The Friday Night Lookahead is a weekly preview of high school football area matchups for the upcoming week of play. Brookhaven High has an off week this Friday as the Panthers (4-1) and coach Tucker Peavey recoup from a tough 35-30 loss last week at Northwest Rankin and prepare for region play beginning next week on the road at Florence High.

All kickoff times are 7 p.m. CST unless otherwise noted.

Lawrence County (2-3) vs. Sumrall High (0-5)

Cougar Field, Monticello

Region play will begin this week for MHSAA 4A Lawrence County and coach Jesse Anderson has a team that’s grown up this season after playing a demanding schedule.

Last week the Cougars went to Tylertown and returned with a 36-18 win over the Chiefs. Two ball carriers did the damage for Anderson and his team, and they both have the last name of McDuffey.

Senior Lauria McDuffey carried the ball l5 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. His younger brother Devon McDuffey was equally impressive, rushing 20 times for 138 yards and two scores.

Sophomore Jeremiah Fortenberry led the LC defense with 15 tackles in the win, Fortenberry also recovered a pair of fumbles for the Cougars.

LC and Sumrall are 3-3 all-time in head-to-head meetings with one of those losses attributed to the Cougars coming via a forfeit in the playoffs back in the COVID-19 days of 2020.

Last season the Cougars lit up the scoreboard at Sumrall on the way to a 53-37 win over the Bobcats. Two years ago, when the teams last met in Monticello, the Bobcats won 28-12.

Longtime Sumrall head coach Shannon White is in his 14th season at the school. The Bobcats have struggled to score this season in losses to South Jones (13-0), West Harrison (35-18), Seminary (34-0), West Marion (21-7), and Hattiesburg (40-7).

Lawrence County will be off next week and will have one more home game remaining after this week, on Oct. 25 when Columbia High comes to town.

Enterprise (4-1) vs. Lumberton (3-2)

Harry Cole Field, Highway 583

With senior quarterback Landon McNickles not playing last week, the Enterprise Yellow Jackets used a strong ground game to get a 38-9 win over the West Lincoln Bears. With a sweep of West Lincoln, Bogue Chitto, and Loyd Star, the Yellow Jackets posted a 3-0 record against their Lincoln County brethren for the first time since 2002.

The win was an emotional one with Enterprise losing sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Cothern last week in an automobile accident.

Payton Kyzar led the ground attack with 139 yards on 11 carries. Kyzar scored three touchdowns in the win over West Lincoln. Junior AJ Raiford picked up 57 yards on the ground and also scored a touchdown. The Jackets got a 76-yard kickoff return touchdown from senior Jacquez Yarborough.

Region 8-1A play begins with Sacred Heart sporting a 5-0 record, EAC being 4-1, Lumberton having a 3-2 mark and Resurrection Catholic posting a 2-3 mark thus far. Both East Marion and Salem are 0-5 thus far in 2024.

Lumberton has wins over Purvis (27-14), West Marion (12-7), and Mount Olive (43-0). The Panthers have losses to North Forrest (20-7) and Wesson (21-14).

Lumberton beat the Jackets 41-2 last season and 46-8 the year before. EAC won the first ever meeting between the schools, 52-38 in 2021 when Lumberton was the defending MHSAA 1A state champion. 

Brookhaven Academy (2-5) vs. Simpson Academy (3-3)

R.M. “Red” Stuart Field, Brookhaven

Brookhaven Academy celebrated homecoming last week with a 55-0 win over the Salem Wildcats. The Cougars will jump back into the loaded MAIS 5A ranks this week with the final home game of the season against the Simpson Academy Cougars. A pre-game ceremony will honor the current senior class.

SA is on a three-game winning streak as coach Todd Mangum’s team has picked up wins over East Rankin Academy (42-17), Taylorsville High (40-14), and Presbyterian Christian School (19-17) in the last three weeks. Simpson began the season with a 35-0 loss to East Rankin Academy, a 49-0 setback to Hartfield Academy, and a 28-14 loss to Adams County Christian School.

Last season Simpson Academy followed a similar trajectory, starting the season 0-3 before eventually going on a run to the MAIS 5A title game, where they lost to ACCS. SA beat BA 55-12 when the teams played last season in Mendenhall. 

Loyd Star (3-2) at Wilkinson County (0-4)

Wildcat Field, Woodville

Loyd Star and coach Adam Smith will look to win their fourth straight game in the Region 7-2A opener between the Hornets and the Wildcats of Wilkinson County.

The Wildcats are winless after suffering losses to Jefferson County (58-0), Port Gibson (32-0), McLaurin (34-20), and Franklin County (20-6). LS is 3-0 all-time against Wilkinson County as they beat the Wildcats 44-30 last season in the first game played between the schools since 1988.

The Hornets led 17-16 at Stringer last week after two quarters but scored 16 points in the third quarter to earn an eventual 33-24 victory.

Sophomore running back Jordyn Kees rushed 19 times for 233 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Trevor Fortenberry also carried the ball 19 times, picking up 189 yards and scoring twice on the ground. Junior Cooper Creel also had a rushing touchdown for Loyd Star in the win.

Bogue Chitto (2-3) at Amite County (1-4)

Trojan Field, Liberty

The Bogue Chitto Bobcats are coming off a 38-19 loss at Puckett High in a game where BC stayed close in the first half, but could not keep pace in the second half as the Wolves moved to 5-1 on the season.

Sophomore quarterback Alex-Michael Roberts completed four passes for 125 yards and one touchdown to lead the BC passing game. Senior receiver Noah Magee had one catch for 70 yards and a touchdown and Timothy Kirkland added three catches for 55 yards.Making gains on the ground wasn’t easy, as the Puckett defense limited Bogue Chitto to just 96 rushing yards in the loss.

The AC Trojans have played a tough schedule with an overtime win against 4A Richland being their only victory this season. The Trojans also have losses to 3A Perry Central (39-6), 3A Franklin County (7-6), 3A Crystal Springs (21-14), and 3A Hazelhurst (33-6).

This game always feels like it carries extra importance as the Bobcats and Trojans are often battling with Loyd Star atop the Region 7-2A standings. Amite County won 36-28 last season in a tight, hard-hitting type of game, breaking a three-year winning streak for the Bobcats.

Sedric Cain is in the first season of his second stint leading the program. Cain went a combined 19-17 from 2014-2016 in his prior years as head coach of his alma mater.

West Lincoln (1-4) at Stringer (1-4)

Red Devil Field, Stinger

The West Lincoln Bears will make the trip to Jasper County on Friday to face the Stringer Red Devils in a non-region matchup. The schools have not met since 2018 and played in the same district from 2001-2008. Stringer is 10-0 all-time against West Lincoln.

The game is the final non-division game of the season for coach Johnny Ball and West Lincoln. The Bears will be back at home next week hosting Bogue Chitto.