Both Brookhaven Academy and West Lincoln have highly anticipated matchups this Friday as the high school football regular season rolls on. Here’s a look at who’ll play who this weekend.

 

Brookhaven Academy (0-4) vs. Natchez Cathedral (1-3)

7 p.m., R.M. “Red” Stuart Field, Brookhaven

Brookhaven Academy and its fans will be glad to be home again on R.M. “Red” Stuart Field after a couple road trips against some top MAIS 5A programs over the last two weeks.

Last week, the Cougars went to Natchez and took on a loaded Adams County Christian School squad. The homestanding Rebels won 40-8 in a contest they led 34-0 at halftime.

The week prior, coach Reggie Lea and his Cougars played at Oak Forest Academy in Amite, Louisiana. The Yellow Jackets won that game by a 49-14 final.

Oak Forest is hosting ACCS on Friday in a game that’ll be big in sorting out one of the top spots in MAIS District 3-5A.

Cathedral is a member of District 3 along with BA, ACCS, OFA, Silliman Institute and Parklane Academy.

Like BA, the Green Wave have a first-year head coach in Josh Loy. Josh Loy, the cousin of Wesson head coach Jeremy Loy, won a MAIS state title in 2013 at Trinity Episcopal.

His first Cathedral team is off to a 1-3 start. The Wave lost 41-30 to Central Hinds Academy in their opener and then bounced back to get a 46-8 win over St. Aloysius in week two. In week three, Cathedral went to Flowood and felt the power of the Hartfield Academy Hawks. Hartfield beat the Green Wave 48-20 as they also beat Brookhaven Academy 56-0 earlier this season.

Last week, Cathedral hosted Oak Forest and lost 46-14.

The Cougars are 2-4 all-time against the Green Wave. Cathedral won 27-17 last year in Natchez. Before that, BA had won two in a row (34-33 in 2020 and 20-13 in 2018) as the teams only began playing in 2015 when Cathedral left the MHSAA to become part of the MAIS.

 

West Lincoln (0-3) vs. Salem (0-3)

7 p.m., Perry Miller Field, Flea Hop

You’ll not find a game between two schools hungrier for a win than this battle on Perry Miller Field.

The Salem Wildcats from rural Walthall County come into the game having lost 39 straight games. Their last win on the field was a 26-19 triumph over Sacred Heart on Sep. 13, 2019. Their last road win was a 32-6 win at Bogue Chitto on Sept. 23, 2016.

The West Lincoln Bears from Flea Hop are trying to break out of a losing streak themselves. WL has lost 23 straight games and had their last victory on Oct. 30, 2020, at Amite County with a 20-18 final score. The last home victory for the Bears came a couple weeks prior to that with a 28-26 win against Loyd Star.

Salem lost 41-0 last week to Loyd Star, 48-25 at Bogue Chitto the week prior and 29-19 to McLaurin in the season opener.

West Lincoln and coach Brad Bland dropped a 24-3 road game at St. Andrew’s in the opener, lost 35-7 at home to Sacred Heart and 43-7 last week at Puckett.

Offensively at Puckett, the Bears gained 89 yards on the ground and 33 yards via the pass. The defense got an interception from freshman linebacker Landon Anderson.

The Bears have won three in a row against Salem with the last meeting coming in 2019. West Lincoln won 32-18 that year, 38-28 in 2018 and 43-12 in 2017.

 

Lawrence County (0-3) vs. Magee High (0-3)

7 p.m., Cougar Field, Monticello

It’s not hyperbole to say that Lawrence County and Magee might be playing the best matchup between two winless schools in the entire state on Friday in Monticello.

The Cougars have a loaded 2023 schedule. All three losses have been close for coach Jesse Anderson and his team.

LC lost 34-20 to 5A Brookhaven in the opener in a game that they led through three quarters. The Cougars then led early at Jefferson Davis County the next week before losing 27-24 to the always excellent Jaguars.

Last week at home, the 4A Cougars led 5A East Central 14-0 after one quarter, but then saw the Hornets from Hurley score two touchdowns each in the second, third and fourth quarter in an eventual 42-35 win for the visitors.

