Week 12 area high school football games at a glance
Nov. 10—FRIDAY'S GAMES
(All games kick off at 7 p.m.)
MHSAA PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
CLASS 7A
DeSoto Central (5-6) at Tupelo (8-2)
The Buzz
—Tupelo is the No. 1 seed from Region 2-7A, while DeSoto is the No. 4 from 1-7A. These teams last met in 2020, and Tupelo leads the all-time series 13-1.
Stat Leaders
—DeSoto Central: QB Eric Perry 148 of 258, 1,816 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs; 88 carries, 680 yards, 7 TDs. ... WR Quintin Hannah 42 catches, 616 yards, 7 TDs. ... RB Jordan Cannon 107 carries, 515 yards, 4 TDs.
—Tupelo: QB Jeremiah Harrell 96 of 176, 1,608 yards, 21 TDs, 4 INTs; 54 carries, 286 yards, 7 TDs. ... RB Qua Middlebrooks 98 carries, 732 yards, 4 TDs; 16 catches, 219 yards, 5 TDs. ... LB Damari Burton 63 tackles, 14 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT.
Also Tonight
—Germantown (5-5) at Oxford (7-3): Oxford is the No. 1 seed from Region 1-7A, and Germantown is the No. 4 from 2-7A. Germantown beat Oxford in the regular season last year, 26-16.
—Southaven (3-7) at Starkville (7-3): Starkville beat Southaven in the first round of the playoffs last season en route to winning the 6A state title. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 36-6 loss to Tupelo.
CLASS 6A
—Saltillo (4-7) at Warren Central (8-2): Saltillo is making its first playoff appearance since 2013. The Tigers have never played Warren Central. The Vikings are led on defense by LB Julien Demby, who has 96 tackles, 22 TFL and 4 INTs.
CLASS 5A
—Lafayette (6-4) at Canton (4-6): These teams have never met. Canton started the season 0-5 but then went 4-1 in region play, allowing 20 total points in its wins.
—Corinth (3-7) at Holmes County Central (11-0): In its 10 years as a program, Holmes County Central has now recorded two undefeated regular seasons, the other coming in 2018. The Jaguars have posted three shutouts this year.
—Gentry (6-5) at West Point (7-3): West Point is 15-2 in first-round playoff games under head coach Chris Chambless. The Green Wave have won all four of their previous meetings with Gentry, most recently in 2010.
SECOND ROUND
CLASS 4A
New Albany (8-2) at Louisville (11-0)
The Buzz
—Louisville is the reigning 4A state champ and is riding a 22-game winning streak.
Stat Leaders
—New Albany: QB Braden Shettles 114 of 173, 2,115 yards, 24 TDs, 4 INTs. ... RB Ke'lan Simpson 150 carries, 1,084 yards, 15 TDs ... DE Jayden Hicks 54 tackles, 12 TFL, 2 sacks.
—Louisville: QB Xavier Hunt 120 of 216, 1,608 yards, 19 TDs, 5 INTs. ... WR Kamron Triplett 37 catches, 567 yards, 7 TDs. ... LB Kendon Sanders 109 tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks.
Also Tonight
—Houston (9-1) at Senatobia (10-1): Senatobia is averaging 39 points per game. Houston last met the Warriors in the playoffs two years ago, losing 48-30.
—Amory (9-1) at West Lauderdale (10-1): This is the first meeting between these teams. Amory's lone loss of the season came against Ripley, 14-10; West Lauderdale's came against Germantown, 31-9.
CLASS 3A
East Webster (9-2) at Kossuth (10-1)
The Buzz
—Kossuth is No. 2 in the Daily Journal Small School rankings, while East Webster is No. 4. These teams are similar in that they both rely on strong rushing attacks and stingy defenses.
Stat Leaders
—East Webster: QB Kaleb Warnock 79 of 157, 1,104 yards, 8 TDs, 7 INTs; 122 carries, 766 yards, 14 TDs. ... ATH Briceton Johnson 59 carries, 595 yards, 10 TDs; 36 catches, 508 yards, 4 TDs. ... DL Montavis Moore 70 tackles, 23 TFL, 6 sacks.
—Kossuth: QB Hank Eaton 59 of 120, 898 yards, 10 TDs, 5 INTs; 93 carries, 748 yards, 8 TDs. ... RB/LB Brady Kelly 108 carries, 815 yards, 16 TDs; 104 tackles, 10 TFL on defense. ... LB Ayden Wilbanks 56 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries.
Also Tonight
—Mooreville (8-3) at Humphreys County (9-2): Mooreville edged Independence 13-12 last week in a first-round win, while Humphreys County beat Belmont 47-0.
CLASS 2A
Sebastopol (10-1) at Hamilton (6-5)
The Buzz
—Hamilton beat Sebastopol 33-30 last season, when the teams were region foes.
Stat Leaders
—Sebastopol: QB Adarius McDougle 34 of 68, 446 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs; 176 carries, 1,697 yards, 31 TDs. ... RB/DB Jake Kimble 177 carries, 990 yards, 10 TDs; 67 tackles on defense. ... LB Trey Wilson 110 tackles, 1 INT.
—Hamilton: QB Justin Verner 54 of 107, 936 yards, 8 TDs, 8 INTs; 108 carries, 843 yards, 11 TDs. ... RB Trent Jones 115 carries, 923 yards, 9 TDs. ... RB/DB Willie Green 64 carries, 565 yards, 9 TDs; 36 tackles, 4 TFL on defense.
Also Tonight
—Northside (9-2) at Calhoun City (10-0): These teams met once before, in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Northside won that game 22-20 in double overtime.
CLASS 1A
Tupelo Christian (8-3) at Vardaman (10-0)
The Buzz
—These teams have split their previous four meetings, the most recent one being a 63-14 TCPS win in 2020.
Stat Leaders
—TCPS: QB/S Brewer Bailey 70 of 138, 970 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs; 160 carries, 1,217 yards, 20 TDs; 99 tackles, 5 INTs on defense. ... RB/LB Jon Scott 102 carries, 669 yards, 9 TDs; 37 tackles on defense. ... LB Gabe Malone 108 tackles, 8 TFL.
—Vardaman: RB/LB Za Pratt 121 carries, 1,284 yards, 17 TDs; 70 tackles on defense. ... RB/SS Bentley Hamilton 67 carries, 439 yards, 12 TDs; 55 tackles, 2 sacks on defense. ... LB Rivers Bailey 75 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks.
Also Tonight
—Okolona (5-5) at Biggersville (8-1): Biggersville, which had a first-round bye, beat Okolona 64-8 last season. The Lions are led by Jathan Hatch, who has rushed for 1,024 yards and 19 TDs on 84 carries.
—Smithville (3-8) at Baldwyn (6-5): QB Dy'Lan Johnson leads Baldwyn with 1,555 yards and 17 TDs passing. These teams have met only twice before, most recently in 2004.
—West Lowndes (4-6) at Potts Camp (8-3): These teams have never met. A victory tonight for Potts Camp would tie the program record for wins in a season.
Brad Locke
