As the season draws to a close, most local teams are vying for playoff position.
At Newton County, the Cougars will try to stay undefeated as they travel to Florence with a shot at clinching the Division 5-4A championship this week.
In Newton, the Tigers host Philadelphia with playoff seeding on the line. In Sebastopol, the Bobcats try to position themselves for the No. 2 slot in Division 4-1A.
Newton County Academy will try to get its first win as the Generals make the long road trip to Centreville.
Lake was scheduled to play Union this week but that game was cancelled because of a COVID outbreak at Lake.
Newton County at Florence
The Cougars will travel to Florence this week as they take on the 3-4 Eagles.
Florence has wins over Forest (51-44), Collins (21-8) and Quitman (8-0). They have losses to Terry (33-7), Scott Central (52-21), Northeast Jones (8-5) and Mendenhall (35-21).
“It looks like they play hard and scrappy,” Newton County coach Bobby Bass said. “If we go in halfcocked like we did on Friday night, it could be a long night for us. They do a lot of stuff on offense. They might be in empty, quads, you can never tell. Some games they get in a lot of formations, some games they only get in two. There is no rhyme or reason for anything they do on offense.”
The Cougars are 3-0 in Division 5-4A play and a win this week would secure the division championship for the Cougars. Last year, Newton County beat Florence 34-7.
Philadelphia at Newton
The Tigers will face off to the suddenly hot Tornadoes on Friday night with Class 2A playoff position on the line.
The Tornadoes opened the season with a 21-10 loss to Leake Central and then fell 33-13 to Noxubee County. After a forfeit loss to Kemper County, the Tornadoes lost 41-18 to Scott Central. They responded with a 34-0 win over Lake and then beat Forest 34-26 last week.
“They have played a lot better,” Grady said. “They have really good athletes and are very dangerous. We have made the playoffs but it would be good to get some momentum going into the playoffs. I think we can play with them but have to be better.”
The Tornadoes are led by Kadarius Calloway, who is committed to play at Alabama and also has offers from Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Ole Miss and Louisville.
Stringer at Sebastopol
The Bobcats will face a crucial 4-1A contest when they host Stringer on Friday.
The Red Devils are 4-3 on the season with wins over Salem (50-12), Mount Olive (14-12), Resurrection (25-10) and Leake County (47-30). They have losses to Enterprise (51-0), Lumberton (42-8) and Union (42-3).
“They are going to be a challenge,” Sebastopol coach Nicky Mooney said. “Union banged them up pretty good and they looked totally different against Leake County. The moved some people around on offense. It wouldn’t surprise me if they haven’t worked on some different things. I think we are a better team if we will play hard. If we play like we did against Mount Olive, we will get beat. It’s just that simple.”
Last year, Stringer beat Sebastopol 42-7.
NCA at Centreville
The Generals will end the season with a long road trip to Centreville on Friday night.
Centreville is 4-5 on the season with on-the-field wins over Bowling Green, Amite (38-22) and Prentiss Christian (46-16). They have a forfeit win over Silliman. They have losses to Washington (43-40), Brookhaven (53-6), Sylva Bay (38-6), Cathedral (34-0) and Adams County Christian (35-12).
