The unbeaten Columbus High School football team will put its season-opening three-game win streak on the line at 7:30 tonight when it takes on Louisville at Hinze Stadium.

Local broadcasts will be available WMSV-FM (91.1) with Anthony Craven and WLSM-FM (107.1) with Bart Gregory.

Columbus improved to 3-0 last week with a 33-0 home win against county rival New Hope. Louisville is 3-1 after beating Kemper County 42-18 last week.. The Wildcats also enter play with a three-game win streak.

“We just have to keep improving each week,” Columbus coach Tony Stanford said. “The ceiling is unlimited for this team. They have worked real hard since the end of last season. Now, they are beginning to realize we have a chance to be a pretty good football team.”

Columbus was emotionally spent after a 35-27 overtime victory against West Point. Less than a week later, Columbus was back at work putting the finishing touches on the shutout of New Hope. The Columbus forced four takeaways, and waited until the second quarter to get untracked offensively.

“It is difficult to play two very emotional games in a row,” Stanford said. “There were times we were sluggish against New Hope. However, the defensive effort was solid. We forced some takeaways and took control of the game early. Now we go on the road and face another difficult challenge.”

Louisville had four second-half turnovers in a season-opening 17-12 loss to New Hope. Since then, coach M.C. Miller”s crew has earned a hard-fought 20-17 win against Demopolis, Ala., a 53-35 victory against Neshoba Central, and a win against Kemper County.

“The kids have really responded since that first loss,” Miller said. “We were a much better team than we showed. That is a disappointment. However, the attitude and response was very good at practice. The results have shown we have improved each week. Playing with effort and improving is all a coach can ask for.”

Despite the improvement, the Wildcats have struggled on defense. Three late touchdowns allowed Neshoba Central to close the gap two weeks ago. Against Kemper County, the hosts ran for 307 yards but were undone by five turnovers and a critical injury to their top tailback.

“The key will be to attack early and be able to take advantage of our opportunities,” Stanford said. “We have played well to start ballgames. Hopefully, that trend will continue.”

Against New Hope, Columbus quarterback Trace Lee was 11 of 21 for 142 and a pair of third-quarter touchdowns. Starting quarterback Cedric Johnson also had a pair of rushing touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Deontae Jones had a team-high six receptions for 119 yards. Senior running back Damian Baker continued his strong early season play with 106 yards on 18 rushes.

“Columbus is very big and very fast,” Miller said. “They can hurt you multiple places on the field. We have to control field position and not turn the ball over. It will take the perfect game to have a chance.”

Louisville closes its non-region schedule next week with a home game against Aberdeen. Five straight Class 4A, Region 4 games will follow.

Tonight”s game is Columbus” last non-region contest. Seven straight Class 6A, Region 1 games begin next week at home against Tupelo.

Louisville won last season”s meeting 36-28.

Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.