Area high school football teams began practice Monday.
That means we can realistically start breaking down region and district races in both the Mississippi High School Activities Association and Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.
Many schools will begin their seasons with preseason games next Friday and Saturday.
With depth charts now coming into clear focus, let’s answer some more questions….
1. Who will be the biggest challenge to Starkville repeating as MHSAA Class 6A, Region 2 champions?
Let’s go with junior quarterback Cam Akers of Clinton High School.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Akers turned in arguably the best sophomore season in the state. Akers passed for 1,800 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, Akers ran for 896 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Blowing up over the summer, Akers already owns more than 20 Division I offers, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt from the Southeastern Conference. He just missed the Dandy Dozen team for this season but should be a lock next season.
Head-to-head, Starkville beat Clinton 56-46 a year ago in a showdown for the region championship. Akers threw for 308 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in defeat.
Starkville can obviously get by Clinton again this season. Most likely, it will be necessary to repeat as region champions. The first step in getting such a win will be slowing down Akers.
2. Who will be the biggest challenge to either New Hope or West Point winning the MHSAA Class 5A, Region 1 championship?
Well, let’s take the easy route here and talk about the Oxford Chargers.
Oxford had a pair of Dandy Dozen selections — quarterback Jack Abraham and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.
Abraham threw for 3,304 yards with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions during his junior campaign a year ago. Metcalf had 79 receptions for 1,229 yards and 19 touchdowns. Leading rusher Kenzie Phillips also returns after running 1,782 yards and 32 touchdowns a season ago.
Needless to say Oxford appears loaded and should start the season as the preseason pick to win Class 5A.
West Point gave Oxford a pair of competitive games in a regular season loss and postseason loss. New Hope also hung tough against Oxford.
Taking the next step and knocking off the Chargers will be difficult at best. However, it will be necessary to win a region championship.
3. What is the true value of preseason games?
Many coaches approach preseason games in different manners.
Noxubee County returns all of its offensive starters. The Tigers will be looking to fine-tune on offense, while looking to nail down a couple of spots on the defensive side of the ball.
Columbus will be looking to see how its quarterback play looks early. New Hope will also be auditioning for several spots on both offense and defense.
First-year coaches will be looking at their personnel and more importantly becoming more familiar with depth. Each practice is critical for new Starkville coach Ricky Woods, since he was not with the program for spring practice.
Overall, players and coaches alike have spoken very fondly about the New Hope Jamboree, played at Davis Wade Stadium on the Mississippi State campus.
That particular series of games gives players an opportunity to play in a big-time college environment. It will also be a dry run for players who later play in the state championship games this season at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford.
4. Who is the most underrated team in the coverage area as the season begins?
The nod here goes to Aberdeen in MHSAA Class 3A competition.
The Bulldogs have 20 seniors on this year’s roster.
A year ago, Aberdeen finished 10-4, before falling in the third round of the North State Class 3A playoffs.
Aberdeen will be looking to replace quarterback Josh Williams, who may have been the area’s most dynamic play-maker a year ago. The Bulldogs will also be looking for guidance from a first-year head coach as Eric Spann has ascended to the top spot.
Memphis commitment Jerrick Orr will lead the new-look offense. Also a defensive back, the 6-foot, 180-pound Orr had 52 receptions for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
There are a lot of questions in Monroe County. However, there are also a whole lot of answers.
Don’t sleep on the Bulldogs. They could very well be playing in December.
5. Do you have another player to watch?
West Lowndes will be looking to get its passing game going through the wide receiver play of Rontavis Clark.
A 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior, Clark had 22 receptions for 457 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
His leadership will be key with the Panthers virtually losing all of its offensive backfield from a season ago.
West Lowndes moves from MHSAA Class 1A, Region 3 to Class 1A, Region 1. Clark and sophomore Jerry Anderson will be the key as the Panthers try to clinch a playoff berth in their new region.
Scott Walters is a sports reporter for The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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