Week Ten – Mississippi High School Football “Elite” Top Ten

We are down to the final three weeks of the regular season which means tension starts to build, some teams will be eliminated from playoff contention and others will battle for region supremacy.  It truly is a great time to take in a game on Friday night in Mississippi.  Make sure you soak up the next three weeks because it should be spectacular.

Let’s get right to our poll and this week’s games.

This week’s Elite – 10 poll:

1 – Starkville

2 – South Panola

3 – Brandon

4 – Oxford

5 – Warren Central

6 – Picayune

7 – Oak Grove

8 – Clinton

9 – Wayne County

10 –Southaven

Just Missed the Cut:  Ocean Springs, New Hope, West Jones, Pearl

Last Week: 9-1

Yearly Predictions: 62-12

No. 9 Wayne County at Laurel

The War Eagles travel over to Laurel to take on Todd Breland’s Golden Tornadoes in a key Region 3-5A matchup.

Laurel was in our preseason top ten and while they do have two losses on their schedule, this team is still as talented as anyone in the state.

Wayne County looks the part of a legitimate state championship type team as the War Eagles have reeled off seven straight wins since losing to Oak Grove in their opener.  Fireworks will fly down in Laurel, but Wayne County will have the biggest spark.

Wayne County 34 Laurel 28

No. 8 Clinton at No. 5 Warren Central

Judd Boswell’s Arrows travel to Warren County to take on Josh Morgan’s Vikings in a key Region-2 matchup in north 6A.

The Arrows are a year ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process getting max production from their very young team.

Warren Central has been on a tear in 2014, showing why we were the only ones in the state to have them ranked since the preseason (and some thought we were crazy).

The winner of this matchup gets the upper hand in the region and playoff seeding.  Playmakers galore will be on the field and this should be a low scoring affair, yet very entertaining.

Warren Central 24 Clinton 14

West Harrison at No. 6 Picayune

West Harrison travels to Picayune on Friday night and while the Hurricanes and head coach Sean Harden desperately need something positive to happen, they picked the wrong night for it.

Picayune has been ripping their way through the coastal region and will continue their streak on Friday.

Picayune 50 West Harrison 7

No. 4 Oxford at Clarksdale

It’s a key Region-1 battle in north 5A, as Oxford heads to the Delta to take on Henry Johnson’s Wildcats of Clarksdale.  Oxford wants to stay out in front of West Point, while Clarksdale can put a hold on the fourth and final playoff spot from their region with a win.

Oxford should get Clarksdale’s best shot, but it won’t be good enough this Friday.

Oxford 41 Clarksdale 24

No. 10 Southaven at No. 2 South Panola

Baitsville is no stranger to big games and they get another big one this Friday as Southaven roles into town.  This game should determine the region winner and do not sleep on Southhaven.  The Chargers only loss this year came to McCracken County out of Paducah, Kentucky and that was a three-point loss.  Head coach Ed Rich has his team clicking on all cylinders and they should be ready this Friday.

The only problem is the team they are facing is the Tigers of South Panola and they are used to games like this.

This could be the first of two meetings between these two this year and you should expect a heck of a ball game this Friday night.

South Panola 34 Southaven 24

No. 1 Starkville at Murrah

The number-one Yellow jackets head to Jackson to take on Murrah as the Mustangs are in dire need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Starkville can put themselves in a position with a win to lock up the region championship next weekend or the next, depending on what else plays out this Friday night.

Both of these teams are super talented, but Starkville has been on a role all year long and that probably won’t end this weekend.

Starkville 45 Murrah 20

GAME OF THE WEEK:

No. 3 Brandon at No. 7 Oak Grove

Brad Peterson’s Bulldogs travel to the Pine Belt to take on defending 6A champion Oak Grove, in a game that should determine the champion of Region-3.

Brandon is the reigning region champion, but it’s Oak Grove that has reeled off 13-straight and a state championship since their last loss – a 42-23 loss at Brandon last year.

Both of these teams have big time goals in mind entering this game.  Oak Grove is out to defend their state title, while Brandon wants to get back to the Championship after a year’s absence.

Brandon defeated Oak Grove last year by getting in their face and just being flat out more physical than the Warriors.  Actually, they have done that the last two years and while this should be a great ballgame, look for the Bulldogs to again be more physical than the Warriors and look for the Bulldogs to take the upper hand in South-6A this Friday night.

Brandon 37 Oak Grove 27