Two long-time rivals will square off on Friday night in a game with playoff implications when Newton County travels to rival West Lauderdale.
West Lauderdale is 3-2 on the season with wins over Seminary (40-14), Morton (28-27) and Philadelphia (35-6). They have losses to Neshoba Central (27-20) and Union (28-14).
“They had an off week to get ready for us,” County coach Bobby Bass said. “They are going to be solid and are going to run their stuff. They aren’t going to do a lot other than beat themselves. They are a typical West Lauderdale team. It’s going to be a physical team. Whoever is the most physical and makes the last amount of mistakes will win the game. It’s hard to play over there so maybe the Mize game happened for a reason to teach us how to play in tough environments.”
Last year, West Lauderdale won 33-21.
Clarkdale at Union
A pair of unbeaten teams will meet this week in a non-district game at Union as the Yellowjackets host Clarkdale.
The Bulldogs are 6-0 on the season and coached by former Newton County offensive coordinator Rob Roberts. They have wins over Resurrection Catholic (35-7), Stringer (47-24), Pelahatchie (42-13), Sebastopol (38-0), Southeast Lauderdale (36-0) and Bay Springs (12-6).
“It should be a fun game with two 6-0 football teams,” Union coach Jordan Wren said. “It’s a big game for the community. These two communities are very similar. I think it will be a close game, and the fans will get their money’s worth. Coach Rob has done a good job and there is a lot of excitement over there.”
Puckett at Lake
The Hornets will return to division play this week as they host Puckett on Thursday night.
The Wolves are 1-5 on the season with their lone win coming over McLaurin (16-14). They have losses to Sebastopol (37-16), Noxapater (27-0), Pisgah (26-6), Bogue Chitto (51-26) and Scott Central (49-0).
“They are a wing-T team and runs some single-wing and a lot of misdirection,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “We still have to get better at Lake, especially on defense. The back half has to get better. Their fullback is a good-looking player and big kid
“They have a new coach but a veteran coach. They are wing-T and run some single wing, lots of misdirection. They will put you in a bind. We still have to get better at lake. Especially on defense. Back half has to get better. The fullback is a good-looking player; he’s a big kid.
Sebastopol at McAdams
The Bobcats will try to get back on track this week as they travel to Attala County to take on McAdams.
The Bulldogs are 4-1 on the season with wins over Discovery Christian (58-12), J.Z. George (28-21), St. Andrew’s (44-21) and Riverside (40-0). They lost 28-14 to county rival Ethel last week.
“They are 4-1 on the season,” Sebastopol coach Keith Brown said. “They are a lot better than they have been the last several years. They look pretty good on film and have some guys who are really dangerous. We have played them before and it’s a tough place to play.”
NCA at Kemper Academy
The Generals come off the bye week and will travel to DeKalb to take on Kemper Academy.
The Rams are 1-6 on the season with their lone win coming over Hebron Christian (54-0). They have losses to Deer Creek (44-0), Sylva Bay (54-0), Marvell (50-38), Columbus Christian (62-8) and Prentiss (26-14).
“I thought we had a good week of practice and worked on things we needed to fine tune and get better at. This week, we will put our attention on Kemper and the last three weeks of the regular season. We might be a little rusty coming off the off wee. We have to respect our opponent and can’t overlook anyone.”
Pelahatchie at Newton
The Tigers will host the Chiefs with a playoff spot likely on the line on Thursday.
Pelahatchie is 2-4 on the season and coming off a 64-6 win over West Lincoln. The also have a win over Enterprise-Lincoln (40-16). They have losses to Pisgah (20-14), Clarkdale (42-13), Richland (30-20) and Sebastopol (32-20).
