Week 10 area high school football games at a glance
Oct. 26—THURSDAY'S GAMES
(All games kick off at 7 p.m.)
GAME OF THE WEEK
East Webster (7-2, 2-1) at Nettleton (6-2, 2-1)
The Buzz
—The winner of this game will earn the No. 2 playoff seed from Region 4-3A. These teams haven't met since 2014.
Names to Know
—East Webster's Briceton Johnson has scored 14 touchdowns — 9 rushing, 3 receiving and 2 on punt returns.
—Nettleton DBs Jaiden Dilworth and Gavin Pargo have made a combined 6 interceptions.
Stat Leaders
—East Webster: QB Kaleb Warnock 66 of 130, 917 yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs; 90 carries, 623 yards, 11 TDs. ... RB R.T. Moye 71 carries, 582 yards, 7 TDs. ... LB Thomas Gregg 82 tackles, 9 TFL.
—Nettleton: QB Braylen Williams 123 of 196, 1,772 yards, 19 TDs, 7 INTs; 99 carries, 815 yards, 10 TDs. ... WR/S Gavin Pargo 39 catches, 635 yards, 6 TDs; 25 tackles, 3 INTs on defense. ... LB Jordan Fields 45 tackles, 7 sacks.
Game Keys
—This game features two mobile quarterbacks, so linebackers on both sides will have to stay on high alert.
—Keep an eye on the turnover battle: Nettleton has 15 takeaways, while East Webster has 12.
Ripley (9-0) at New Albany (6-2)
The Buzz
—This non-region affair is the regular season finale for both squads. Ripley has won the last two meetings by a combined six points.
Stat Leaders
—Ripley: RB Keegan Strong 121 carries, 926 yards, 11 TDs. ... WR/CB Michael Turner 9 catches, 301 yards, 4 TDs; 28 tackles, 5 INTs on defense. ... DL Charlie Coombs 31 tackles, 4 sacks.
—New Albany: QB Braden Shettles 94 of 139, 1,644 yards, 21 TDs, 3 INTs. ... RB Ke'lan Simpson 125 carries, 956 yards, 11 TDs. ... LB Zyon Robinson 40 tackles, 8 TFL, 3 sacks.
OTHER FEATURED GAMES
Baldwyn (5-4, 1-1) at Tupelo Christian (6-3, 1-1)
The Buzz
—The winner of this Region 1-1A game will earn a No. 2 playoff seed. These teams have met just once, in 2019, with Baldwyn winning 20-17.
Stat Leaders
—Baldwyn: QB Dy'Lan Johnson 89 of 152, 1,312 yards, 15 TDs, 5 INTs. ... WR Hastin Nelson 46 catches, 511 yards, 4 TDs. ... DL Decorian Warren 41 tackles, 15 TFL, 5 sacks.
—TCPS: QB/S Brewer Bailey 56 of 119, 774 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs; 140 carries, 1,078 yards, 18 TDs; 84 tackles, 2 INTs on defense. ... LB Gabe Malone 92 tackles, 6 TFL. ... LB Wyatt Wheeler 54 tackles, 9 TFL.
Hatley (6-3, 1-1) at Hamilton (4-5, 2-0)
The Buzz
—Hamilton can win the Region 2-1A title outright with a win tonight. The Lions beat Hatley last season, 41-6.
Stat Leaders
—Hatley: QB Logan Brown 47 of 85, 605 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. ... RB Cayson Williams 142 carries, 1,313 yards, 22 TDs. ... RB Braxton Harlow 83 carries, 488 yards, 4 TDs.
—Hamilton: QB Justin Verner 37 of 85, 648 yards, 4 TDs; 70 carries, 457 yards, 7 TDs. ... RB Trent Jones 85 carries, 664 yards, 6 TDs. ... RB Willie Green 47 carries, 365 yards, 4 TDs.
ALSO TONIGHT
—Alcorn Central (1-7, 0-3) at Kossuth (8-1, 3-0): This is a Region 1-3A game. The trio of QB Hank Eaton, RB Rylan Henry and RB Brady Kelly has combined for 1,974 yards and 33 TDs on the ground for Kossuth.
—Ashland (3-6, 1-1) at Falkner (7-2, 2-0): This is a Region 2-1A game. Falkner has reached seven wins for the first time since 2015.
—Biggersville (7-1, 2-0) at Thrasher (1-8, 0-2): Biggersville has already sewn up the Region 1-1A title. The Lions have won their last five meetings with Thrasher.
—Byhalia (1-8, 0-3) at South Pontotoc (3-6, 0-3): This is a Region 2-4A matchup. Byhalia and South Pontotoc have never met in football.
—East Union (3-5, 1-1) at Walnut (4-5, 0-2): This is a Region 1-2A game. East Union beat Walnut last year, 47-20.
—Houston (7-1, 2-1) at Caledonia (4-4, 1-2): This is a Region 3-4A contest. Houston RB Jalen Washington has rushed for 1,140 yards, 12 TDs on 155 carries. He had 388 yards, 3 TDs in last week's 54-35 win over Kosciusko.
—Mantachie (4-5, 1-2) at Belmont (4-4, 1-2): This is a Region 1-3A game. Belmont has a rushing attack led by Derek Alvarez and Andrew Merino, who have a combined 989 yards and 8 TDs.
—Mooreville (6-3, 0-3) at Aberdeen (1-8, 0-3): The winner of this game earns the fourth and final playoff berth out of Region 4-3A. Aberdeen beat Mooreville 46-0 last season.
—Myrtle (1-7, 1-1) at H.W. Byers (1-7, 0-2): Myrtle can clinch the No. 2 playoff seed in Region 2-1A with a win tonight. The Hawks are 2-1 against Byers, the lone loss being a COVID forfeit in 2020.
—M.S. Palmer (2-6, 0-2) at Calhoun City (8-0, 2-0): This is a Region 2-2A game. Calhoun City is led by RB Jamajah Mayes, who has rushed for 1,064 yards, 18 TDs on 98 carries.
—North Panola (4-5, 2-1) at Holly Springs (3-6, 0-3): This is a Region 2-3A game. Holly Springs has been held to less than 150 yards of total offense in three of its last four games.
—North Pontotoc (5-4, 2-1) at Senatobia (8-1, 3-0): North Pontotoc could create a three-way tie atop the Region 2-4A standings with a win tonight. That would give the Vikings, Senatobia and New Albany all 3-1 records.
—Okolona (4-4, 2-0) at Vardaman (8-0, 2-0): The winner of this game takes home the No. 1 playoff seed from Region 4-1A. These teams last met on the field in 2019.
—Potts Camp (6-3, 1-0) at Coffeeville (0-7, 0-1): Potts Camp can clinch the Region 3-1A title outright with a win tonight. This is the first meeting between these programs.
—Water Valley (3-6, 1-1) at Bruce (6-3, 1-1): The winner of this game gets the No. 2 playoff seed out of Region 2-2A. Water Valley won this game last year, 39-6.
—West Lowndes (2-6, 0-2) at Smithville (2-7, 0-2): The winner of this game earns the No. 3 playoff seed out of Region 4-1A. These teams last met in 2020, with West Lowndes winning 48-26.
Brad Locke
