Here is your weekly Friday Night Look-Ahead, a closer look at the upcoming high school football matchups in the area. All game times are 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

 

Brookhaven High (3-0) vs. McComb High (1-1)

King Field, Brookhaven

An old, storied rivalry resumes on Friday when the McComb High Tigers make the short trip up Highway 55 to take on the Brookhaven High Panthers. The schools began playing each other in the 1920s and played on Thanksgiving Day for most of the years between 1940-1961.

Last season in Pike County, the Tigers used explosive plays to claim a 24-7 win over BHS. That victory for McComb broke a five-game winning streak for the Panthers in the series. The Tigers last won on King Field in 2015.

All-time, McComb holds a 64-39 advantage in head-to-head matchups with BHS and the schools had four games that ended in a tie.

McComb opened the 2024 season with a 39-0 blowout of Jim Hill High. The Tigers from MHS then lost 52-50 on the road at Natchez in week two. McComb was supposed to play Mendenhall last week, but the game was cancelled early in the week in an apparent overreaction to the coming hurricane that resulted in little more than rain for the area.

Alden Foster is the head coach at McComb and is 21-4 overall at the start of his third year leading the Tigers. A longtime head coach in Louisiana at Amite High and East St. John, Foster’s first team went 9-2 and last year the MHSAA 4A Tigers finished 11-1 after getting bounced from the postseason by Lawrence County.

In McComb, Brookhaven High will be playing its first opponent of the season who’s looking to air the ball out. In the loss to Natchez, McComb quarterback Jaquan Lizana went 22-of-33 for 212 yards and four touchdowns. The Tigers also got 171 yards on the ground from Jarvis Anderson in that loss. Lizana also threw for 258 yards and five touchdowns in the win over Jim Hill.

The Panthers will counter with a defense that helped carry BHS to the win last week over 7A Pearl High in a 10-7 slugfest.

The win was the first for the MHSAA 5A Panthers against a 6A/7A foe since the 2011 team, coached by Wade Henderson, beat Petal High. After McComb, Brookhaven High will finish up the non-region portion of its schedule next week with a trip to face 7A Northwest Rankin (2-1).

BHS got a rushing touchdown by sophomore quarterback Jaden Allen and a 28-yard field goal by sophomore Isaac Ile to beat Pearl. Allen carried the ball 14 times for 79 yards to lead the Brookhaven High offense.

The Brookhaven High defense got 11 tackles from senior defensive lineman Christian Jones, 11 tackles from freshman linebacker Hampton Smith and nine stops from sophomore defensive end Derwin Fields. Senior linebacker William Buie and junior defensive lineman Fabian Washington II also had nine tackles each for the Panthers against Pearl.

Junior Dreamus Harron Jr. had one interception for the BHS defense. Harron Jr. also had an important night punting for the Panthers, as he averaged 40 yards per kick and pinned Pearl inside the 20-yard line on three of his six punts.

 

Enterprise (3-0) vs. Leake County (1-2)

Harry Cole Field, Hwy. 583

It’s 1969. Richard Nixon has been sworn in as president, the Vietnam War rages on, and the original Woodstock Festival takes place on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York.

Back in Lincoln County, the Enterprise Yellow Jackets, playing in the MidSouth Conference, finished with a 9-1 record for coach Jackie Laird, losing only to New Hebron to finish with the best record in school history.

Not since those long-ago days of free-love and a schedule that included games against Pinola and Topeka-Tilton, have the Yellow Jackets started the season with four straight wins.

The visiting Leake County Gators are what stand between Enterprise and coach Trey Woodard from a historical 4-0 start as a win on Friday would have EAC matching its win total from all of last season.

The Jackets came alive in the second half last week after trailing their rivals from Bogue Chitto 7-6 at halftime as they made the plays they needed in the second half to win 26-13 and break a long losing streak to the Bobcats.

Leake County, like Enterprise, is an MHSAA 1A program. The Gators from Walnut Grove used to be known as South Leake. The Gators lost to 4A Leake Central 34-6 to open the season and then beat 1A McAdams 34-6 in week two. Last week, Leake County lost 42-8 to perennial 2A contender Scott Central.

Last season, Enterprise got a 44-20 win in Walnut Grove over Leake County. The Gators had won the previous two matchups over the Jackets in 2013 (52-0) and 2014 (58-8).

 

Loyd Star (1-2) vs. Richton (1-2)

Hornet Field, Hwy. 550

The Loyd Star Hornets and coach Adam Smith got on the winning side of the ledger last week with a 62-6 rout of visiting Salem for homecoming. LS wants to now get back to .500 with a win against the visiting Richton Rebels.

Four different Hornets ran for a touchdown in the annihilation of Salem. Sophomore quarterback Phillip Ross Spencer led the way with 140 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 13 carries. Senior Luke Cotton scored one touchdown and picked up 43 yards on three carries. Sophomore Brayden Richardson scored two touchdowns on three carries and picked up 22 yards. Senior Braxton Williams rushed for 96 yards on three carries and scored one touchdown. Freshman Carson Cunningham added 64 yards on five carries.

Through the air, Spencer went 3-of-3 passing for 51 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Tristan Fortenberry caught two passes for 52 yards and one score.

Defensively against Salem, Loyd Star was led by Cotton with 12 total tackles. Cunningham added nine stops. LaJavion Nelson also recovered a fumble and Riley Friloux snagged an interception for the Hornets.

