10 Mississippi high school football games to watch: West Point at Tupelo highlights Week 6 (9/29/2023)
The first week of region play for the smaller classifications always coincides with a glorified week of rest for the Class 7A powerhouses. It's no different this year, as this week's Games to Watch list includes very few non-division games.
Here's a look at the top 10 games we're keeping an eye on this weekend in Mississippi high school football:
Murrah (4-1) at Holmes County Central (4-0)
The Mustangs have grown by leaps and bounds in 2023 after going independent for football, with avenging 2022 losses to Callaway and Port Gibson through their first five games. They’ll take a huge step up in competition this week against Holmes County, the No. 2 team in SBLive Mississippi’s Class 5A rankings.
Jeff Davis County (4-1) at Seminary (4-1)
Jeff Davis County bounced back from a 21-7 loss to Columbia with a convincing 28-13 win over Raleigh, vaulting to No. 3 in the SBLive Mississippi Class 3A rankings. They’ll open Region 6-3A play against Seminary, which suffered its first loss last week with a 27-24 loss to Forrest County AHS.
Velma Jackson (4-0) at Ethel (4-0)
The Velma Jackson Falcons remain the top-ranked team in Class 1A, having safely won each of their first four games by at least four touchdowns. They’ll take the show on the road this week with a trip north to face the undefeated Ethel Tigers, who have averaged 36.5 points a game offensively.
New Albany (3-1) at Senatobia (4-1)
Senatobia cruised through the first four weeks of the season, then ran into a Mack truck against Winona in a 44-14 loss last week. But the body of work has still been impressive — they beat both Hernando and North Panola on the road by comfortable margins. Next up is a big test in the region opener against a New Albany team that proved they are ready to compete with a 32-13 win over Pontotoc on the road last week.
No. 2 Louisville (5-0) at Houston (5-0)
Houston has cleared every hurdle in Its non-region slate, winning at Saltillo and, more recently, dominating in a 34-7 win over New Hope last week. But they’ll have their work cut out for them in the Region 3-4A opener against Louisville, the No. 2 team in the SBLive Power 10 Rankings. For the Wildcats, this week is all about getting back on track offensively after narrowly slipping by rival Noxubee County 7-6 last week.
No. 10 West Point (2-2) No. 4 at Tupelo (4-1)
West Point has played one hell of a schedule — they opened the season with back-to-back losses at No. 2 Louisville and at home against No. 3 Starkville. They’ve since won a shootout at Noxubee County and smothered Neshoba Central last week. The Green Wave will get their third shot at a Top-5 team against the Golden Wave, who are coming off their first loss of the season against Houston (Tenn.). The matchup between West Point tailback Kahnen Daniels and that vaunted Tupelo defense is alone worth the price of admission.
North Side (4-1) at O’Bannon (4-1)
The Gators have another salty team, despite a 34-0 loss to Houston back on Sept. 8. They are coming off back-to-back wins over West Bolivar and Rosa Fort, but will have to travel this week to face an O’Bannon team that features one of the best defenses in all of Class 2A.
Bay Springs (4-1) at Scott Central (3-2)
The Bulldogs’ offense has been on an upward trajectory in September, improving their scoring total in each of their four games — from a 26-14 win over Taylorsville on Sept. 1 to last week’s 50-20 blowout win over Choctaw Central. Defending state champion Scott Central started off hot at 3-0, but lost 49-36 at Leake Central and came up short in a 10-7 loss to Forest last week at home.
Caledonia (3-2) at Kosciusko (3-1)
Caledonia has been consistent the last two weeks after a wakeup-call of a 24-17 loss to Amory on Sept. 8, winning a pair of home games against New Hope and Aberdeen. Kosciusko is looking to put together back-to-back wins after closing out the non-region slate with a 47-7 win over Newton County last week.
Mendenhall (3-2) at Forest (5-0)
It’s safe to say the Forest Bearcat defense is for real. The unit has given up seven or fewer points in all five games this year, including last week’s 10-7 win over 2022 2A State Champion Scott Central. Mendenhall is still a great team, despite an up-and-down September that has featured big wins over Magee and Florence and disappointing losses to McComb and Harrison Central.