Senior running back Ahmad Hardy and senior quarterback Kannon Cato were once again spectacular to lead the Cougars. Hardy rushed the ball for 193 yards on 13 carries. He scored three times and averaged 14.8 yards per touch.

Cato ran the ball 10 times for 138 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns along with throwing for 52 yards on two completions.

East Central ran for a combined 311 yards while the Cougars picked up 348 yards on the ground in defeat.

The 3A Magee Trojans have also ducked no competition in the early going of 2023. In week one, Magee lost 58-19 at 4A West Lauderdale (3-0). They then dropped the Simpson County Super Bowl by a 47-15 score to 4A Mendenhall.

Last week, the Trojans fell 40-12 to a solid 5A program in Florence. Last season Magee finished 8-5 and made the quarterfinals of the 3A playoffs before losing to Hazlehurst.

The Trojans are led by former Wesson assistant Chuck Maxie. In his career, Maxie has been the head coach at Morton High, Rebul Academy, Sebastopol, Richton and an assistant coach at a long list of other schools.

Playing quarterback for Magee is 6-foot-3 junior Kendal Middleton. Also, a standout in basketball, Middleton is the son of Copiah-Lincoln CC President Dr. Dewayne Middleton.

 

Wesson (3-0) vs. Lumberton (1-2)

7 p.m., H.L. “Hook” Stone Stadium, Wesson

Wesson didn’t have to put the ball in the air much last week as coach Jeremy Loy’s group of Cobras used 296 rushing yards to overwhelm Perry Central 42-7.

Senior running back Zevantae Stapleton averaged 9.8 yards per carry while posting 176 yards rushing in the win. Stapleton ran for two touchdowns as did sophomore O’Mari Johnson.

Johnson carried the ball five times for 59 yards. Junior Deshawn Smith scored on his only rush of the night and junior quarterback Wyatt Garrett added 50 rushing yards on just two carries.

Johnson got another interception for the Wesson defense and junior linebacker Cotton Westbrook led the Cobras with nine total tackles, including two for a loss.

Next up for the Cobras is a home date with the 1A Lumberton Panthers. Lumberton lost 27-12 to 4A Purvis in its opener and then dropped a game 52-21 to a much-improved North Forrest squad. Last week, the Panthers broke through for their first victory of the season with a 42-8 trouncing of the 3A West Marion Trojans.

Last season the 3A Cobras whipped Lumberton 40-0. It was the first win for Wesson over the Panthers as they came into the game with an 0-3 all-time record against LHS. Lumberton is a school with plenty of tradition as the Panthers have five state championships in their history.

 

Brookhaven High (2-1) at McComb High (3-0)

7 p.m., C.C. Moore Stadium, McComb

Speaking of history, there are few high school rivalries in the state that can stretch back in time like the one between the Brookhaven High Panthers and the McComb High Tigers.

Getting the game played over the last handful of seasons hasn’t been easy though. Last year it was scheduled to be played at McComb but was cancelled after the death of a BHS player’s mother during that game week.

In 2020, BHS and McComb were warmed up and ready to play before lightning and hard rain parked over C.C. Moore Stadium and forced the game to be cancelled.

McComb and Brookhaven High began playing a recurring series against each other starting in 1920. For many years, the schools met in an annual Thanksgiving matchup.

BHS has won five straight in the series, but the Panthers have not faced a McComb team this highly touted in some time. The Tigers are in their second year under the leadership of Alden Foster. McComb went 9-2 last season for Foster, who took Amite High in Louisiana to three state title appearances earlier in his career.

The Tigers beat Jim Hill 48-0 in their opener and Natchez High 41-0 in week two. Last week, the Tigers went to Mendenhall to face another school that’s among the contenders in the MHSAA 4A ranks.

The game was never in doubt as McComb blew out Mendenhall by a 56-13 final score.

MHS has an Ole Miss commit in senior wide receiver SanFrisco Magee. The 6-foot-3 Magee holds offers from 11 schools including Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Tulane and Nebraska.

