Caledonia (0-1) vs. Aberdeen (1-0)
Poor field conditions at New Hope got Caledonia’s 2019 season off to a tough start, but the Confederates aren’t blaming anybody but themselves.
“They played in the same thing, so they just made more plays than us,” senior quarterback Brandon Edmondson said.
“We made stupid mistakes and turned the ball over,” senior lineman Hayden Barker said.
It’s clear the key for Caledonia in its Week 2 game against Aberdeen is, quite simply, improvement.
“I’d like to see our team this Friday night versus Aberdeen better than what we were last Friday when we played New Hope,” coach Michael Kelly said.
That improvement will have to come against an Aberdeen team that whipped Okolona 26-0 in its season opener. Kelly sees similarities between this year’s Bulldogs and last year’s Confederates.
“I feel like they’re trying to get their ground game attack,” Kelly said. They’ve got a good stable of backs, two or three guys that roll in there. They’re thick running backs. They’re going to try to establish the line of scrimmage. They’ve got the ability to pitch the ball out wide.”
The run game is what Caledonia does best, and it’s no secret. Edmondson, at quarterback, had 28 rushing attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown against New Hope. He threw just 10 passes, completing three and throwing an interception.
With better field conditions on the way Friday, Kelly can make sure the Confederates implement the high-percentage throws he favors.
“We’re going to try to the best of our ability to not only throw the ball but complete the ones that we do throw,” Kelly said. “If we only have to throw it four times, I’d like to complete those four passes.”
New Hope (1-0) at Shannon (0-1)
New Hope quarterback Ryan Burt is 0-2 in his career against Shannon. Now that he’s in his senior year, Burt figures it’s about time to make it 1-2.
But that won’t come easily against a fast and athletic opponent. The Red Raiders were shut out 35-0 by Corinth last week, but Burt and the Trojans know they’re facing a tough squad.
“They’ve got a young, fast quarterback,” New Hope coach Wade Tackett said. “They’ve got some speed on the outside. They’ve got some big running backs that can pound it up the middle.”
The offensive threat posed by the Red Raiders means the Trojans’ defense has no choice but to step up.
“We’ll try to keep our defense fresh, so they can get some stops,” Tackett said.
The Trojans offer an experienced offense — they’ve got a star running back in Braylen Miller, a “really, really good game manager” in Burt, a playmaking wide receiver in Malachi Clay and a veteran offensive line with 60 career starts already among them.
New Hope also brings “confidence and momentum,” Burt said, after winning its season opener for the first time since 2016. The Trojans beat rival Caledonia 21-8, exacting vengeance a year after the Confederates broke a long New Hope winning streak in the rivalry matchup.
“It was finally good to finally get that revenge back, and it always feels good to beat Caledonia in any sport,” Burt said.
Heritage Academy (2-0) at Kirk Academy (0-1)
Coach Sean Harrison and Heritage Academy already feel well prepared to face Kirk Academy on the road Friday in Grenada. And it was just the Patriots’ typical practices that made sure of that.
“They run a 3-4 with a lot of similarities to our defense,” Harrison said of the Raiders. “It’s kind of good because they run the defense that we practiced against all through two-a-days.”
If seeing a familiar defensive set isn’t enough, Harrison’s team is riding the momentum of a 24-15 home victory over Jackson Prep.
“It was a huge deal, just knowing that Jackson Prep, seven-time defending state champs, lost three games in like 10 years,” senior quarterback Carter Putt said. “They’re kind of the powerhouse of private school. Having them at home, that’s a big deal. Beating them in front of our home crowd for the first home game of our senior year means a lot to us seniors.”
Putt played at Kirk his sophomore year, and he’s not the only one with the necessary experience as the Patriots face their first MAIS road game of the season.
“This is a mature group,” Harrison said. “These guys do well. It doesn’t matter where they play. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have to fight a lot of distractions when we go on the road.”
Heritage Academy shouldn’t get much trouble from Kirk, which went 1-9 last season (including a 35-7 loss to the Patriots) and dropped this season’s opener 37-7 at Carroll.
“Kirk’s a pretty decent team, but we’re just going to go in and do our job, and we should be in and out of there pretty quick,” Putt said.
West Point (1-0) at Louisville (0-1)
When West Point coach Chris Chambless was asked about the recipe for his team’s recent success, he had a ready answer.
“Can’t turn it over,” Chambless said. “Block well, tackle well, don’t turn it over and play good, clean football.”
That formula led West Point to the past three state championships, and the Green Wave are in good position to make it a fourth. After dismantling Class 6A team Horn Lake last week, West Point heads to Louisville for its second straight tough road test.
“They’re going to be tough,” Chambless said. “They’re going to play hard. They’re going to be angry coming off a loss to Noxubee County. They’re going to get after us.”
Louisville was shut out but lost just 2-0 to the Tigers, and Chambless is wary that the Wildcats have a lot more to offer.
“They just didn’t put it all together on offense yet,” Chambless said. “We know we’re going to get their best shot and get their best effort.”
Senior running back Brandon Harris is sure to play a critical role for the Green Wave in what could be another defensive battle.
“Brandon’s going to have to hold onto the ball and play our game and don’t let them change,” Chambless said.
No matter what happens, West Point and Louisville should deliver an exciting contest.
“It’s going to be a good rival game,” Chambless said. “It always is.”
Starkville Academy (0-1) at French Camp Academy (0-1)
Starkville Academy coach Chase Nicholson knows his team and French Camp Academy match up well. Too well.
“That’s why we’ve wanted to play them since 2013,” Nicholson said.
The Volunteers and the Panthers have been regular Week 2 opponents for a while now, and Nicholson knows exactly what to expect on Friday: a “typical French Camp team.”
“Even though you never know what you’re going to have each year, they always put together a solid team all coached up and ready to go,” Nicholson said. “There’ll be some athletes on the field. There’ll be some size on the field. There’ll be some grit on the field. They’re French Camp. That’s what you expect from them.”
Those expectations have worked in the Volunteers’ favor the past two years. Starkville Academy won the 2017 matchup 38-7 and shut out the Panthers 25-0 in 2018.
But both those wins followed Week 1 wins against Lamar, and this year, Starkville Academy broke the pattern, falling to Lamar 34-13 to open the 2019 season.
“Last week was last week,” Nicholson said. “We put it behind us and move on. We made some mistakes, we look at film, we clean those things up, and then we should get better from that. The great thing is it’s only a week. We’re 0-0 this week, and that’s all that really matters.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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