Area high school teams are entering their third week of district play, which means each game will begin to hold more weight as the season continues.

Much like last week, most teams in the area will face some formidable competition. Here are my picks for tonight’s slate of area games.

Loyd Star vs. Prentiss

Head coach Adam Cook and the Hornets’ losing streak extended to five games last week with a 36-34 home loss to district rival Amite County. This week they will face the Prentiss Bulldogs, a team with a decent defense and a superb aerial attack. The Hornets have surrendered 30 points or more in four of their five losses, so they will likely have to play solid defense to get a win.

The Bulldogs will test the Hornets vertically and load the buses tonight with another district win under their belt.

Loyd Star 18, Prentiss 34

West Lincoln vs. Amite County

The Bassfield Yellow Jackets, the team that is likely to claim the district championship, thrashed West Lincoln last week. The Bears surrendered 51 points in a contest that was essentially over by the half.

They continue district play tonight as Amite County rolls into town. The Trojans showed some big-play ability against Loyd Star last week. The Bears, on the other hand, have struggled on the defensive side and have shown a tendency to give up a lot of points and big plays.

West Lincoln should be able to put up points against the Trojans, but they won’t be able to come out of the contest with a victory.

Amite County 40, West Lincoln 12

Wesson vs. Port Gibson

The Cobras were another area team to suffer a blowout loss last week as they fell to the dominant Hazlehurst Indians 58-21. The Indians revealed a lot of deficiencies in Wesson’s defense en route to totaling 671 total yards of offense on the night. Their opponent tonight, Port Gibson, is not the same caliber opponent but they will offer a challenge all the same. Running back D’Marious Hicks has rushed for 797 yards on the year and may pose a problem for a defense that has been susceptible to the run at times.

The Blue Wave may get some things done on the ground, but the Cobras will come out with a “W” on the road tonight.

Wesson 28, Port Gibson 20

Enterprise vs. Bassfield

Enterprise will be looking for its first win of the year in district play tonight in “The Battle of the Jackets”. Bassfield is off to a strong start in the division after blowing out West Lincoln last week.

If they hope to beat Bassfield, Enterprise will have to play as close to perfect as possible. They are not likely to throw the ball much, so they will have to establish themselves with the run game early. Against a solid defense and a top-notch team overall, the Yellow Jackets will struggle and finish the night still looking for their first district victory.

Bassfield 48, Enterprise 12

Brookhaven Academy vs. Amite School Center

The Cougars are still looking for a win to end a losing streak that has stretched over two seasons. Tonight may be their best chance to get it as they hit the road to face a 2-6 Amite team.

BA is down to 12 players now after losing three to injury, but the group still is confident about their chances against the Rebels. Without starting running back Christian Huffman, who will be gone for the season with an ACL injury, the going will be tough for the Cougars.

Still, I’m saying Coach Ron Rushing will be able to get his first win as Brookhaven Academy’s head coach tonight against the Rebels.

Brookhaven Academy 24, Amite School Center 20

Lawrence County vs. McComb

After a rough start to the year, the Cougars will look to continue their winning ways against the McComb Tigers. The Cougars are riding high after getting their star running back Quitten Brown back from injury. Brown topped 100 yards in a win last week and I expect him to do the same tonight. McComb is a good team, but they give up a lot of points and that will cost them against Brown and company.

Lawrence County 36, McComb 20

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