Monday was my day off and my dear wife, Laurie, had made specialplans. She wanted to get me out of town, away from my job, awayfrom the telephone, away from sports.

As we drove up the interstate towards the Capital City, planswere discussed. Laurie preferred a movie and dinner at a nicerestaurant. Ahh, movies. The majority of them are fit for neitherman nor beast.

“You know that new movie about the high school footballteam?”

Laurie rolled her eyes and grimaced. “Please, not another sportsshow.”

Quickly, I tried to find the right words to make it moreappealing. “We both like Denzel Washington and he’s the star of it.The previews looked pretty good on TV.”

Laurie was determined. “There’s got to be something good showingat Tinseltown. We need to see something funny.”

As luck would have it, most of the movies had titles associatedwith Halloween, gang wars, profanity, pornography and prostitution.That’s also know as appealing to the general public.

“I promise you’ll like the movie,” was my plea. She relented.Tickets were purchased. A large bucket of popcorn and a soft drinkset the tone for the matinee show.

“Remember The Titans” is set in the city of Alexandria,Va. The year is 1970 or 71, just when school integration was beinginstituted. In my opinion, it’s a great movie, deserving manyawards. Washington deserves an Academy Award for best actor.

It’s a clean, fast-paced movie with plenty of action, goodcasting and lots of lessons about life to be learned. It’s amixture of humor. friendship and respect; intermingled with thecold, hard facts of racial prejudice. This team of Titans wouldconquer all obstacles.

This movie activated your emotions. Laurie laughed and soaked afew tissues with tears. I did, too.

Speaking of tears, there were some saline drops of joy shed atCopiah Academy Friday night. The Colonels ended a 17-game losingstreak when they beat Lamar School 10-7 at Meridian.Congratulations to Coach David Gregory and the Colonels!

Professor Hoopla, B.S., didn’t mind missing his prediction onthe Copiah-Lamar game. He also enjoyed Mississippi State’s shockingupset of Florida. For the record, Hoopla predicted the winners of22 games and got 16 correct.

Hoopla dropped off his list of predictions Wednesday afternoonon his way to the deer stand. He’ll start with a long list ofFriday night action.

Bogue Chitto at Wesson: It appears to be a high-scoringaffair as the Cobras eke out a win. Wesson 28-27.

Hinds AHS at Loyd Star: The Hornets are aiming for aDivision 6-2A championship and they must first conquer the WarDawgs. Loyd Star 24-12.

Endinburg at Enterprise: Yellow Jackets rebound from adisappointing defeat at Bogue Chitto. Enterprise29-15.

Brookhaven Academy at Porters Chapel: A high-poweredoffense should pull the Cougars through this road game. BrookhavenAcademy 36-19.

Dexter at West Lincoln: Homecoming brings out the bestin the Bears but it’s not enough. Dexter 27-12.

Lawrence County at McComb: In a Division 6-4A showdownat C.C. Moore Stadium, the Tigers step to the front. McComb21-18.

Jefferson County at Franklin County: In a homecomingcontest, the Bulldogs win their second straight game. FranklinCounty 42-13.

In other area action, Simpson County will crush CopiahAcademy 36-6, Parklane will stop Silliman Institute 32-14,Wilkinson County will whip Hazlehurst 31-12 and South Pike willinundate Crystal Springs 49-16. Brookhaven and North Pike have opendates to meditate.

Leaping to Saturday’s scene, Hoopla eyes a pair ofcommunity college specials.

Co-Lin at East Central: Wounded Wolves tackle a SouthDivision title contender. East Central 24-10.

Southwest at Pearl River: Homestanding Wildcats arecoping with the unexpected death of head coach Keith Daniels. Lookfor the Bears to remain unbeaten in six games. Southwest27-14.

Auburn at Mississippi State: After upsetting Florida andtearing down the goal posts at Scott Field, the Bulldogs face atough, unbeaten group of Tigers. Miss. State 28-24.

Arkansas State at Ole Miss: Expect Deuce McAllister toenjoy a profitable game. Ole Miss 45-17.

South Florida at Southern Miss: Golden Eagles produce abetter offensive showing at The Rock. Southern Miss31-12.

Jackson State at Alabama State: Tigers are healthy andhungry after an open date. Jackson State 38-18.

In other Magnolia State college games, Belhaven willclip Campbellsville 17-10, Delta State will edge Valdosta State21-14, Millsaps will handle Centre 27-10, Mississippi College willedge Hardin-Simmons 14-10, and Alcorn State will win its first gameof the year, beating Prairie View 22-2. Valley State has an opendate to promote its soccer program.