Hard to believe we are this deep in the season. Time flies when Mississippi high school football fans are having fun. Here are some highlights from Friday night:
Tupelo 35, West Point 14: In a matchup of traditional Northeast Mississippi heavyweights, the Golden Wave improved to 6-0 in impressive fashion. Tupelo, widely regarded this week as the state’s best large-school team, snapped a five-game losing streak in games against West Point (2-3) and in particular avenged last season’s 21-20 loss. Noah Gillon threw three touchdowns for Tupelo, which led 20-7 after his 35-yard strike just before halftime. The Golden Wave finished with a 268-251 edge in total offense, completing 9 of 11 pass plays.
Hattiesburg 48, George County 21: The Tigers (6-0) pulled away in the fourth quarter to give head coach Tony Vance his 150th career victory. Hattiesburg led 28-14 at halftime after some big special team plays – including a fumble return on a kickoff and a blocked field goal returned for a TD. George County (3-3) was without standout QB Deuce Knight, who missed his third consecutive game with an injured hamstring.
Jackson Prep 42, West Jones 7: The defending MHSAA Class 6A champion saw their 19-game winning streak ended in resounding fashion with the road loss in a marquee matchup of unbeaten teams. Parker Puckett threw for 211 yards and three TDs for Prep (7-0). West Jones (5-1) trailed 42-0 before getting on the board.
Choctaw County 49, East Webster 21: In a big Class 3A showdown, the host Chargers (5-1) roared to a 35-7 halftime lead and saw the fourth quarter played with a running clock. The visiting Wolverines (5-1) were hurt by untimely turnovers and had no answer for Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham, who had a 30-yard touchdown catch and a 10-yard TD run.
Raleigh 28, Pisgah 0: In this matchup of unbeaten 2A teams, the hosts rolled behind some big plays. Sophomore Jabrinyt Clark hauled in an 80-yard touchdown to send his team to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage. Jaylin Owens tacked on a 45-yard scoring jaunt for a 22-0 halftime lead and Brendan Harper put it away with a pick-6.
Picayune 24, Petal 21: The visiting Maroon Tide (4-2), behind a powerful running game, dominated the time of possession, running 62 offensive plays compared to 39 for the home team. Petal (4-2) had won four in a row before the homefield loss.
Gautier 42, Columbia 41: Fans got their money’s worth in this entertaining matchup, which was in doubt until the final seconds. Host Gautier (4-1) foiled a two-point conversion attempt with just five seconds left to secure the hard-fought victory.
Louisville 32, Houston 14: Louisville (4-1) bounced back strongly in a key 4A division game from a loss to Noxubee County last week that ended a 30-game winning streak. Visiting Houston fell to 4-2.
Parklane Academy 42, Adams County Christian 13: One of the better MAIS games of the week saw host Parklane make some big plays and pull away in the second half to improve to 6-2. Adams is 5-3.
Grenada 35, DeSoto Central 7: The Chargers (5-1) flexed at home and won their fifth game in a row. Macaleb Taylor scored four touchdowns for Grenada, which led 14-7 at halftime.
