With four teams &045; Jefferson County, Wilkinson County, Amite County and North Pike &045; locked at 2-3 in Region 7-3A play, the playoff canvas is beginning to take on the image of a Picasso.

Not to fracture the record more than it already is, but year after year 7-3A’s picture for the postseason continues to be bit muddled heading into the last games of the regular season Friday.

Tiebreakers, points, head-to-head &045; these are all terms the Mississippi High School Athletic Association keeps close by come the end of October to determine the four recipients of playoff berths.

No where is that more true than with the Amite County-North Pike matchup at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Elbert &uot;Mo&uot; Lyles’ bunch realistically could have clinched a spot in the Class 3A postseason had they upended region champ Franklin County, one of two 7-3A teams ensure of its destiny.

Instead, letdowns in the Bulldogs red zone dealt the Trojans (2-6, 2-3) a 31-22 defeat last Friday.

&uot;That takes a lot out of a team,&uot; Lyles said. &uot;Once you get down there and you start to not produce points, it messes with the mental aspect of it. You’ve got to be able to punch it in one out every two times.&uot;

Pike on the other hand, seemingly played itself back onto the scene with a 26-6 victory over floundering Port Gibson, which has not won a game since the season opener over Natchez High.

&uot;They’ve had some misfortunes and things not go quite their way like the rest of us,&uot; Lyles said of the Jaguars. &uot;But they’ll be at home, and their season rests with whether they win or lose. Everybody involved knows what’s at stake. We expect to come out and play.&uot;

Lyles had his bunch in the same crosshairs last season, eventually losing out on a tiebreaker to Wilkinson County.

He said he is even unclear about what chips need to fall to ensure whether or not he’ll coach another game this year or start collecting the uniforms.

All he is aware of is the need for a victory.

Trojan players &uot;understand it’s a big ball game.,&uot; Lyles said &uot;We’re either in or we’re out depending on what we do in this game. It’s do or die. This one game means everything.&uot;

Port Gibson at Jefferson County

A hungry Tiger is never a happy Tiger. Just ask Roy Horn.

And the Blue Waves (1-8, 0-5) appear to be a big pile of red meat for Jefferson County arriving right at dinner time at 7:30 p.m. Friday, which has wins over North Pike and Wilkinson, but a loss to Amite.

It’s simple. A win and they’re in. A loss and the Tigers (5-4, 2-3) need some help from either Franklin or North Pike.

&uot;I can really say these players understand the importance of the game. There will be no messing around out there Friday,&uot; Jefferson head coach Jeffrey Harness said. &uot;We’ve got to play as hard as we can if we want to make the playoffs.&uot;

The Tigers’ defense played second-place and playoff-bound Hazlehurst tough last week, but only managed one touchdown coming off of a Kendrick Griffin 85-yard fumble return in the 12-8 loss.

Harness praised his defense’s performance and was as equally critical of his offense’s ineffectiveness.

&uot;We have to be able to have some offensive execution. The defense last week did a great job to keep us in it,&uot; he said. &uot;Coach (Howard) Clark is doing a great job with our defense. Anytime the defense gives you a three-and-out, and you don’t convert, you’ve got a problem.&uot;

The trip down memory lane for head coach Bo Wright and the Blue Wave wasn’t as lasting as they probably thought it would be.

Rejoining 7-3A after spending two years up a class in 6-4A, Port Gibson has gone winless in region play.

The Blue Wave have given up nearly 300 points (299) for the season in nine games and barely cracked 100 offensively (106).

&uot;We have a tough district. Port Gibson hasn’t been able to get over the hump yet,&uot; Harness said. &uot;We know what they’re capable of, though. We want to go out and execute to stay alive.&uot;

Which is why you won’t find any flesh-eating animals taking a dive against the Blue Wave. Harness and his staff are too good to underestimate an opponent.

Plus everybody in Fayette knows what a trip to the postseason would mean to a town that has felt the November drought.

&uot;We haven’t made the postseason in a long time here. It would be truly something special for the school,&uot; Harness said. &uot;This game being a rivalry, and the playoffs on the line &045; all that should motivate these guys.&uot;

Franklin County at Wilkinson County

Even with a region title set for engraving, Anthony Hart is not taking his Bulldogs (7-2, 5-0) off the leash quite yet.

With a chance to go undefeated and at the same time spoil the playoff party for the Wildcats (4-4, 4-3), Franklin County’s business is far from over

&uot;We’re going into this game like any other,&uot; Hart said. &uot;We all still want to win this game as much as any other we’ve played this year.&uot;

While running back Jasper O’Quinn is the straw that stirs the drink, Bulldog quarterback Tommy Gibbs has been a pleasant surprise with his consistency and accuracy.

Three of Gibbs’ five completions in last Friday’s win over Amite went for touchdowns. Not bad for a supposed question mark.

&uot;We didn’t know who our quarterback was going to be until the first and second weeks of the season when we started to get locked in,&uot; Hart said. &uot;Tommy has done a good job of getting the ball to his targets. He seldom makes a bad throw. That’s meant a lot.&uot;

It is unfortunately quite the opposite for Wildcat head coach John Moore, who lost his starter David Dawson in the Oct. 17 win over Amite, 38-12, to a broken arm.

Moore places his team’s playoff hopes in the anxious hands of junior Corey Dunbar, who has seen relatively little action.

&uot;We need to take care of our business and win, and then wait to see what happens to the others,&uot; Moore said. &uot;A lot of things need to wade out for us.&uot;

From watching tape, Moore has been overly impressed with the lack of holes for Franklin County on both sides of the ball.

For the Wildcats to see action for at least one more game, they’ll need to win the war in the trenches against the champs.

&uot;The thing about (the Wildcats) is they’re playing for something,&uot; Hart said. We’ve got to be able to match their intensity come Friday.&uot;