy
It’s been a long time since Oak Hill has won a playoff game – 33 years to be exact.
A 8-6 over Carroll Academy in 1992 was the program’s last taste of playoff victory and last week a 54-20 win over the Rebels broke a long streak thanks to four rushing touchdowns by running back Boston Cunningham.
Now the Raiders (8-3) are sitting squarely in the MAIS Class 2A Division II semifinals and host Kirk Academy for a trip to the state championship game.
“Everybody is excited and we’ve had a good week of practice, so I think they’re eager to get to (tonight),” head coach Tom Goode said.
Kirk Academy (6-5) has been in the state championship game in each of the last three years, finally breaking through last season. Today’s game will feature two teams who love to run the ball.
“Kirk is a lot like us. They like to run the football, they are a physical team, they play hard from start to finish and they are very well-coached,” Goode said. “It’s going to be a tough matchup for us, but they do a good job.”
Along with stopping the run, Goode said playing clean will give either team the edge in the game.
“I really feel the team that makes the least amount of mistakes, whether that’s penalties or fumbles or whatever, but I really feel like what team makes the three to four really big plays will probably separate the two,” he said.
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
