Here are your Jones County Week 2 predictions as picked by James Pugh.
Northeast Jones vs. West Jones
It was evident in Week 1 that both West Jones and Northeast Jones have improved since last year. West Jones fell to Wayne County last Friday night, but the score was much closer than when the two teams met in Week 1 last year. The same can be said for Northeast Jones, who nearly took down the reigning Class 2A champs Taylorsville and its quarterback wonder Ty Keyes.
With that being said, I still wouldn’t say Friday night’s county rivalry will end in a close decision. It could; rivalries have a way of being out the best in a teams’ performance. But I would be surprised if this game came down to a few points. West Jones’ defense is far too good to allow Northeast Jones more than two scores on offense. Last season, the Mustangs shut out the Tigers in “The Jungle,” 27-0.
If West Jones can score a few touchdowns on offense (something it wasn’t able to do last week), this game will be in the bag for the Soso-ians.
Prediction: West Jones 34, Northeast Jones 6.
Laurel at Hattiesburg
This rivalry hasn’t disappointed anyone in the last decade, though Hattiesburg has claimed the “Little Brown Jug” for the last four years now. What’s been fun about this rivalry in the last several years – since Hattiesburg dropped in classifications from 6A to 5A – is the team that wins the “Little Brown Jug” game early in the season doesn’t necessarily get the last laugh. Three of the previous four years, when the two teams met again in the postseason, Laurel’s gotten its revenge. Last year, though, was the exception.
I would say Laurel’s due, and its win over Callaway (55-13) in Week 1 was impressive, but so was Hattiesburg’s win over Petal (35-26). This game will be a fight to the very end, as usual, but Hattiesburg has the edge both mentally and physically.
Prediction: Hattiesburg 34, Laurel 28.
South Jones at Hancock
By the looks of things in Week 1, South Jones could be in for a long season.
Sumrall defeated South Jones in Ellisville last Friday night, 36-7. Of course, though, Sumrall is led by four-star athlete Dannis Jackson who recently flipped his commitment from Mississippi State to Ole Miss. So for now, let’s reserve our judgment until we see more.
Hancock beat South Jones last year, 27-14, and coming into Week 2 of this season is 1-0 after knocking off Pearl River Central in a low scoring contest, 10-7. All this means is that South Jones will have its hands full once again this week.
Prediction: Hancock 32, South Jones 10.
