This is the last week for four area football teams to work the kinks out as division play begins next week.
Here’s a look at the final non-division contest for our area teams.
The Cougars will be trying to start another streak as they host winless Enterprise this week for homecoming.
The Bulldogs are 0-5 with losses to Scott Central (57-14), Northeast Lauderdale (47-14), Stringer (50-18), Sumrall (42-25) and North Forrest (56-30).
“They have ball control offense that has moved the ball on everyone,” Newton County coach Gene Mitchell said. “They have scored points on everyone, so we’ll have to play defense with great eye discipline. To counter that, we need to hold the ball on offense, which we’ve done a better job of the last two weeks. Need to keep playing with great effort for 48 minutes.”
Lake at Richland
The Hornets will wrap up their non-division schedule this week when they travel to Richland for their homecoming.
Richland is 2-3 on the season. They have wins over Puckett (28-20) and McLaurin (33-14). Their losses have been bad as they lost to Pisgah 51-35, Pelahatchie 66-45 and Wesson 47-13.
“They are a throwing team and will try to push us vertical,” Lake coach Tate Hanna said. “We are going to have to be very sound and put some pressure on the quarterback. They will test our defensive backs but I think that’s where we are strong at. They are a smart team and are going to take advantage of what we give them. We just have to stop the deep ball.”
Last year, Richland beat Lake 48-27 as quarterback Ken Francis threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns while the Rangers also ran for 206 yards. Mark Qualls had his best game of the season for Lake against Richland last year, running for 203 yards on 28 carries.
Union at St. Joseph-Madison
St. Joseph is 2-3 on the season with a couple of bad losses. The Bruins started the season out with a 68-15 loss to Newton and lost last week to Jackson Prep 77-20. They have wins over Tri-County Academy (24-21) and St. Andrews (29-7). Their other loss was to Jackson Academy, 31-7.
“Madison will be tough,” Union coach Brad Breland said this summer. “They have some good skill and receivers last year.”
Last year, Union hammered St. Joseph 49-28.
NCA at Tri-County Academy
The Generals will hit the road this week as they take on traditional 2A power Tri-County Academy.
The Rebels are 2-3 on the season but have played a rigorous schedule with losses to Madison St. Joseph (24-21), Manchester (27-20) and Canton (31-27). They have wins over Benton (41-0) and Sylva Bay (45-8).
“Looks a lot like the last game we played,” NCA coach Rob Roberts said of Tri-County. “They run the football a lot and they will run power right at you. They run power but they spread out a little bit. We have to tighten up on our run defense. They are a lot like Leake. They are well coached, will get physical and run the football.”
Last year, the Rebels took a thrilling 28-25 win against the Generals. Tri-County is coached by Decatur native David Blount.
