For the third straight year, we’ll discuss the potential Top 15 matchups of the upcoming high school football season. For the third week, here are the final five potential matchups:
North Forrest at Lumberton
This has been a fun, under the radar early season game the last few years, and it’s expected to be once again in 2018. In the last three seasons, there were two high-scoring games, which these two have split, and a low-scoring slugfest that Lumberton won.
It’s hard to say what will happen this season because it’s a season-opener, but both teams believe it can have great seasons. The Panthers think they’re a 1A favorite while the Eagles bring back a ton of talent to compete in 2A.
Part 1: The first five matchups to look forward to this season.
Parklane Academy at PCS
The PCS schedule is a little quirky. Four of its last six ballgames are on the road, while there’s a stretch of four of five games away from Hattiesburg. Sandwiched between back-to-back away games is a home game with Parklane Academy. The Bobcats will have just played Jackson Prep and Oak Forest before entertaining Parklane, and it’s vital the Bobcats start those first three conference games on a high note.
The Prep game will be a giant hill to climb, but Oak Forest and Parklane are winnable. A 2-1 start might just be what PCS needs heading into games with Jackson Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy late in the season.
Laurel at Hattiesburg
How could the Battle for the Little Brown Jug not make this list? This matchup has featured some incredible games in its history, but since Tony Vance took over the Tigers’ program, it’s been one after another when it comes to unbelievable finishes. For a couple of years, Hattiesburg would win the regular-season contest but it would fall in the playoffs to Laurel. The Jug game only counts in the regular season, so even with the two playoff losses, the Tigers have won four straight Jugs.
Just like what’s been written in Part 1 and 2 of this series, Hattiesburg is expected to have another successful season. Laurel, however, might be its biggest hurdle when the playoffs roll around. The regular season game doesn’t count toward making the postseason, but bragging rights do mean a lot.
It should be another classic when the two meet at D.I. Patrick Stadium in Week 2.
Part 2: The second five matchups to look forward to this season.
Oak Grove at Petal
Not too many can top last season’s back-and-forth affair between these Pine Belt rivals. When John Rhys Plumlee gave Oak Grove the lead with a 90-plus-yard touchdown scamper, Petal quickly regained the lead with less than 90 seconds left.
While Petal has some questions that need to be answered early in the season, Oak Grove returns a lot of playmakers. I think, however, the Panthers will have the players in place by the time this game rolls around, so another fun one between these two looms.
Oak Grove hasn’t beaten Petal since 2015 either, and coincidently, that was the year Petal made it to the 6A State Championship.
Picayune at Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg has been featured prominently in all three weeks of this series, and it’s very deserving. The Tigers have big games littered throughout their schedule and the matchup with Picayune the past couple of seasons usually determines the region winner.
The two have split the last two meetings, and both games have been barnburners. Oddly enough, Hattiesburg had to travel to Picayune the last two years, but the Maroon Tide will finally make a trip up Interstate-59 this season for a mid-October matchup.
It came down to which defense could make a stop last season, and that’ll probably be the case again in 2018.