Richton also picked up its first win of the season last week with a 19-7 victory over Resurrection Catholic (0-3). The Rebels from Perry County lost 42-33 to Wayne Academy (4-0) to start the season and then fell 35-20 at Pisgah (3-0) in week two.

Despite finishing 1-8 last season, Richton played Loyd Star tight in 2023, as the Hornets turned it on late to win 31-28 on the road.

 

Bogue Chitto (1-2) vs. Ethel (2-1)

Troy Smith Field, Hwy. 51

Bogue Chitto is a young team, with lots of inexperienced players stepping into larger roles in 2024 and the Bobcats will get a chance to show what they’re made of in front of a large homecoming crowd when the Ethel Tigers from Attala County visit Troy Smith Field on Friday.

Sophomore quarterback Alex-Michael Roberts went 5-of-12 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns last week in a loss to Enterprise, with all those receiving yards going to sophomore wideout Jayden Poole.

Senior Warren Wallace and junior Ethan Bales led the Bobcat defense with eight tackles each in the loss. Those two along with sophomore Hayden Avants, senior Isaiah Collins, junior Maxim Yarborough, senior Jabari Stafford, sophomore Braylon Rancifer and junior Tyler Pruden were active in pursuing the ball and helping hold the EAC offense in check for the entire first half.

Ethel beat J.Z. George 28-22 in its season opener and lost 42-20 to Walnut High in week two. The Tigers claimed a forfeit win last week over Benton Academy. Last year was the first ever meeting between the schools and Ethel took a 36-34 win at home over the Bobcats.

 

Wesson (3-0) at Lumberton (2-1)

Panther Field, Lumberton

Last week in its first true road test of the season, Wesson found itself down 14-0 early to a Perry Central team that they smacked around last season at home.

By halftime, coach Jeremy Loy and his Cobras had cut that advantage to 14-8 via a three-yard rushing touchdown by senior Deshawn Smith.

The Bulldogs of New Augusta led 20-8 midway through the third quarter.

Wesson found an immediate answer via the air as senior quarterback Cole Gibson hit sophomore wide receiver Damarion Smith for a 73-yard touchdown pass. After a 2-point conversion, Wesson trailed 20-16 with five minutes left in the third quarter.

And that’s where the score stayed, until the very end, when the Cobras struck again. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Deshawn Smith rushed in for another touchdown run that proved to be the winner for Wesson in a 22-20 victory.

Gibson finished 8-of-17 passing for 157 yards, Deshawn Smith rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries and Kievon Brown picked up 91 yards on 14 carries. Senior linebackers Hunter Meredith and Cotton Westbrook led the way for the Cobra defense with 11 and nine tackles each respectively. Freshman Laiken Thomas had two interceptions for the Cobra defense.

Lumberton, a perennial contender in the MHSAA 1A ranks, is 2-1 on the season. The Panthers beat 4A Purvis and 3A West Marion while losing 20-7 to 2A North Forrest. Last season, the 3A Cobras roughed up the Panthers 40-7 in Wesson.

 

Brookhaven Academy (1-4) at Cathedral School (2-3)

D’Evereux Stadium, Natchez

There were plenty of positives for Brookhaven Academy fans to take away from the 21-0 home loss last week to Adams County Christian School. The Rebels from Natchez are the reigning MAIS 5A state champs and BA only trailed 7-0 at halftime.

The Cougars were able to maintain a pace of play that was to their liking and on Friday, they’ll head to Adams County to face the Cathedral Green Wave in another district matchup. Cathedral is 5-2 all-time against BA, including a 44-14 win last season.

In 2024, the Green Wave are 2-3 with wins over Central Hinds Academy (55-37) and St. Aloysius (34-10). The three losses this year for Cathedral were to Columbia Academy (25-21), Hartfield Academy (49-0), and district foe Oak Forest Academy (48-21) last week.

With Cathedral looking to use the pass to move the ball, playing ball-control, mistake-free football offensively for the Cougars and coach Ryan Ross in their split-back veer look will go a long way in deciding who wins the game.

 

West Lincoln (0-3) at Salem (0-3)

Wildcat Field, Tylertown

Somebody is going to get their first win of the 2024 season on Friday in Walthall County as the West Lincoln Bears invade Salem for a non-region matchup.

Turnovers proved to be the difference for the Bears last week in a 26-6 loss to Puckett as West Lincoln gave the visiting Wolves too many opportunities via lost fumbles.

West Lincoln beat Salem 40-26 last season and owns a four-game winning streak over Salem. The Wildcats from Salem have lost 49 consecutive games dating back to Sept. 13, 2019.

 

Lawrence County (1-2) at Magee High (2-0)

Trojan Field, Magee

Coach Jesse Anderson and the Lawrence County Cougars led 15-0 at halftime and never looked back in getting their first win of the season, 27-8, last week at 5A East Central High in Jackson County.

This week, the Cougars will make a shorter trip to face a familiar foe in the 3A Magee High Trojans. Magee was off last week, which gave them more time to bask in the glow of their 8-0 Simpson County Super Bowl victory over Mendenhall High.

Magee is quarterbacked by 6-foot-3 senior Kendal Middleton, the son of Copiah-Lincoln CC President Dr. Dewayne Middleton. Middleton has thrown for 230 yards on 20-of-32 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Magee beat 4A Northeast Lauderdale 26-13 in its season opener.

LC is 11-4 against Magee all-time, including a 47-21 win last season in Monticello.