There has been a change in the air, and I’m not talking about the weather. While it is October, it seems the cooler temperatures don’t come until high school playoff time.
The change in the air I’m talking about is the intensity of each high school game. Every team has started its region schedule, so every Friday night matters even more. One game could separate a playoff team and a team that just missed out. Heck, even a tie in the region standings could spell disaster.
If you’re an avid reader of my column, you know I like to take the temperature of area teams at certain points of the season. Why not do one a week or two into region play?
Let’s start with the undefeated teams: Hattiesburg, Sumrall and Lumberton.
Has there ever been more of a feel-good story other than what’s going on Sumrall right now? The Bobcats lost their starting quarterback weeks before the season and threw in their All-American wide receiver to be the signal caller. In return, Sumrall is 7-0.
There’s an excitement in that community that’s hard to find anywhere else, too. I was there on Monday for Dannis Jackson’s All-America jersey presentation and everybody I talked to seemed so excited and proud of what that football team is doing. It’s hard not to root for a community like that.
I like this team, but these next two weeks will be big tests for the Bobcats. Road games to Lawrence County and Poplarville loom, and they’ll surely dictate where Sumrall will be in the playoff seeding.
Staying in Lamar County, Lumberton is looking unstoppable in 1A. It’s also looking like Lumberton and Stringer are on a collision course later this season, with the winner claiming the district title.
The Panthers can run the ball effectively with tons of different running backs, and that defense is nasty with 21 takeaways already. However, 1A football is loaded with good teams they’ll have to beat. I’ve already mentioned Stringer, but Resurrection will always play Lumberton tough, Nanih Waiya is legit and Simmons has won like a million games in a row.
Whichever team comes out on top in early December at M.M. Roberts Stadium will deserve to be the 1A State Champion, that’s for sure.
Moving over to Hattiesburg, which has been just as dominant as Lumberton but in a higher classification. I might regret these words in a few weeks, but I honestly do not see another 5A team in the south that can compete with the Tigers this season.
Hattiesburg has it all. The power run game with Snoop Conner, the shiftiness of Drexlan Allen, a great offensive line, solid receivers and a defense that gets better each week. If the state championship wasn’t in Hattiesburg, I’d go ahead and book a hotel room.
Oak Grove is my last team that I believe has a legitimate chance of making some noise in the postseason. The Warriors have proven they can score a ton of points and the defense is solid enough to keep teams down long enough for the offense to take over.
The only thing about Oak Grove that worries me is it doesn’t have enough proven playmakers. I know I just said it could score a ton of points, but a lot of that rides on quarterback John Rhys Plumlee’s shoulders. While the Warriors don’t have proven playmakers, they have a lot of options who can get hot at any time. The consistency just isn’t there with those guys.
As far as the other teams, Petal, Purvis, Sacred Heart and PCS, it’s would be a long and tough road to get back to .500 play. Petal and Purvis, though, could mess around and win a few games to squeak into the playoffs. However, it’s going to be hard.
Follow Camal on Twitter via @PineBeltSPORTS or email him: camal@PineBeltSPORTS.com.
