The Brookhaven Panthers avenged last season’s loss to Lawrence County, Loyd Star lost despite totaling close to 600 yards on offense and Wesson got back into the win column with a win over county foe Bogue Chitto in week three of high school football.

The fourth week of the football season is here,  and it should be a good one. Before the lights beam on area teams yet again Friday night, here are a few takeaways from some of the biggest games from the week gone by.

Brookhaven “D” returns to form

Before the game of the week between Brookhaven and Lawrence County last Friday, I said that Jeffrey Johnson would be the “X-factor”.

In order for his team to come out on top, he needed to have a big game and he did just that. His seven tackles may not seem like a big contribution, but his impact cannot be relegated to a stat sheet. After the game, Lawrence County head coach Jaymie Palmer even said the junior nose guard caused him to alter his play-calling a bit.

Johnson and the rest of the Ole Brook defense did exactly what they needed to in order to win the game, holding the Cougars to only 59 yards on 32 rushes and 14 points.

This week, the Panthers will face a tough test as they head to McComb to face defensive lineman Lucky Davis and the Tigers.

Loyd Star still looks impressive

The Hornets should be 3-0 on the season. It’s as simple as that. If not for fatigue, a few turnovers and costly errors they most certainly would be. Head coach Adam Cook and his Hornets suffered their first loss of the year in a 39-37 nail-biter to the Sacred Heart Crusaders.

In that game, they totaled nearly 600 yards of offense. Primetime 23 players James Beard and Parker Flowers both had sensational nights. Beard had seven receptions for 286 yards and three touchdowns and added a 48-yard rushing touchdown.

Flowers rushed only nine times but had 151 yards with a touchdown and went 8-of-15 passing for 263 yards and two scores.

The Hornets’ physicality on defense had been the topic of discussion before this most recent performance. However, now it is clear that their offense is to be respected as well.

With weapons like wide receiver Ray Richardson, running back Zac Arnold and the versatile Michael Harvey Loyd Star has serious big-play ability it did not possess last season.

This week will be their toughest game of the season so far though, as they head to Franklin County to face the Bulldogs in The Daily Leader’s game of the week.

If the offensive line is able to find some way to continue to provide protection and contain linebacker Ladarius Norman and Primetime 23 player Cameron Young, they could be in for another big statistical night.

Wesson’s multifaceted offense

So far, so good for the Wesson Cobras in 2016. Apart from a loss to Sumrall, a 4A team that the Cobras very well could have beaten, they are performing well. A big reason for their success is the offense. The Cobras scored more than 30 points in their last two games after a 14-point performance in their season opening win at McLaurin.

What is most impressive about their offensive attack so far is the balance. Starting quarterback Peyton Burns has passed for more than 100 yards in each of the first three games and the backfield has also accumulated more than 200 yards on the ground each outing.

Friday, they will have to bring their best effort against a formidable Seminary team that has defeated Purvis and North Forrest this season.

Brookhaven Academy shows signs of life even in loss

Brookhaven Academy may be on a 17-game losing streak, but they put together what could be their best game of the year so far last week against Centreville in a 39-14 loss. BA head coach Ron Rushing said the Tigers would be the toughest team his squad had faced to this point, but even in the loss there were bright spots.

Before the season, the new head coach said his team would likely throw the ball a lot and that philosophy has yet to change.

In the loss, the Cougars had one of their best statistical performances of the season through the airways. Quarterback Madison Smith passed for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Though it came in a loss, it has to be reassuring for Rushing and his team to know that their gameplan can be effective against a formidable opponent.

Anthony McDougle is the sports editor of The Daily Leader. He can be contacted at anthony.mcdougle@dailyleader.com.