Four of the six area football teams will be on the road this week.
Newton County Academy will host Ben’s Ford while Sebastopol will host Pisgah. Meanwhile, Newton County will play at Poplarville, Union will play at Leake Academy, Newton be at Kemper County and Lake will be at Pelahatchie.
Newton County at Poplarville
The Cougars will try to hit the road this week and see if they can pick up their first win against the unbeaten Hornets.
Poplarville has wins over Jefferson Davis County (17-16) and Stone County (13-7).
“We are going to see the same thing this week that we saw last week,” County coach Bobby Bass said. “If we aren’t going to be physical, we are going to be in trouble and it will be the same kind of night as it was last week. On film, they look like the same old Poplarville. Their main running back hasn’t played the first two week. But it doesn’t matter who you are, they are going to hit you in the face. You can either be the hammer or you can be the nail.”
Last year, Poplarville beat Newton County 16-0.
Ben’s Ford at NCA
The Generals will try to get back on track this week as they host the unbeaten Eagles of Ben’s Ford.
the Eagles are 3-0 on the season with wins over Park Place (42-12), Wilkinson Christian (58-40) and Franklin (54-6).
“They have a good team,” NCA coach Stevie Nelson said. “They have a good running back and a good quarterback. We have to work on being more consistent on both sides of the ball. We have to put this one behind us and go back to work and try to get better.”
Last year, Ben’s Ford also won its first three games before NCA won 56-14 in week four of the season.
Union at Leake Academy
The Yellowjackets will try to pick up their first win on the road this week with a short trip to Madden.
The Rebels are 2-1 on the season and coming off wins over Starkville Academy (35-19) and Bayou Academy (49-13) after a season-opening loss to Jackson Academy (31-23).
“Leake has a college-level quarterback who will throw it around the field,” Union coach Jordan Wren said. “They are well coached on both sides and have most of their defense back. They had some issues with tackling last year but they look a year older and a lot better on defense than they were last year. I think the big thing for us is can we limit their possessions and can we limit their offense.”
Union has won the last two matchups between the two teams, winning 49-21 last year.
Newton at Kemper County
The Tigers have another tall task in from of them this week as they take on unbeaten Kemper County.
The Wildcats are considered one of the favorites in Class 3A this season. They have wins over Kosciusko (38-15) and Noxapater (46-8).
“It doesn’t get any easier this week,”Newton coach Jeffrey Crosby said. “They have a very athletic team. The quarterback and running back are really good an the offensive lineman is a Dandy Dozen pick. It just doesn’t get any easier for us. We will have our hands full.”
Last year, Kemper County won 46-6.
Pisgah at Sebastopol
The Bobcats will try to stay unbeaten as they take on the Dragons of Pisgah this week.
Pisgah is 2-0 on the season with wins over North Forrest (34-32) and Richton (35-20).
“We played a real physical game last week and have another one this week,” Sebastopol coach Keith Brown said. “They are big and physical up front. They have a big offensive line and get after it on defense. They have a couple of skill guys that can hurt you. They still like to play with a lot of offensive linemen and jump between sets but basically, they are still trying to run the football.”
Last year, Sebastopol beat Pisgah 34-13.
Lake at Pelehatchie
The Hornets will try to get its first win of the season this week as they make the trip down Interstate 20 to Pelahatchie.
Pelahatchie is 1-1 on the season with a win over Stringer and a loss to Class 4A Northeast Lauderdale.
“They have a lot of returning starters from last year,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “They beat Stringer this past week and lost Northeast Lauderdale the week before. I think they are much improved overcast year. I think they will be a little hungrier this year since we beat them handily last year. We have to go there and be prepared fora battle. The biggest thing for us is we have to work on Lake this week and get better. We have to find out identity on offense.”
Last year, Lake beat beat Pelahatchie 40-0.
