It’s finally feeling a lot more like football season out there on Friday nights, and Mississippi fans were treated to some dandy action this weekend.
Tupelo 28, Madison Central 23: In a highly anticipated Class 7A clash, the top-ranked Golden Wave trailed 20-7 at home, then rallied for the victory on their blue turf.
It’s the 13th-straight regular season division victory for Tupelo (7-0), and avenged a 14-12 playoff loss to Madison Central (4-2) last season.
JJ Hill made a huge impact on the game with an 80-yard touchdown catch from Noah Gillon after their team had fallen behind 20-0, then added a scoring runs of 2 and 82 yards. Tupelo took the lead for good on a 39-yard pass from Gillon to Tyreke Darden with 43 seconds to play,
Picayune 38, Pascagoula 28: A clash of highly regarded coast teams turned into a wild one. Visiting Pascagoula led 21-14 at halftime before the home team came roaring back. Darrell Smith led the way with four touchdowns, the last on a 46-yard run with his team leading just 31-28. Picayune improved to 5-2.
Itawamba AHS 19, Amory 14: For the visiting Indians (4-2), linebacker Bryson Walters turned a pair of turnovers – a 50-yard interception return and a 37-yard fumble recovery – into touchdowns in the division opener for the Class 4A rivals. He finished with 10 tackles for an Itawamba team that forced four turnovers in the road victory.
MRA 44, Hartfield Academy 35: The host Patriots (7-1) snapped a 21-game winning streak for the Hawks in a MAIA Class 6A showdown. Samuel Stockett led the way, passing for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Hartfield (7-1) trailed 21-14 at halftime.
Oxford 49, Horn Lake 28: The host Chargers opened division play as Michael Thompson really put the foot into football with four field goals, while Jamarion Pegues added a couple of scoring runs.
Starkville 42, Germantown 0: Starkville (6-1) roared to a 35-0 halftime lead and cruised home from there. Germantown lost for the second time in seven games this season.
Brandon 45, Petal 10: Lahare Bolls highlighted a strong defensive effort with a pair of interceptions, including a 47-yard pick-6 that made it 35-10 late in the third quarter.
Grenada 27, Lake Cormonant 21: The Chargers (6-1) extended their winning streak to six games but not without a fight. It took a late interception to finally put the game on ice.
West Jones 38, Terry 21: West Jones (6-1), the defending Class 6A champs, led 17-7 before pulling away. Host Terry came into the game with a 5-1 record.
Cleveland Central 14, Canton 12: Cleveland Central remained unbeaten (6-0) with the victory in a big Class 5A showdown.
Lamar 42, Simpson 13: The home team (5-3) prevailed in an MAIS Class 5A showdown.
