HAZLEHURST — What was a hard-fought battle between Jefferson County and Hazlehurst for much of the first half turned into a rout by the end of the third quarter as the Indians took care of the Tigers 40-8 Friday night.

Before the season began, these two teams were expected to contend for the Region 7-3A championship. But it was Hazlehurst (8-2, ranked No. 2 in The Clarion-Ledger’s Class 3A poll and No. 3 in the Mississippi A.P. Class 3A poll, that left no doubt as to who was really is the team to beat in usually is one of the toughest regions in the MHSAA regardless of classification.

The first quarter ended with neither team able to put points on the scoreboard. Hazlehurst got a 23-yard touchdown run by Dedrick Reese and a 12-yard scoring run from Demetrius Cain to take a 12-0 lead into halftime.

Jefferson County (3-7, 2-2) had a nightmarish second half. Three passes were intercepted and returned for touchdowns. Jefferson County hosts rival Franklin County at 7 p.m. next Friday with a spot in the Class 3A South State Playoffs for the Tigers and a home playoff game for the Bulldogs on the line.

Centreville 39,

Central Private 20

CENTREVILLE — Six different players scored touchdowns for Centreville Academy as the Tigers defeated the Central Private Friday night.

Michael Pate and Colton Terrell each scored on touchdown runs in the first quarter. Randy Bell made the extra point after both scores to give Centreville, the third-ranked team in Class AA, a 14-0 lead. Cliff Hurst ran in from 2 yards out early in the second quarter, but Bell missed the point after, and the Tigers led 20-0 at halftime.

Hunter Travis scored on a 7-yard run and Bell’s extra point made it 27-0 less than a minute and a half into the third quarter. Gage Chandler had a 12-yard touchdown run, but the try for two was no good.

Centreville (8-2, 3-0) scored its last touchdown on an 80-yard kickoff return by Bell just 56 seconds into the fourth quarter. Centreville plays host to Silliman Institute next Friday at 7 p.m. with the District 6-AA championship on the line.

Franklin County 41,

Prentiss 12

PRENTISS — Fred Coleman had three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Franklin County Bulldogs defeated the Prentiss Bulldogs in a Region 7-3A game Friday night.

Franklin County (7-3, 3-1) wore down Prentiss not only with its running game, but with its passing game as well. Jadarius Davis completed 7 of 14 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. The Bulldogs had 209 yards on the ground and were led by Chris Robinson, who had 17 carries for 125 yards and one touchdown. However, he wasn’t the leading rusher in the game. That belonged to Damion Jones of Prentiss, who had 153 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.

WCHS 26, Crystal Springs 10

CRYSTAL SPRINGS — The Wilkinson County Wildcats kept their playoff hopes alive with a big win on the road over the Crystal Springs Tigers in Region 7-3A action Friday night.

Wilkinson County improved to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in region play.