Five Mississippi High School Football Games to Watch in Week 4

The state of Mississippi will have the eyes of the sporting world upon them this weekend as Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers travel to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday night. While that game deserves the attention it has received, the action on the gridiron taking across the state on Friday night will serve as a juicy appetizer for what is to come Saturday night.

Mississippi has a proud history and tradition when it comes to high school football, and that has ramped up in recent years with the increase in exposure and recruiting profiles of athletes across the state. This weekend will serve as a testament to that with the games taking place this weekend.

Here are five games that you should pay attention to this weekend:

Starkville at Louisville:

This long-standing rivalry will take center stage deep in the heart of the Magnolia State on Friday night. Louisville enters the game at 2-1 with wins over West Point and Shannon and a 29-22 loss to John Curtis Christian (LA) that took place last week. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets enter the game at 3-0 with wins over Oak Grove, West Point and Meridian.

The key to victory for each team will be to establish the ground game early. In Louisville's two wins, quarterback Trey Tippett and running back Zaiden Jernigan rushed for over 450 yards and seven touchdowns combined. Starkville has also enjoyed immense success on the ground as they have rushed for 587 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in their three wins.

On the defensive side of the ball, Louisville does feature two playmakers that could swing the game in their favor. If the Wildcats are successful in stopping Starkville's rushing attack, you can almost guarantee that four-star defensive lineman Mitchell Turner and three-star linebacker Ayden Coleman led the way for the Wildcats.

Northwest Rankin at Madison Central:

After being routed by Germantown 60-27 in week one, the Cougars have responded with double-digit wins over Clinton and Wayne County. On the flip side, Madison Central have suffered two straight losses to Brandon and Brookhaven. The loss to Brookhaven was particularly heartbreaking as the Jaguars lost by one point.

If Northwest Rankin emerges victorious, they will be off and running en route towards a successful season. Meanwhile, Madison Central will be trying to right the ship to salvage the season, and that could potentially cause the team to press to hard in future games. However, a win for the Jaguars will give them much-needed confidence when they enter district play in October.

Northwest Rankin's offense will hinge on the success of quarterback Gavin Phillipson. Through three games he has completed 62% of his passes for 783 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tripp Smith of Madison Central will be looking to outplay him as he has completed 65.9% of his passes for 570 yards and six touchdowns.

Gulfport at Petal:

Gulfport has proven to be one of the top teams in the state again this season as they have outscored their two opponents this season 86-0. The Admirals' defense has played lights out to this point as they have tallied 24 tackles for a loss, five sacks, three quarterback hurries and have forced eight turnovers. The offense has been balanced as well with Gulfport tallying over 300 yards in the air and on the ground with 11 total touchdowns.

Petal comes in at 3-0 with wins over Hattiesburg, Ocean Springs and Columbia. Their defense has not been quite as dominant, but their offense has shown the ability to score at will with an average of 37 points per game this season.

This matchup will be the immovable object meets the unstoppable force, and something will have to give.

Hartfield Academy at Jackson Academy:

The winner between the Hawks and Raiders will have an inside track to this year's district title. As it stands right now on paper, this game has bigger implications for Hartfield Academy as they will want to avoid starting 0-2 in district play.

As we enter this game, JA currently sits at 4-0 which includes wins over Picayune and McGill-Toolen (AL). The focal point for the Raiders has been their rushing attack led by Aaric Beasley who has rushed for 723 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

Like JA, the rushing attack for Hartfield is also the focal point of their offense. Through three games, the Hawks have rushed for over 700 yards with 12 touchdowns as a team.

Oxford at Tupelo:

The last game will we focus on this week is the matchup between the Chargers and Golden Wave.

Tupelo currently sits at 3-0 with dominating wins over Brandon, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN) and Houston (TN). In each of these three wins, Tupelo has scored at least 38 points as well.

In recent years, Tupelo has leaned on the rushing attack, but in the early stages of this season, quarterback Drew Dean has shown the ability to push the ball down field. He has completed 76.7% of his passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Oxford also enters this contest sitting at 3-0 with their last win coming over New Hope 38-14. So far this season, the Chargers have passed for over 600 yards, but they have enjoyed more success in the scoring department coming from the run game. They currently average 153.7 yards per game and have scored seven times on the ground.

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