The third week of MHSAA football saw a couple of hotly contested rivalry games, while a classic MAIS showdown followed its usual recent form.
Hattiesburg 27, Oak Grove 21: It was 2019 the last time Hattiesburg won in this rivalry game, and Oak Grove had won 8 of the past 11. No matter. In a matchup of unbeaten top-10 teams, visiting Hattiesburg (3-0) had the edge. Deuce Vance passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to stake his team to a 21-7 halftime advantage. Vance quickly moved the Tigers to paydirt on the game’s opening drive, scoring on a 10-yard run. He then found Tristen Keys for a 49-yard TD pass and Tyree Barnett for a 26-yarder. Oak Grove (2-1) got its only first-half score on a long fumble recovery with just 12 seconds left. Oak Grove then scored twice in the fourth quarter, aided by another Hattiesburg fumble, to keep it close.
Clinton 65, Brandon 62: No, it’s not a basketball score. And it didn’t go into overtime. The home team made sure of that by blocking a potential 30-yard game-tying field goal attempt with 10 seconds left. Unofficially, there were 1,247 yards total offense – Brandon 715, Clinton 532 – in the 80th renewal of the Jackson metro’s oldest rivalry. Brandon (2-1) led 62-58 after an 80-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter, after holding a 38-28 halftime advantage.
Jackson Prep 35, Jackson Academy 10: Prep (4-0) continued its domination of the series with its Jackson rival, which came into the road game with a 4-0 record. Prep has won 13 of the last 14 in the MAIS Class 6A series. Prep, which led 21-0 at halftime, got three touchdown passes in the game from Parker Puckett. Academy’s Raiders scored their points in the fourth quarter, aided by Prep’s fumble on a kickoff.
Grenada 41, Oxford 22: Grenada (2-1), highly regarded in Class 6A, followed an Oxford turnover on downs with an 18-yard passing score for the final margin. Oxford (1-2) led 16-14 at halftime.
Warren Central 56, Germantown 23: Aden Greer had three rushing touchdowns for Warren Central (2-1) which scored a pair of touchdowns off four turnovers by Germantown (2-1). Warren Central led 28-14 at halftime.
Picayune 28, D’Iberville 19: On a night when six of the Coast’s best teams lost, Picayune (2-1) stepped up. D’Iberville (2-1) led 19-7 at halftime, but Picayune responded with three second-half touchdowns and an unchallenged 21-0 run to victory.
West Point 20, Noxubee County 18: Host West Point picked up its first win in three tough tries this season, after leading 14-6 at halftime. The Green Wave has now won 12 in a row in the series.
Madison Central 31, Gulfport 21: The home team led 21-7 at halftime and got three rushing touchdowns from Glen Singleton on the way to victory. Both Class 7A teams are now 2-1.
Clarksdale 26, Charleston 20: Visiting Clarksdale (2-1) trailed 14-12 at halftime. It was the season’s first loss for Charleston (2-1), which pulled close with a fourth-quarter score.
Houston 37, Northside 18: Houston improved to 3-0 with a big road victory against a previously unbeaten foe.
