Mississippi high school football rankings: Tupelo drops after stunning loss (9/25/2023)

Losses by Tupelo and Picayune have shaken up the SBLive Power 10 rankings

Here's a look at the updated SBLive Mississippi Power 10 and Class-by-Class rankings for the Magnolia State for Week 7 (Sept. 25-Oct. 1)

SBLive Mississippi Power 10

1. Oak Grove Warriors (5-0)

• Last week: Beat Laurel 52-14
• This week: Off

Another week, another win for the Warriors, who remained unbeaten with an easy-as-it-sounds 52-14 win over Laurel. Oak Grove remains healthy and on track to roll into a critical stretch the final three weeks in October in which the Warriors will sandwich a trip to No. 7 Northwest Rankin between home dates with 10th-ranked Brandon and No. 6 Pearl.

2. Louisville Wildcats (5-0)

• Last week: Beat Noxubee County 7-6
• This week: at Houston (5-0)

Anyone surprised by the low-scoring nature of the Wildcats' latest win has never seen a Louisville-Noxubee County game. Fear not — this is still the same team that beat Starkville on the road two weeks ago. The Wildcats get another big test this week at undefeated Houston to open region play. They should be favored in all five of their remaining games.

3. Starkville Yellowjackets (4-1)

• Last week: Beat Oxford 33-13
• This week: Hosts Greenwood (1-4)

The Jackets got back on track, erasing the sting of the season's first loss with a convincing 33-13 win over the Chargers in the "Little Egg Bowl." Starkville should get a chance to reset over the next three weeks, as their three opponents have a combined record of 3-12. As usual, the only team capable of getting in the Jackets' way is the Jackets.

4. Tupelo Golden Wave (4-1)

• Last week: Lost to Houston (Tenn.) 38-33
• This week: Hosts West Point (3-2)

There wasn't a more stunning result from Friday night than the Golden Wave's loss, but it wasn't THAT they lost, it was how it happened. Tupelo had only allowed more than one touchdown in 10 out of the last 11 games before giving up five of them last weekend. While a lot of other 7A teams have the week off, the Golden Wave face another big test with West Point and all-everything tailback Kahnen Daniels coming to town this weekend.

5. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (4-1)

• Last week: Beat Picayune 31-21
• This week: Off

It's pretty amazing what head coach Jake Bramlett is doing in his first season at the helm of the program. The consensus was that the Greyhounds would be in for a rebuilding year after graduating 2022 Player of the Year Bray Hubbard, but the emergence of quarterback Will Berglind and a saltier-than-expected defense has the Greyhounds right back in the hunt in 7A South. Their win over perennial powerhouse Picayune was just the latest example of why.

6. Pearl Pirates (5-0)

• Last week: Beat Germantown 44-28
• This week: Off

We've talked a lot in this space about the Pirates' defense, which has played well enough to win each and every week. But the Pirates are putting up some extraordinary numbers on offense as well — they've scored 45 and 44 points the past two weeks against Ridgeland and Germantown, respectively. They'll get a bye this week before a big showdown with No. 7 Northwest Rankin.

7. Northwest Rankin Cougars (4-1)

• Last week: Beat Brookhaven 41-19
• This week: Off

The Cougars went on the road and soundly beat the Panthers, putting the finishing touches on a non-region slate that couldn't have gone much better. They'll get a week off this week before jumping into Region 3-7A play with a huge showdown against cross-country rival Pearl, which will come in red-hot at 5-0 after a bye week of its own.

8. Picayune Maroon Tide (3-2)

• Last week: Lost to Ocean Springs 31-21
• This week: Off

Their second loss of the season has knocked some of the luster off of the Maroon Tide, especially with all-everything back Chris Davis on the shelf with a shoulder injury. But Picayune remains the highest-ranked Class 6A team in the state, and the Maroon Tide still has all of its goals on the table with a chance to regroup this week before opening Region 4 play against Pascagoula in two weeks.

9. Brandon Bulldogs (3-2)

• Last week: Beat Gulfport 35-20
• This week: Off

The Bulldogs' 0-2 start was troubling because the defense was ravaged two weeks in a row, but Brandon is 3-0 since then, with all three wins coming by a comfortable two-score margin against some good opponents. In short, the Bulldogs are starting to play at the level we've come to expect from the back-to-back reigning champs in Mississippi's highest classification.

10. West Point Green Wave (2-2)

• Last week: Off
• This week: at No. 4 Tupelo (4-1)

West Point returns to the Power 10 this week despite taking a breather last week. Kahnen Daniels and the Green Wave had earned a week off — since opening the season with losses to No. 2 Louisville and No. 3 Starkville, they had beaten Noxubee County and Neshoba Central in convincing fashion. They'll get another shot at notching a Top-5 win this week at Tupelo.

Class-by-class rankings

Class 7A

1. Oak Grove Warriors (5-0)
2. Starkville Yellowjackets (4-1)
3. Tupelo Golden Wave (4-1)
4. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (4-1)
5. Pearl Pirates (5-0)

Class 6A

1. Picayune Maroon Tide (3-2)
2. Warren Central Vikings (3-2)
3. West Jones Mustangs (5-0)
4. South Panola Tigers (4-1)
5. Lake Cormorant Gators (5-0)

Class 5A

1. West Point Green Wave (2-2)
2. Holmes County Central Jaguars (5-0)
3. Cleveland Central Wolves (4-1)
4. Lafayette Commodores (3-2)
5. Florence Eagles (3-2)

Class 4A

1. Louisville Wildcats (5-0)
2. Columbia Wildcats (5-0)
3. Houston Hilltoppers (5-0)
4. McComb Tigers (5-0)
5. Ripley Tigers (5-0)

Class 3A

1. Winona Tigers (4-0)
2. Noxubee County Tigers (2-3)
3. Jeff Davis County Jaguars (2-3)
4. Kossuth Aggies (4-1)
5. Choctaw County Chargers (3-2)

Class 2A

1. Charleston Tigers (4-1)
2. Union Yellowjackets (5-0)
3. Calhoun City Wildcats (5-0)
4. Raleigh Lions (3-2)
5. Bay Springs Bulldogs (4-1)

Class 1A

1. Velma Jackson Falcons (4-0)
2. Simmons Blue Devils (4-0)
3. Biggersville Lions (4-1)
4. Vardaman Rams (5-0)
5. Lumberton Panthers (2-3)