One of the better matchups in the MAIS will be in Decatur this week when unbeaten Humphreys Academy comes visiting.
In other contests, Lake hosts its first home game as they play Leake County for the first time. Newton County will try to get past last week’s loss this week with another wing-T team in Northeast Jones. Meanwhile, Sebastopol hits the road for the first time against Pisgah while Newton travels to Quitman and Union makes the trek to Clarke County to take on Enterprise.
Humphreys at NCA
The Generals will have their hands full this week as they host Humphreys on Friday night in a battle of 8-man contenders.
Humphreys is 3-0 on the season with wins over Tunica (52-12), North Sunflower (54-6) and Desoto (52-16).
“They have a lot of speed and a tremendous quarterback,” NCA coach Stevie Nelson said. “Their quarterback is a very talented player. He’s the headmaster’s son and a really good athlete. They have the same speed, so we need the same kind of game plan that we had this week. Our best defense against them is going to be a good ball-control offense.”
Last year, Humphreys beat NCA 42-20 in the regular season.
Leake County at Lake
The Hornets will have their home opener on Friday as they host Leake County.
The Class 1A Gators are 0-2 with losses to Leake Central (42-26) and West Lowndes (34-24).
“They have a good group of underclassmen,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “They can put some points on the board and are very stout on defense. They have everything they need to be successful in 1A. We have never played them, but it will be like our first two games. Our kids know each other so I suspect another tough game.”
Northeast Jones at Newton County
The Cougars will be back home this week as they host Northeast Jones.
The Tigers are 0-2 on the season with a pair of tough losses to South Jones (20-17) and West Jones (27-14).
“They are another wing-T team, and we have three of them in a row,” County coach Bobby Bass said. “They are really big up front and big on both sides of the football. They have some good skill people. I expect our kids to bounce back this week. I think once they see the film, they will see that we had opportunities to win the game last week. We have to do better in some areas and have to have a better football IQ.”
The two teams, former division foes, did not play last year.
Sebastopol at Pisgah
The Bobcats will hit the road after two straight home games and take on the 2-0 Dragons.
Pisgah has won a pair of tight games, beating Pelahatchie (20-14) and Bogue Chitto (7-3).
“It’s the same old Pisgah,” Sebastopol coach Keith Brown said. “They did lose some of their skill guys from last year. It’s really like we are a mirror image of each other. They will have the advantage on us with the number of players they have and their size advantage. They will get in some big formations with eight or nine linemen and snap it to a back and get downhill. They are very aggressive on defense and fly around. It can be tough sledding going against them.”
Last year, Pisgah beat Sebastopol 32-14.
Newton at Quitman
The Tigers will face an unfamiliar opponent this week when they travel to Quitman to take on the Panthers.
Quitman is 1-1 on the season with a season-opening win over Kemper County (34-32) and a bad loss to Heidelberg (48-7) last week.
“If we will play the way we played the second half last week, we should be right there with them,” Newton coach Jeffrey Crosby said. “They are athletic and have some big guys on the line. They will try to use their speed and athletic ability to get on the edge. And on defense, they will try to load the box, so we have to throw the ball some to keep them honest.”
Union at Enterprise
The Yellowjackets will hit the road again this week as they travel to Enterprise.
The Bulldogs are 1-1 in the season. The beat Southeast Lauderdale (47-14) last week after a 34-22 loss to Stringer last week.
“They are a well-oiled machine on offense,” Union coach Jordan Wren said. “They are going to run that wing-T offense about as perfect as anybody you will see in high school. A lot of people call it boring football, but I enjoy watching them run it because they are so good at it. We know we are athletic and fast on defense. This week is about can we be disciplined on defense. Offensively, we can be effective with getting our athletes out in space and making them tackle us.”
Last year, Enterprise beat Union 23-22.
