Don’t think it’s too early to talk playoffs, especially when you’re sitting in a 10-team region like Cathedral.

And you’ve got to start wondering what the Green Wave’s chances are in Region 4-1A after taking losses in the last two weeks and tumbling a bit in the standings. The Wave dropped a 37-31 decision to Mount Olive Friday night after losing the week before at Mize, 28-14.

Both teams, however, are perhaps the top two in the region, and the top four will get postseason invitations. Only those invitations will come with a catch &045; the recipient will have to face either Scott Central or Puckett, two of the top teams in Class 1A.

&uot;It hurts us as far as trying to come in first or second, but we’ve still got a shot at either third or fourth,&uot; Cathedral head coach Ken Beesley Sr. said. &uot;I think those are going to be the top two teams when everything happens. Right now I think us, Bogue Chitto and Stringer are probably going to be fighting it out or those last two spots. Salem might come into that, too.&uot;

Right now the Green Wave is sitting in fifth with Mize and Mount Olive tied for first at 4-0 and Stringer and Bogue Chitto tied for third at 3-1. The schedule, however, will play a big factor in what happens from here on out since the Wave have those two top teams out of the way, visit Enterprise on Friday and round out with Stringer, Salem, Bogue Chitto and St. Aloysius.

&uot;We’re the only team that has played both Mount Olive and Mize,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Bogue Chitto has played Mize, and Stringer hasn’t played either one. Stringer seems to be doing real well. Enteprise has a good ball club, but they can’t seem to get it together. We’re still in the running, but it would be awfully difficult for us to come in either first or second. All the games from here on out we’ll be pretty evenly matched.&uot;

There’s still plenty of life, but the Wave can’t help but think of the one that got away Friday night. The Wave battled Mount Olive toe to toe but had a stalled drive in the third quarter and couldn’t hold up defensively in the fourth quarter when the Pirates drove down field for the winning score.

Already playing with receiver Michael Blain out to injury, the Wave had to play John Paul Kenda sparingly late as he was cramping up and had to come out.

&uot;We had our opportunities to win, but we couldn’t just pull it out,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;They took it pretty hard. We came out and played as hard as we could play. We just ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. That’s our problem basically &045; we don’t have the depth to play teams like Mount Olive or Mize, and it caught up with us.&uot;

STRAIGHT FROM HEAVEN &045; Down by an overwhelming 18-point deficit heading into the last quarter, the No. 2 Vidalia Vikings (5-0) remained undefeated with a 28-point barrage in the final 10:27 to stave off a high-octane Jena Giant offense, 50-46.

&uot;I said a prayer because the last game we played I said one and C.J. (Williams) got an interception,&uot; said Viking Steven Cooper, who had a monster night with six solo tackles (one for a loss, nine more assisted), two sacks, one caused fumble and one recovery. &uot;I was just asking the Lord for a turnover or anything to happen.&uot;

That invocation was answered on the first play of the fourth quarter when Jena power back Marcus Howard fumbled an option pitch left &045; in scoring territory &045; and Cooper fell on it.

The turnover led to a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tony Hawkins to C.J. Williams and the margin was just 10, 40-30, with just 1:33 gone in the fourth quarter.

&uot;I really thought we were going to come out here and dominate (Jena),&uot; Cooper said. At halftime and down 34-22, &uot;Coach (Dee Faircloth) was talking to us in a normal voice, which is a surprise. We knew we had to come out with a different attitude in the second half.&uot;

STOPPING A TRAIN &045; For the second straight week the Adams Christian Rebels ran into a defense that wasn’t in the giving mood, and that left heralded running back Luke Ogden to gain just 50 yards on 19 carries as the offense struggled to move the ball against a very sound Jackson Prep defense.

The Rebels were held without a first down in the third quarter and didn’t score until the fourth quarter when Timmy Foster hit Ray Simpson in the end zone for a 31-yard TD pass, one that Simpson juggled on his back on the end zone before holding on.

&uot;We put two weeks into emphasizing we had to stop (Ogden) to stop their offense,&uot; said Prep head coach Ricky Black, whose Patriots were off last week. &uot;That was the biggest thing. If we were going to stop them, we had to stop him. I thought they had a good plan and executed it very well. In the first half they were close to big plays.&uot;

The Patriots’ defense forced AC to dig deep in its playbook in hopes of moving the ball. Their biggest play from scrimmage came when Simpson took the handoff on an apparent reverse before connecting with David Trisler on a 37-yard pass down to the Prep 13. That drive, however, stalled out when Ogden was stopped on a fourth-and-2 at the 5.

&uot;It’s a little quick reverse and try to throw out of it,&uot; AC head coach Keith Walters said. &uot;That was a pretty play. There were two plays in the first half that were huge &045; not making that first down and not connecting on that long pass (later). If we hit on either one of them, maybe things would have been different. But we’re proud of our kids. They don’t have anything to be ashamed of.&uot;

On the Rebels’ second play of the game they lined up in a swinging gate formation at their own 15, but Prep’s defense played it correctly and threw Dustin Case for a seven-yard loss.

&uot;You can always expect a good game plan from Coach Walters,&uot; Black said.

DANGER IS NOT HIS MIDDLE NAME &045; No, but it his a part of his last name, and Jena diminutive receiver Rafael Dangerfield was a thorn in the Vikings side with three touchdowns.

Dangerfield scored the Giants first touchdown on a 25-yard reception from the arm of Jena quarterback Adam Jones.

Thirty-three seconds later, after C.J. Williams set up a Michael Randall 14-yard score with a 68-yard kickoff return to tie the game 8-all, Dangerfield went 92 yards on the ensuing kickoff to put Jena back on top.

&uot;He’s a quality player; good as anybody in the state,&uot; Giant head coach Mac Fowler said of Dangerfield, who also had a 45-yard touchdown reception with 2:08 left. &uot;If you can get the ball in his hands, he’ll make the plays for you.&uot;

(

Chuck Corder

contributed to this report)