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Updated Mississippi High School Football Rankings for Week 9 (10/10/2024)

Preseason No. 1 Starkville takes a tumble in the Power 10; Northwest Rankin surges to No. 7 with a big win over Pearl

Here's a look at the updated Power 10 and Class-by-Class MHSAA football rankings for Week 9 of the Mississippi high school football season.

SBLive Mississippi Power 10 Rankings

1. Oak Grove Warriors (6-0)

  • Last week: Beat Meridian 45-35 
  • This week: Hosts No. 8 Brandon (4-2)

Oak Grove gave up five touchdowns on defense, but prevailed thanks to an offensive outburst that is becoming the calling card for the unbeaten Warriors. They've now scored 42 or more points in four of their six games, and they'll likely need to do it again Friday night to hang with a Brandon team that comes into West Hattiesburg riding a four-game heater.

2. Louisville Wildcats (7-0)

  • Last week: Beat Kosciusko 41-0
  • This week: at Caledonia (3-3)

Big Louisville cruised to its seventh win with a 41-0 drubbing of Kosciusko to stay unbeaten. If the Wildcats take care of business this week against Caledonia, it’ll set up a big game against Mendenhall (5-2) on Oct. 20. If they can get through that, they are nearly a lock to finish the regular season at 10-0.

3. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (5-1)

  • Last week: Beat D'Iberville 43-13
  • This week: at Harrison Central (5-1)

The verdict is in: the Greyhounds are the THE surprise team in the MHSAA's highest classification this year. Last week's dismantling of D'Iberville was a solid start to the region schedule, which gets a lot tougher this week on the road against a talented Harrison Central team. The Greyhounds should be favored in all four of their remaining contests, highlighted by Friday night's showdown with the Red Rebels and a tough road trip to Gulfport on Oct. 27.

4. Starkville Yellowjackets (5-2)

  • Last week: Lost to Germantown 34-33
  • This week: Hosts Clinton (1-5)

Starkville drops from No. 3 to No. 4 this week after losing their region opener in Gluckstadt Friday night. The Jackets have lost four games over the past two years, but Friday's disappointing loss to the Mavericks is definitely the biggest head-scratcher of them all. The Jackets are still one of the most talented teams in the state, but Friday night's home game against Clinton is now a must-win if the Jackets want to compete for the Region 2 title. Those last two games (Madison Central on Oct. 27 and at Tupelo on Nov. 2) are going to be absolute slugfests.

5. West Point Green Wave (4-2)

  • Last week: Beat Corinth 49-14
  • This week: at Clarksdale (3-3)

The Green Wave played a brutal non-region schedule, and now Kahnen Daniels and Co. are reaping the rewards. Last week's 49-14 blowout win over Corinth served notice to the rest of 5A that West Point is still the team to beat. None of their four remaining opponents has a winning record at this point.

6. Tupelo Golden Wave (5-2)

  • Last week: Beat Madison Central 14-12
  • This week: hosts Germantown (4-3)

It would be hard to overstate how big last week's road win over Madison Central was for Tupelo, especially coming off back-to-back losses to finish the non-region slate. Thanks to Starkville's stumble in Gluckstadt, the Golden Wave now have a leg up in the Region 2-7A race. A win Friday night over Germantown in "the Flood Zone" would give Tupelo the inside track to at least a share of the district title and assure them of at least one home playoff game.

7. Northwest Rankin Cougars (5-1)

  • Last week: Beat No. 10 Pearl 21-13
  • This week: hosts Meridian (3-4)

The Cougars got four turnovers and picked up their biggest win to date with a Thursday night win over their cross-town rivals at Pearl to move to 1-0 in Region 3-7A. The goal this week is to avoid a let-down against a Meridian team that seems to be giving everyone fits. It's the first test in a crucial four-game stretch that will define the Cougars' season. The good news is they'll get their two toughest remaining opponents — No. 1 Oak Grove (Oct. 20) and No. x Brandon (Nov. 2) — at home.

8. Brandon Bulldogs (4-2)

  • Last week: Beat Petal 54-17
  • This week: at No. 1 Oak Grove (6-0)

The Bulldogs torched Petal last Thursday night to run their winning streak to four games since starting the season 0-2, but face their biggest test to date with a trip to Oak Grove this weekend. Brandon has shown improvement with each week, and has an opportunity to take a huge step towards winning the Region 3-7A title with a what would be a signature win over the Warriors.

9. Picayune Maroon Tide (4-2)

  • Last week: Beat Pascagoula 51-14
  • This week: hosts West Harrison (4-2)

The Maroon Tide is 3-1 since star tailback Chris Davis got hurt back in early September, but looked as strong as ever in Friday night's win blowout win over Pascagoula. The good showing was a welcomed, positive sign for Picayune, which remains the team to beat in Class 6A. Like everyone else, the Maroon Tide is entering a crucial stretch in region play, starting with Friday night's home game against a West Harrison team that struggled in a 42-26 loss to Hancock in its region opener last week.

10. Pearl Pirates (5-1)

  • Last week: Lost to No. 8 Northwest Rankin 21-13
  • This week: at Petal (3-3)

We knew the road would get a lot tougher for the previously unbeaten Pirates with the start of Region 3 play, but Pearl didn't do itself any favors with four turnovers against the No. 7 Cougars. The 0-1 start in region play is disappointing, but there's no time to sit around and mope — the next three weeks will determine where the Pirates finish in the Region 3 pecking order. And while they should be a lock to win this week at Petal, they can ill afford to overlook the Panthers with big games looming against No. 8 Brandon (Oct. 20) and No. 1 Oak Grove (Oct. 27).

MHSAA class-by-class rankings

Class 7A

  1. Oak Grove Warriors (6-0)
  2. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (5-1)
  3. Starkville Yellowjackets (5-2)
  4. Tupelo Golden Wave (5-2)
  5. Northwest Rankin Cougars (5-1)

Class 6A

  1. Picayune Maroon Tide (4-2)
  2. West Jones Mustangs (7-0)
  3. Warren Central Vikings (5-2)
  4. South Panola Tigers (5-1)
  5. Grenada Chargers (5-2)

Class 5A

  1. West Point Green Wave (4-2)
  2. Holmes County Central Jaguars (7-0)
  3. Florence Eagles (4-3)
  4. Provine Rams (5-2)
  5. Clarksdale Wildcats (3-3)

Class 4A

  1. Louisville Wildcats (7-0)
  2. Columbia Wildcats (7-0)
  3. McComb Tigers (7-0)
  4. Ripley Tigers (7-0)
  5. Houston Hilltoppers (6-1)

Class 3A

  1. Winona Tigers (7-0)
  2. Jeff Davis County Jaguars (5-1)
  3. Choctaw County Chargers (5-2)
  4. Kossuth Aggies (6-1)
  5. Humphreys County Cowboys (6-1)

Class 2A

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

Class 1A

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