It’s time to get down to business.
That’s the sentiment for nearly all of the Lowndes County public school football teams as they prepare for their games tonight.
Columbus, New Hope, and West Lowndes high schools will kick off or continue play in the all-important region action, while Caledonia High will play its final its final non-region game against Class 2A power Ackerman. All games start at 7:30 tonight.
For Columbus coach Tony Stanford, the Falcons’ game at Tupelo is a chance to set the tone against a team it figures to compete with for one of Class 6A Region 1’s top four playoff spots.
“We probably had the best week we have had all year. I hope it is not a jinx,” Stanford said of his team’s practices this week. “Monday and Tuesday we worked real hard and improved a good bit on the practice field. I hope we will be ready to play the best game we have played to date.”
Stanford said perennial favorites Olive Branch and South Panola likely will lead the region, while his team will compete with Southaven (next week’s opponent), DeSoto Central, Horn Lake, and Grenada will try to knock each other off.
With little chance to take a breather against any of those teams, Stanford knows tonight’s game can help Columbus, which beat Tupelo 24-23 and just missed advancing to the North State playoffs, realize its goal to play in the postseason.
Stanford said he liked the energy his players showed this week. He felt the offense and defense both looked sharper and that the team built on its 21-13 victory against Louisville. Kendrick Conner led the Falcons with 136 rushing yards in the victory. Stanford said Conner and a young offensive line that returned just one starter from last season continue to come together.
“(Conner) has had a good week,” Stanford said. “I think his confidence is really up right now. With him coming in and the offensive line not being as good as we are used to (early in the season), he took his lumps early. But the holes have opened up and he has confidence in the offensive line now. He had a great week, and I think he’s going to have a great game (tonight).”
Stanford credited the offensive line for cutting down on the number of mistakes it made last week. He said quarterback Trace Lee was put under pressure a few times, but he attributed some of that to running backs not picking up their blocking assignments.
With Lee also more confident directing the offense, Stanford feels Columbus has what it takes to compete with the improved teams in the district and to claim one of those four playoff spots.
“I think we have an opportunity to compete this year,” Stanford said. “Olive Branch and South Panola are sitting there at the top and everybody else is trying to get at their level. Southaven always has a good team, and we’re hoping we get to their level. They’re right behind South Panola and Olive Branch.”
New Hope, which lost to Columbus 9-6, also will get started in Class 5A, Region 1 play tonight when it plays host to Saltillo (3-1).
Last season, New Hope won 34-19 at Saltillo then returned home for a 43-22 victory against Oxford, which was one of its best games of the season. Unfortunately, injuries played a key role in a season-ending five-game losing streak that prevented the Trojans from making the playoffs.
New Hope coach Michael Bradley knows his region, much like Columbus’, doesn’t include any breaks, which is why his team has to stop being its worst enemy.
“We’re hoping we can get some things accomplished and have a better game mentally and not have as many busted assignments,” Bradley said. “We had 12 penalties last week (in a 35-0 victory against Caledonia). Hopefully, we will get some of those things fixed.”
Bradley said the Trojans’ lack of execution falls on his shoulders and that his primary concern is trying to find a way to get his players focused on doing their jobs each play. He said consistency remains a problem in that the players know what they’re supposed to do but, for some reason, don’t execute and then realize after the fact what they needed to do.
Bradley knows mistakes like those can cost his team against a team like Saltillo, which enters tonight’s game 3-1 and is looking to climb the ladder in the region.
“They’re a tough, gritty team,” Bradley said. “I think we match up well. If our kids come out and play with effort, intensity, and passion and do the little things, we have a good opportunity to compete with them. If we come out and play like we did and make some of the same mistakes we made against Caledonia, it could be a long night for us.”
Caledonia coach Ricky Kendrick will get some of the players back who were injured last week against New Hope. He said junior quarterback Ben Marchbanks, who was held out after hurting his shoulder last week, is fine and is throwing the football without pain. Kendrick also said offensive lineman Danial Cunningham also is expected back.
Fullback Cole Bruce, who suffered a concussion last week, didn’t practice all week and was to be evaluated this morning by a doctor. Kendrick wasn’t sure if Bruce would be able to play.
Given the injuries that hampered his team last week, Kendrick was pleased with the overall effort. Caledonia trailed 14-0 and was driving deep in New Hope territory before a turnover gave the momentum to the Trojans.
Kendrick felt the Confederates did a good job rebounding from the news junior running back Onterrio Lowery was done for the season with an ankle injury. With one game to go before the start of Class 4A, Region 4 play, Kendrick said more players have to emerge to add to the program’s depth.
“We have been trying to play big-school football with a little-school roster,” Kendrick said.
Kendrick said Caledonia (4-1) has shied away from using freshmen in its first five games. With a roster of 43 before the injuries, Kendrick said he likely will bring several ninth-graders up to serve in backup roles the rest of the season. He said his goal was to keep the group of more than 30 freshmen together, but he said he wants to help give some of his varsity players rest, especially now that some will have to take on a bigger role and play both ways.
A group of 100 seventh- and eighth-graders could help Caledonia address that dilemma in the coming years, but for now Kendrick will continue to build the program and push it to compete with some of the state’s top teams.
“We think we have the potential to be a playoff team this year,” Kendrick said. “In gauging things, we believe that game against New Hope was a lot closer, and with a little bit of offensive production it would have been a good bit closer. New Hope beat Class 4A, Region 4 rival) Louisville, so we will keep that in our mind. … If we get our kids mind-set right and we need some breaks, they truly feel we can do some things, and we’re not going to pull that rug out from under them, and we believe it, too. We think we are a pretty good football team and if we play well and take care of the things we do, we’re planning on making some things happen.”
West Lowndes coach Anthony King and his Panthers will face another one of those swing games tonight when they play host to East Oktibbeha County High. At 2-2 and 1-0 in Class 1A, Region 3, West Lowndes is coming off a bye week. It also has the memory of a 6-0 loss to the Titans last season to keep it focused on tonight’s matchup. After a 2-9 finish in 2011, King believes the Panthers can finish in the top four in the region and make it to the playoffs. He said winning tonight’s game will be a big step toward realizing that goal.
“It is a rivalry game and it is an important district game,” King said. “I think (the fact his team is playing a rival like East Oktibbeha) will make it easier (for the players to focus). Last year was the first time they beat us in a while, and we’re going to go back and try to correct that and come back and get things the way they used to be and get a win.”
King feels Noxapater and Pelahatchie likely will be atop the region and that his team and East and West Oktibbeha will be in the next group of teams competing for the final two playoff spots. He is confident a solid offseason that included plenty of conditioning and work in the weight room will be the difference this season.
“East has more size than us, but I think we seem to be a little quicker,” King said. “We just have to be faster and get to the spot before they do.
“Last year, they were extremely fast and one of fastest teams we faced last year. They still have some speed, but they’re not as fast as they were. In the past, they have had that much size. Overall team speed we should be a little quicker than they are, so our guys don’t need to overplay. They just need to do their assignments and we will be fine offensively and defensively.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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