For Brookhaven High, the Panthers are looking to bounce back after a tough 27-20 road loss at 7A Pearl High.

Freshman quarterback Jaden Allen went 13-of-20 through the air for 149 yards passing while also picking up 70 yards on 11 carries. Senior running back Xavier Gayten rushed 22 times for 103 yards and scored a touchdown. The Panthers also got a rushing touchdown from Caiden Quarles.

Gayten also had a kick return for a 91-yard touchdown.

Samarion Buckley led BHS with five catches for 59 yards. Jeremy Bibbs caught four passes for 33 yards and Ladarius Wilcher snagged two passes for ten yards. Senior tight end Bryce Smith caught one pass for 16 yards and junior tight end Gaylon Gayten caught one pass for 31 yards.

Senior Nathan Lewis led the Panthers with 11 tackles in the loss. Pearl won the turnover battle 3-0 in getting the win.

 

Bogue Chitto (2-1) at Ethel (2-0)

7 p.m., Tiger Field, Ethel

The Bogue Chitto Bobcats have a little longer road trip this week compared to the quick drive last Friday to Enterprise. A week after beating their Lincoln County neighbors 42-40, BC heads to Attala County to face the Ethel Tigers.

Ethel is 2-0 this season after beating J.Z. George 32-8 and Benton Academy 40-7. This is the first ever meeting between Bogue Chitto and Ethel.

Last week against EAC, junior running back Isaiah Collins scored three times with with two of those touchdowns coming on the ground and one via quarterback Jax Leggett.

Freshman Jayden Poole had 12 tackles for the Bobcats and scored once on the ground running the ball against Enterprise. Senior linebacker Ken May made 11 tackles and scored one rushing touchdown for coach Gareth Sartin.

Easton Sartin led the Bobcats on the ground with 144 yards on 17 carries.

Senior kicker Andrew Merrell went 7-for-7 on PAT kicks against Enterprise.

 

Loyd Star (2-1) at Richton (1-2)

7 p.m., Rebel Field, Richton

Loyd Star scored early and often on Friday in a 41-0 win at Salem. Coach Adam Smith and his Hornets got three touchdowns from freshman quarterback Jordyn Kees. Running back Omarion Clay also had a rushing touchdown along with taking a kickoff back for an 80-yard score.

Richton beat Wayne Academy 41-34 in the season opener and then lost 29-28 to Pisgah in overtime. Last week the 2A Rebels fell 27-13 at 1A Resurrection Catholic.

Loyd Star and Richton have not met since 2012. In their first meeting in 2011, LS won 21-20 at home. A year later, Richton returned the favor with a 19-9 home win.

 

Enterprise (1-2) at Leake County (0-3)

7 p.m., Gator Field, Walnut Grove

One thing you can say about the 2023 version of Enterprise football is that the Yellow Jackets don’t know how to play a boring game.

Coach Trey Woodard’s team lost 35-32 to Loyd Star in the season opener. LS got up big before EAC came back to take a late lead, only to see the Hornets respond with a last-minute winning score.

In week two, the Jackets went to Ridgeland and whipped St. Andrew’s 46-20.

Last week against Bogue Chitto at home, Enterprise trailed by two scores after halftime, but never stopped plugging away in an eventual 42-40 loss.

Junior quarterback Landon McNickles went 9-of-15 passing for 113 yards and one score. On the ground, McNickles gained 109 yards on 15 carries and scored two more times.

Junior Daylan Barden ate up big chunks of yardage for EAC in the loss to Bogue Chitto. The speedy Barden caught five passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball six times for 135 yards and three more scores.

Junior Nick Harris led the Jacket defense with 10 tackles. Jaden Cothern got a sack for Enterprise and Harley Moak snatched an interception.

Leake County is the school formally known as South Leake. The Gators are 2-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, winning 52-0 in 2013 and 58-8 in 2014.

Leake County started the season with a 41-0 loss to Leake Central, a team also called the Gators. They then lost 26-20 to McAdams and 48-18 to the perennially powerful Scott Central Rebels.