Two district championships will be decided this week in Decatur.
Leake Central plays at Newton County for the 5-4A crown and Ben’s Ford plays at Newton County Academy for 3-1A title.
Here’s a roundup of this week’s games.
Leake Central at Newton County
The Division 5-4A championship will be on the line this week when Newton County hosts Leake Central.
The Gators are 6-2 on the seasons and 2-0 in division play with wins over Choctaw Central (60-27) and West Lauderdale (48-28).
“It’s a big week with the district championship on the line,” County coach Bobby Bass said. “We are both undefeated. They have athletes everywhere with a lot more organization. They don’t throw it 100 percent of the time like they have in the past. They are running the ball more and taking shots where they get them. They are getting the ball to their athletes in space. We will have to do a really good job of scheming someone on defense.”
Last year, Leake Central beat Newton County 28-21.
Ben’s Ford at NCA
The Generals will be at home this week as they host Ben’s Ford for homecoming.
Ben’s Ford is 4-4 overall and both teams are 2-0 in district 3-1A play. The Eagles have wins over Sylva Bay (38-22), Hebron (52-14), Prentiss (48-16) and Central Holmes (50-21).
“We had to move homecoming to this week from October 3 when Hillcrest cancelled on us,” NCA coach Stevie Nelson said. “It’s for the district championship. We just have to do what we have been doing and continue to eliminate those mistakes.”
Last year, NCA handed Ben’s Ford both losses, winning 29-22 in the regular season and 49-12 in the playoffs.
St. Andrews at Union
The Yellowjackets will be at home this week as they host St. Andrew’s in a district contest.
The Saints are 2-6 on the season with wins over McLaurin (51-12) and Mount Olive (25-24). In district, they lost to Southeast Lauderdale (26-15) and Pisgah (28-6).
“They like to throw it more than your average small school,” Union coach Jordan Wren said. “It’s week nine and you want to try to play your best ball and that’s where we need to be. We want to practice better and execute better than we have been.”
Pisgah at Lake
The Hornets will be at home as they host the Dragons for homecoming in a non-district contest on Friday.
Pisgah is 5-3 on the season and coming off a 28-6 win after three straight losses.
“We haven’t played the last few years,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “They will be very sound and will get after you. They are very well coached and made it to the third round of the playoffs last year. We have to get past all of the distractions of homecoming and have a great week of practice. I think it will be a tough one.”
Leake County at Sebastopol
The Bobcats will be at home this week as they host Leake County.
The Gators are 3-5 on the season and 2-1 in district play. Their lone loss in district play was a 20-14 overtime loss to Nanih Waiya. They beat Ethel (28-0) and McAdams (48-6) after starting the season with four straight losses.
“They might be the second-best team win the division,” Sebastopol coach Keith Brown said. “They are by far the best Leake team I have seen since I have been here. They have gotten better and are putting it together. We have played them every year since I have been here. They were banged up early but have gotten healthy. It will be another challenge.”
Last year, Sebastopol beat Leake County 34-8.
Newton at Puckett
The Tigers will hit the road this week as they travel to Puckett to take on the Wolves.
Both teams are 1-7 and winless in division play and the winner of this game will make the playoffs.
“They haven’t been very successful either,” Newton coach Jeffrey Crosby said. “I think we will have a chance at them. They haven’t scored in district. I think it’s team that we have a chance at. If we win, it punches our ticket to the playoffs. We have to have a good week of practice. They run that triple option and we will have to be disciplined this week.”
