The West Oktibbeha County and Pelahatchie high school football teams will look to usher out the regular season on a positive note when they meet at 7 tonight in a Class 1A, Region 3 game in Maben.
The region’s playoff teams already have been decided. Nanih Waiya (8-2, 7-0 region) and Noxapater (7-3, 7-0) will play for first place tonight in Louisville. West Oktibbeha and Pelahatchie are two games behind those teams, and will play tonight for third and fourth in the region.
The top four teams in the nine-team region will compete in the Class 1A North State playoffs, which begin Nov. 11. West Oktibbeha and Pelahatchie will go on the road for their in first-round games.
“The pressure is off because you know you are in the playoffs,” West Oktibbeha coach Adam Lowrey said. “However, this game is important. You really would like to have some momentum going into next week.”
West Oktibbeha and Pelahatchie are 7-3 and 5-2 in the region. West Oktibbeha has lost to the region’s top two teams and to Eupora. Pelahatchie also has lost to the region powers and Puckett.
The Timberwolves’ region title hopes were dashed last week in a 41-6 loss at Noxapater. Pelahatchie, which didn’t play last week, is coming off a 47-32 home loss to Noxapater.
For West Oktibbeha, last week’s defeat snapped a five-game win streak in region play.
“We were playing with a lot of confidence, but we had a real tough time against Noxapater,” Lowrey said. “We struggled out of the gate and did not do a good job of recovering. It was a good learning experience. Noxapater is at the top of the region. That is where we want to be one day.”
Tiberias Lampkin scored the Timberwolves’ only touchdown on a 1-yard run.
After finishing 6-5 and narrowly missing the playoffs a season ago, the Timberwolves are pleased to have secured a postseason berth.
“The program has taken a major step forward,” Lowrey said. “It is a credit to this team and the leadership on it that we have won seven games. I think the kids are still hungry and they want to keep this thing going.
“Pelahatchie will present quite a challenge. However, we are looking forward to the game.”
If Class 1A, Region 4 co-leaders Cathedral and Stringer win this week then the loser of tonight’s game will play at Cathedral, while the winner will play at Stringer next week.
East Oktibbeha (5-5, 3-4) at Weir (4-6, 3-4)
The Titans will play at 7 tonight in an attempt to secure fifth place in Class 1A, Region 3.
East Oktibbeha, which was eliminated from postseason consideration two weeks ago, will try to its senior class out as winners. It enters the regular-season finale on a four-game losing streak.
In its last outing, East Oktibbeha lost to Nanih Waiya 47-6 in Crawford. Davalyn Bell scored on a 1-yard run for East Oktibbeha.
The Titans have lost by 17 or more points in each game in the losing streak. Coach Randy Brooks recently noted injuries have hurt his team’s cause. The Titans have pressed some seventh- and eighth-graders into service to complete the season.
After dropping four region games, Weir (4-6, 3-4) enters the game on a three-game winning streak. The Lions have found offensive rhythm in the streak, totaling 129 points in the victories. Last week, Weir won 46-44 at West Lowndes.
East Oktibbeha defeated Weir 38-28 last season.
Sebastopol (2-8, 1-6) will travel to West Lowndes (2-8, 1-6) at 7 p.m. Friday to determine seventh in the region.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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