The coaches of the Loyd Star (3-0) versus Wesson (1-1) game have strong words of praise for each other’s teams.

Loyd Star coach Brian Ford sees a fast, physical defense when he looks at Wesson on film.

“When you’ve got the speed that they have on defense, you can stop people from doing what they do best,” said Ford.

Wesson coach Jeremy Loy sees a physicality in the Loyd Star running game that no team has been able to slow down this year.

“They are so physical at the point of attack,” said Loy. “We’re going to have to try and match that and wrap up on every tackle.”

The matchup is no longer a district game, but it is still one that both communities desperately want to win. Last season the game was close before two, long Dell Thigpen touchdown runs in the second half pushed Wesson to a 34-21 win.

Ford knows the Cobras have a depth advantage over his team.

“Due to injuries, we’ve got more guys playing both ways than we anticipated coming into the season,” said Ford. “It’s taking a toll on them, but we’ve got some tough kids that have shown a lot of heart every week.”

The Loyd Star ground game is averaging nearly 400 yards rushing per game. Senior Zach Baker leads the team with 263 rushing yards this season and is closely followed by sophomore Eric Birch with 260 yards.

Senior quarterback Dane Smith has been efficient running the offense — 24-for-27 passing for 295 yards and three touchdowns — something that has stood out to Loy on film.

“Their quarterback has really improved after starting for the first time last year,” said Loy. “He doesn’t make mistakes and runs their stuff very cleanly.”

Kickoff in Stone Stadium on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Story by Cliff Furr