I’m almost hesitant to write this, but I’ll do it anyway.
This time last year I told a handful of people that I thought Oak Grove was going to win a state championship. The Warriors reeled off three dominant wins over Purvis, Wayne County and Laurel to open the season, and all three phases looked very, very impressive.
I later ate crow when Oak Grove’s season ended poorly, so that’s why I hate doing what I’m about to do.
Of the eight teams I cover, four are a perfect 3-0. Oak Grove, Hattiesburg, Sumrall and Lumberton have all started the season on fire, and I’ve already started getting questions from people about which team is legit.
So, let’s go through the four teams now. I’ll start with the bigger schools and work my way down.
Numbers-wise, the Warriors’ start isn’t as impressive as it was in 2017. But quarterback John Rhys Plumlee told me after last week’s win at Laurel that he feels better about this team than he did this time last year.
Oak Grove hasn’t hit its peak yet, Plumlee told me, and he felt like last year’s team already peaked after its 3-0 start. It also didn’t help that Plumlee was injured, and he’s perfectly fine heading into this week’s matchup with 3-0 Hattiesburg.
Plumlee would know better than me, because he’s around the team 100 times more than me, but I agree with him. The Warriors are working in some new faces at running back and receiver, as well as on defense, and so far they look impressive. I think they can only get better from here.
Oak Grove gets Brandon, Pearl and Meridian at home this season. That’s big.
I don’t really think there’s much to say about Hattiesburg. The Tigers are legit and after the Oak Grove game Friday, I don’t think there’s another team left on the schedule that can match up with them.
The players and coaches will take it week by week, but I believe they’ll breeze through region play and into the playoffs. Tony Vance might not like me saying this so early, but I’m sure he feels the same way. If Hattiesburg isn’t playing for a state championship in December, it’ll be a disappointment.
I’m not going to say I’m surprised Sumrall is off to this hot of a start, but I will say it seems a little off including the Bobcats in this type of conversation. It’s not like I think Sumrall isn’t good, but I don’t think it’s a state championship-caliber team right now.
Lucky for Sumrall, it’s not up to me which team plays for a state championship. It’s up to the players and coaches.
The defense is impressive and the Bobcats have weapons on offense, but there are some really good teams in the region and in 4A. They’ll get better each week and the sky is the limit. I’m excited to see how their season goes week-to-week.
I’ve been saying it all offseason and I’ll keep saying it. The Lumberton Panthers are for real. They’re mowing down their opponents with a deadly rushing attack and a stingy defense, and they’re very underrated by the rest of the state.
I mean, c’mon. Putting Lumberton tied for third in 1A is a joke to me. The Panthers destroyed a 4A team, and they handled two good 2A squads so far this season.
From the looks of it, I might be pretty busy the first weekend of December.
