Mississippi High School Football Rankings for Week 8 (10/2/2023)

Oak Grove remains No. 1, while West Point surges into Top 5 after impressive road win over Tupelo

Here's a look at the updated SBLive Mississippi Power 10 and class-by-class rankings for the week of Oct. 2, 2023:

SBLive Mississippi Power 10 Rankings

1. Oak Grove Warriors (5-0)

• Last week: Off
• This week: at Meridian (3-3)

Like most Class 7A teams, the top-ranked Warriors took a breather last week before the start of Region play. The first of Oak Grove’s five Region 3-7A games — Friday’s road contest at Meridian — is arguably the easiest win left on the schedule. After this week, the Warriors face three consecutive Power-10 matchup against Brandon, Northwest Rankin and Pearl.

2. Louisville Wildcats (6-0)

• Last week: Beat Houston 50-6
• This week: Hosts Kosciusko (4-1)

Last week’s region-opening road trip to Houston was billed as a battle of unbeatens and perhaps the defacto Region 3-4A Championship. But the Wildcats absolutely dominated the Hilltoppers, putting to rest any concerns about the Louisville offense after a puzzling 7-6 win over Noxubee County two weeks ago. The Wildcats’ final game against a team with a winning record is Friday night against Kosciusko. Barring a huge upset down the stretch, you can go ahead and pencil in the Wildcats for the top playoff seed coming out of Region 3.

3. Starkville Yellowjackets (5-1)

• Last week: Beat Greenwood 49-6
• This week: at Germantown (3-3)

Starkville didn’t take a week off like most 7A teams, but the Jackets might as well have. The next two games — at Germantown and at home against Clinton — are more about taking care of business and staying healthy before the Jackets jump into the deep end of the Region 2-7A pool against Madison Central and Tupelo at the end of October. Coaches hate to look that far ahead, but those two games will likely determine whether or not Starkville will play for North State on its home field.

4. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (4-1)

• Last week: Off
• This week: Hosts D’Iberville (2-3)

Who had Ocean Springs penciled in as a Top-5 team headed into October? Put your hands down — you are all liars. The Greyhounds hold two signature wins on the road (over No. 8 Northwest Rankin and No. 9 Picayune) as they enter Region 4-7A play against D’Iberville this week. If they take care of the games they should win, the only remaining tests are at Harrison Central on Oct. 13 and at Gulfport on Oct. 27. How they’ll fare in the playoffs is still a big question mark, but the Greyhounds have proved they belong in the 2023 conversation with the traditional powerhouses.

5. West Point Green Wave (3-2)

• Last week: Beat No. 6 Tupelo 21-20
• This week: Hosts Corinth (1-4)

The Green Wave jumped from No. 10 all the way to No. 5 this week after picking up their biggest win to date over sixth-ranked Tupelo. The Green Wave’s two losses came against No. 3 Starkville and No. 2 Louisville, and West Point will be favored in all five of its remaining games. The Oct. 20 home date against Lafayette looms as the Green Wave’s toughest remaining opponent.

6. Tupelo Golden Wave (4-2)

• Last week: Lost to West Point 21-20
• This week: at Madison Central (3-2)

Tupelo falls from No. 4 to No. 6 this week after dropping its first game against a Mississippi team with a disappointing loss to No. 8 West Point at home. The Golden Wave dominated early in the season against lesser opponents, but back-to-back losses against better competition has to be a red flag for the Tupelo faithful. The next three games against Region 2-7A foes — Madison Central, Germantown and Clinton — are crucial if they want to set up a winner-take-all Nov. 2 regular season finale against No. 3 Starkville.

7. Pearl Pirates (5-0)

• Last week: Off
• This week: Hosts No. 8 Northwest Rankin

The Pirates went undefeated in non-region games and got their legs back under them with a bye last week. Now, the real fun begins. Thursday night’s showdown with cross-town rival and eighth-ranked Northwest Rankin will provide a great measuring stick for the Pirates to see where they rank amongst the heavyweights in Region 3-7A.

8. Northwest Rankin Cougars (4-1)

• Last week: Off
• This week: at No. 7 Pearl (5-0)

You think the Cougar faithful want high drama in the Region 3-7A opener? Well, they’ve got it. Northwest Rankin has notched impressive victories in their last two contests over Madison Central and Brookhaven, giving Thursday night’s showdown with No. 7 Pearl some serious juice. The big question is whether they’ll be able to crack that Pearl defense that has given the Pirates’ opponents fits through the first half of the season.

9. Picayune Maroon Tide (3-2)

• Last week: Off
• This week: at Pascagoula (4-1)

The Maroon Tide has two more losses on its ledger than we thought they’d have all year, especially after they knocked off 7A South powerhouse Brandon on the road in the season opener. But Picayune’s ultimate goal of a third-straight state championship is still on the table, and the Tide can take a big step in the right direction with a win over a solid, 4-1 Pascagoula team on the road this Friday night.

10. Brandon Bulldogs (3-2)

• Last week: Off
• This week: Hosts Petal (3-2)

Keep sleeping on Brandon — that’s exactly what the Bulldogs want. The two-time defending South State Champs went to work after starting 0-2, and have now notched convincing wins over Clinton, Warren Central and Gulfport over the last month. A win at home against Petal this weekend would set up a showdown with top-ranked Oak Grove down in Hattiesburg on Oct. 13, and there’d be a lot more than bragging rights riding on that one.

Class-by-class Rankings

Class 7A

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

Class 6A

1. Picayune Maroon Tide (3-2) 
2. West Jones Mustangs (6-0) 
3. Warren Central Vikings (3-2) 
4. South Panola Tigers (4-1) 
5. Lake Cormorant Gators (5-0)

Class 5A

1. West Point Green Wave (3-2) 
2. Holmes County Central Jaguars (6-0) 
3. Cleveland Central Wolves (5-1) 
4. Lafayette Commodores (3-2) 
5. Florence Eagles (3-3)

Class 4A

1. Louisville Wildcats (6-0) 
2. Columbia Wildcats (6-0) 
3. McComb Tigers (6-0) 
4. Ripley Tigers (6-0) 
5. Houston Hilltoppers (5-1)

Class 3A

1. Winona Tigers (6-0) 
2. Noxubee County Tigers (3-3) 
3. Jeff Davis County Jaguars (3-3) 
4. Kossuth Aggies (5-1) 
5. Choctaw County Chargers (3-2)

Class 2A

1. Charleston Tigers (4-2) 
2. Union Yellowjackets (6-0) 
3. Calhoun City Wildcats (6-0) 
4. Raleigh Lions (4-2) 
5. Bay Springs Bulldogs (5-1)

Class 1A

1. Velma Jackson Falcons (5-0) 
2. Simmons Blue Devils (5-0) 
3. Biggersville Lions (4-1) 
4. Vardaman Rams (6-0) 
5. Lumberton Panthers (3-3)