week of big matchups for MPSA clubs

By

ADAM DAIGLE

NATCHEZ &045; The season that wasn’t supposed to be just keeps on getting bigger.

In what was widely considered a rebuilding year at Trinity Episcopal, the Saints find themselves in a position not even their own moms would have thought possible. They have a shot jockeying for playoff position Friday night despite, again, just have 13 players available on the varsity level.

The Saints will play at Centreville at 7 p.m. Friday as MPSA schools in the Miss-Lou prepare for Week 7.

&uot;The off-season program has paid dividends four years in a row,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;This group has had a swagger about them. They didn’t read their names in the paper, but all through the summer the coaching staff could tell this had a really good work ethic. We had to run them out of the dang weight room this summer.&uot;

The Saints had pulled some impressive wins this season against teams that some thought may have had an edge, but the clincher came Friday night when they went up to Tri-County and upset the Rebels &045; ranked No. 1 in Class A &045; on their homecoming.

Again the Saints face a team in Centreville that many think they don’t match up well against. But the bottom line is a win Friday night on the road against would put them sitting in second place in District 4-AA with two district games remaining.

&uot;That (2001) state championship team came out of nowhere,&uot; King said. &uot;We had 14 to start that season and ended up with 17. I think, along with Oak Forest, this will be the best team we play. I know they’re better than Tri-County. I just have a feeling with this team. I just have this feeling they’ll give me everything they’ve got.&uot;

The Tigers are better than Tri-County, and they’ve been that way for quite some time. Blake Devall topped the 1,000-yard mark last week in the win over Bowling Green, and the Tigers do everything well. Coach Bill Hurst, long a believer in keeping it on the ground, has the Tigers finding some balance with the pass.

&uot;We’ve had great tradition the last four or five years, but we’re playing a team that has had tradition for 30 years,&uot; King said. &uot;They’re similar to Oak Forest in they’re going to be fundamentally sound and play good, old-fashioned smash-mouth football..&uot;

Adams Christian at Oak Forest

NATCHEZ &045; You could have felt the air almost being sucked out of Bobby Marks Stadium when Dustin Case came to the sideline speculating he had a broken arm.

But as a credit to the Rebels and the coaching staff, the team’s chemistry was able to survive it. Case is scheduled to have surgery on his left arm Thursday after sustaining severe fractures in both bones in his arm.

&uot;I thought our team did a good job of stepping up,&uot; AC head coach Keith Walters said. &uot;We had to make some changes, and the coaches did a good job of adjusting sudden change. We’ve got a lot of guys that have to step up. The kids have responded real well in practice these two days. We’ve tried to change things up and get them in position to play well, and they will.&uot;

WCCA at Prentiss Christian

WOODVILLE &045; As injured players gradually came back and the Rams were getting closer to playing with a full roster, things started to click. Timing, turns out, may be everything with quite possibly the District 6-A title on the line.

The Rams finally have everyone available to play after lineman Robby Arnold was cleared to play after missing action due to mono. Offensive tackle Derrick Tubbs broke his wrist but was able to play last week against Union.

&uot;Our team really played for about a quarter against Brookhaven (Sept. 17) and showed what this team is capable of doing,&uot; WCCA head coach Paul Hayles said. &uot;We moved the ball, scored and made some defensive plays. We turned around and did that against Union. If we can take that into Friday’s game, we feel we can be competitive with anybody.&uot;

Tensas at River Oaks

ST. JOSEPH, La. &045; Here it’s the second time around for the Chiefs to prepare for what River Oaks does offensively, and that’s a good thing.

The Chiefs struggled on defense against River Oaks in the jamboree back in early August, but the Chiefs are playing better ball for a rematch that will have district title implications.

&uot;They shell-shocked us, and we were not prepared for what they ran and how well they ran it in the jamboree,&uot; Tensas head coach Chris Jacobs said. &uot;I know we’ll be a little better coached and they’ve gotten better at it. It’s a real balanced attack &045; a lot of inside traps and a lot of motion with every play.&uot;

Briarfield at Huntington

FERRIDAY, La. &045; The Hounds could use a win to not only remain in playoff contention but to get back to playing well.