The Wesson Cobras and the Franklin County Bulldogs put theirundefeated 3-0 records on the line in a pair of road games Fridaynight. Wesson squares off against the McLaurin Tigers for a Region6-2A test. In a battle of Bulldogs, Franklin County invades Natchezfor a non-division test. The games kick off at 7 p.m.

In other area action, Florence visits Lawrence County, NorthPike entertains South Pike, Hazlehurst invades Yazoo County andRichland is at Crystal Springs.

Wesson is coming off a big 40-7 win over Class 3A Richland whileMcLaurin was whipped 30-6 by powerful St. Andrew’s in a districttest last Friday.

Wesson head coach Tommy Clopton studied McLaurin on film andtalked about this week’s opponent. “McLaurin has had a rough go ofit. The ball hasn’t bounced their way. They have given it back tothe other team on turnovers.”

“They are the biggest team will face so far,” continued Clopton.”They have a couple of big kids. Their (No. 77) is 6-foot-4 andweighs 350 pounds. They like to run it by him. No. 1 is a freshmanquarterback and he is very athletic. No. 7 (wide receiver) hascaught three touchdowns passes for them. He has found a way ofgetting to the end zone.

“Defensively, they are split four team with a lot of mancoverage,” added Clopton. “They press the football a littlebit.”

In the win over Richland, Cobra senior running back Otho Smithled the rushing game with 9 carries for 131 yards and 2touchdowns.

Defensively, junior middle linebacker Beau Wilson paced Wessonwith 14 tackles. Wilson was the recipient of The DAILY LEADERDefensive Player of the Week honors.

In last year’s game, Wesson put away McLaurin 33-12.

Franklin County faces a tough challenge when itinvades 5A Natchez for a battle of the Bulldogs teams. Coach GradyMcCluskey’s FC are ranked No. 3 (tied with Amory) in the AP Class3A Top 20 Football Poll this week.

Natchez knocked off Jefferson County 37-20 and Franklin floggedPrentiss 33-6 last week.

McCluskey talked about Natchez. “They have a good quarterback.He is dangerous. Their running back is good. Their offensive lineis good.

“Their defensive line is more physical than they have been inthe past,” added McCluskey. ” They are 3-0 and have confidence.They are going to be even tougher. “

Powering Franklin in the win over Prentiss was Antonie Guicewith 6 rushes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Following with 84yards on 9 carries was Alex Smith.

On defense, Gary Rogers led Franklin with 10 tackles followed byMike Hunt with nine stops.

“We are little more focused in practice, them (Natchez) being 5Aand 3-0. We are getting excited.” We expect a good game from them.”We think they are well coached. i’s the kinds of game we wanna playin.”

Last year’s scheduled game between Franklin County and Natchezwas canceled due to the hurricanes.

Lawrence County posted a tough 41-25 win overthe Magee Trojans last Friday. Coach Mike Davis’s Cougars are 1-2on the season and are preparing for a Region 6-4A test with theFlorence Eagles.

Florence is coming off a 49-28 loss at the hands ofRidgeland.

“It’s our first district game and you always want to start outon the right foot in district,” said Davis. “Their quarterback canthrow the ball well. They can pitch and catch it. Defensively, theyreally fly to the ball. We have to go in and play another toughgame.

“We hope to get a few of our injured folks back,” added Davis.”Three starters out last week against Magee. Their action could belimited. They have been cleared to come back. We hope we have agood crowd. Florence will bring a good crowd.”

In the win over Magee, Lawrence was directed by Kendrick Hardywith 17 carries for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Isaiah Ferdinandfollowed with 20 rushes for 92 yards. Quarterback Ryan McCall ranfor 2 touchdowns and passed for another.

Lawrence County shut out Florence 32-0 last year.

North Pike gears up for its first Region 7-3Amatch, facing Pike County rival South Pike (1-2). TheMagnolia-based Eagles, coached by Randall Huffman, are currentlyranked No. 7 in the AP Class 3A Top 20 Poll. South Pike puttogether a huge 20-7 over 5A Warren Central last Friday.

Coach Adam Barron’s Jaguars rallied in the final minute of playlast Friday to notch a 27-21 win over the Loyd Star Hornets.

North Pike’s LaDerrick Turner rushed the football nine times for58 yards in the win over Loyd Star.

Undefeated Hazlehurst (2-0) is the No. 1 teamin the AP Class 3A Prep Poll this week. The defending state 3AChampions are under the direction of new head coach Vernon Perry.Last week, Hazlehurst stunned 5A Vicksburg 20-14.

Yazoo County came away with a 27-19 victory over NeshobaCentral.

Hazlehurst whipped Yazoo County 44-0 last season.

Crystal Springs is coming off an impressive30-0 win over Port Gibson. The Tigers, coached by David Virgil,entertain Richland next.

Last season, Crystal Springs clipped Richland 20-14.