A rather uneventful first week of the prep football season is in the books.
On a statewide level, there weren’t that many marquee matchups. However, it was good to have touchdowns, heat timeouts, and concession stand hot dogs again.
Things change with the second week of the season where there are some really good matchups, including two top-10 showdowns: Starkville at Oxford and Noxubee County at Columbus.
Here is what we are watching for in Week 2:
Tigers or Falcons
Will Columbus finally get over the hump and beat Noxubee County?
Anticipation is at an all-time high for the Falcons. Commemorative shirts for Friday night’s “black out” have been going fast.
Columbus showed its ability to be a Class 6A contender last season. Now, the Falcons will look to take the next step and make some noise in the playoffs. A victory Friday night will help Columbus builds momentum and start the season 2-0.
Conversely, Noxubee County is used to a brutal non-region schedule. The Tigers play games like this to be ready for the Class 4A stretch run.
Friday night will be fun. It will be interesting to see how Columbus responds at home.
Yellow Jackets or Chargers
What will happen in the Little Egg Bowl?
Oxford and Starkville will battle Friday night in Lafayette County. Both teams will look for 2-0 starts after shaky wins in week one.
While Starkville escaped Noxubee County, Oxford had to erase a two-touchdown third-quarter deficit to get past Southaven. That is a troublesome sign for Oxford.
However, both teams lost a lot of star power from a season ago. Each team will be different by the end of the season.
This year’s game lacks the exposure of national television and a lot of Division I talent, however, it has developed into a fun rivalry game.
It will be interesting to see if Starkville can go to one of the state’s more difficult places to play and emerge 2-0.
Wildcats or Green Wave
Can the expectations be any higher for West Point?
No.
West Point is the clear-cut favorite in Class 5A this season. The Green Wave took their traditional season-opening week off and will face live action with a home game against Louisville.
A year ago, Louisville had a talented team but fell to West Point, 46-7. Last week, Louisville suffered a key defensive injury and tired in the second half in a 27-26 loss at New Hope.
Even when it wins by one-sided margins, West Point is fun to watch. The sheer talent of the Green Wave is breathtaking. Marcus Murphy and Chris Calvert give you some incredible speed out of the backfield.
On defense, West Point will look at some new faces. However, the Green Wave always have relied on a good defense. This season won’t be any different.
The quest for the Class 5A state title begins next month. The quest for style points will begin Friday night.
Trojans or Bulldogs
Can New Hope start the season 2-0?
This is actually highly likely.
After a season-opening victory against Louisville, New Hope has a 2-0 start in its sights with a road trip to Aberdeen on Friday night.
Last season, New Hope finished with three wins and lost to Louisville and Aberdeen. By the end of this week, both of those losses should be avenged.
New Hope still has some deficiencies and will have some struggles down the line. However, Kris Pickle’s squads are always well coached and play hard. That gives this team a shot most nights.
Aberdeen is undergoing a massive rebuild in Eric Spann’s second season as head coach. The Bulldogs will fare well inside their region. However, the games before that will be a challenge.
Possibly, a chance to talk 2-0 Columbus versus 2-0 New Hope next week in this column.
Volunteers or Panthers
Will Starkville Academy or West Lowndes get to 2-0?
The area’s most underrated game will take place Friday in Lowndes County, when Starkville Academy visits West Lowndes.
This is a good matchup with teams of comparable talent levels. The game will make both squads better.
As far as matchups go, will Starkville Academy’s offense take another huge step forward? Will West Lowndes see continued growth from its offense?
Look for a game decided in the final seconds.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. He may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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