Week 12 of high school football season is here. The following are my picks for teams in the Hattiesburg-area and Covington County.
Petal (6-4) at Terry (7-4)-Boy, how times have changed. This time a year ago, Petal whooped up on Terry, 40-14. At the time, the Bulldogs were way out of the playoff mix. A year later, winner of the rematch punches their ticket to the postseason. Terry’s resurgence has not gone unnoticed. Their win over Oak Grove a few weeks back shocked me then and it still does today. Petal is a whole different challenge, though. These are types of games the Panthers are built to win. It’s in their DNA.
Petal 28, Terry 27Â
Jim Hill (0-10) at Oak Grove (5-5)-It’s kind of shocking that Oak Grove will miss out on the playoffs for a second straight season, because I pegged the Warriors as state championship contenders earlier this year. It was simply just not meant to be. Still, they should send their seniors out on a high note in this game.
Oak Grove 42, Jim Hill 7
Hattiesburg (10-0) at West Harrison (1-9)-Only these Hurricanes stand in the way of Hattiesburg’s perfect regular season. Should not be a tough task for the Tigers. West Harrison has struggled mightily on defense, giving up about 36 points a game. They’ve lost nine in a row after beating Bay, who is 0-10, the first week of the season. Like most of Hattiesburg’s games this year, you can expect a complete mismatch here.
Hattiesburg 56, West Harrison 14Â
Purvis (4-6) at Mendenhall (8-2)-With the playoffs already here, Purvis will have to put last week’s loss to FCAHS behind them quick. Mendenhall is no joke, and the Tornadoes have to know that after their matchup earlier this season. The Tigers ran for 446 yards in that game, which is far from ideal. The Tornadoes have allowed a 100-yard rusher in four straight games, and they are 1-3 in that span. Hard not to pick Mendenhall here with their dominant rushing attack.
Mendenhall 35, Purvis 28Â
Sumrall (6-5) at West Lauderdale (7-4)-This will be Sumrall’s first playoff action since 2012. Sure, this a new experience for those players, but not for head coach Shannon White. White’s been there and done that, so he will have his Bobcats ready to compete. On the other side, West Lauderdale started 0-3 and has won seven of their last eight games since. The Knights are 2-2 at home this year, while the Bobcats are 4-2 on the road. All in all, I think this will be a highly-contested, fourth quarter-type of game. But momentum-wise, hard not to give a slight edge to West Lauderdale.
West Lauderdale 34, Sumrall 27Â
Stringer (9-2) at Sacred Heart (4-6)-Sacred Heart picked up a nice win last week against Salem, but could you imagine what a win here would mean? Either way, the Crusaders will miss out on the playoffs, but that would be a huge win, regardless, because Stringer is the real deal. The Red Devils are coming off only their second loss of the season to Lumberton, who is also legit. Thinking in baseball terms, Sacred Heart will have to pitch a perfect game here. My heart says Sacred Heart, but my brain shouts Stringer. I’ll roll with my brain here.
Stringer 41, Sacred Heart 17Â
North Forrest (7-4) at Mize (7-4)-You gotta be impressed with how tough North Forrest played Perry Central last week. I’ve said it about fifty times now, but you can never count out these Eagles, who open the 2A playoffs this week. Their opponent, Mize, has looked really good down the stretch. The Bulldogs have won three in a row over teams with a combined 18 wins. But for my weekly gut feeling pick, I’m picking North Forrest in this game. I’ve thought for a while the Eagles could be in store for a special season, so seeing them go home after the first round, I just cannot see that happening.
North Forrest 24, Mize 20Â
PCS (6-5) at MRA (7-4)-What a weird matchup this is. The Bobcats and Patriots open the MAIS playoffs against one another after matching up last week in their regular season finale. PCS led 16-7 at the end of the first quarter, but MRA went on a 35-7 run the rest of the way in picking up the win. You have to think some of that momentum carries over into the rematch. Could be tough sledding for the Bobcats.
MRA 38, PCS 27
Pelahatchie (6-5) at Collins (9-2)-You’re looking at two teams headed in two complete opposite directions right now. Collins has won nine games in a row. On the other side, Pelahatchie has lost five of their last six. I’m gonna go as far as saying Collins should be the favorite to represent the south in the Class 2A championship next month. The Tigers have backed that talk up the last two months and should continue to do so this week against these Chiefs.
Collins 41, Pelahatchie 24Â
Seminary (5-6) at Velma Jackson (6-4)-Velma Jackson is rolling. The Falcons have won five in a row following a 1-4 start to the season. Seminary’s been a bit more up and down, losing three games in that five-week span. Feel like I gotta roll with the team with the hot hand here.
Velma Jackson 24, Seminary 21
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