FAYETTE — At this point, it is all about seeding.

Jefferson County High School is playing Franklin County High School on its senior night in an effort to achieve what could be a season-changing higher seeding.

Both teams are tied 2-2 in district, and their match up will determine who gets third- and fourth-place seeding in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A playoffs.

“One of us will either play Seminary or Tylertown High School,” Jefferson County head coach James Herrington said. “You always want to play the lower seed, but the way our region is, (playing the) first or second seed doesn’t matter. Both will be a tough game.”

What does matter to Herrington is building his team’s confidence and momentum before heading to the playoffs, regardless of who their opponent may be.

“You always want to go into the postseason with momentum,” he said. “It would be a big momentum-shifter after dropping last week to Hazlehurst (High School).

“It’s senior night, so we definitely would like to see our seniors get that win at home.”

Franklin County head coach Chris Calcote said a win against Jefferson County would give them a three-game winning streak that would serve nicely before heading into the playoffs.

If the Bulldogs get a rematch against Tylertown in the playoffs, a team they beat 17-14 in Week 4, it would be great leverage to play against a team with which they are familiar.

But a lot has changed since Week 4, and Calcote said there are some things they must work on if they want to make a deep run.

 

“We still have too many penalties, and that can hurt us in the long run,” he said. “If we take care of some of those penalties and throw the ball better, we have a good chance.”

Calcote said Jefferson County is a very athletic team, and they must focus on playing sound defense.

“They have speed, and they’re well coached,” Calcote said. “We just need to figure out a way to stop them. We have to give a good effort.”

Herrington said the matchup would come down to who has the most desire to win.

“We’ll have to match their willingness,” Herrington said. “Whoever wins up front will take that game.”

Herrington said weather conditions would be a big factor in the game, as he expects a soggy field after rain is expected to hit the area tonight. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday.

Wilkinson County High School

Woodville — The Wilkinson County High School Wildcats are comfortably seeded at No. 2 in the playoffs, but they still want to put away Wesson High School Friday in order to push for a two-game winning streak before getting into the playoffs.

Head coach Kenneth Brown said they have a tough playoff schedule ahead, and they must begin to do everything right if they want a better result than last year.

“We want to do better than last year, as we lost in the second round,” Brown said. “This year, we’re hoping to get further, and it’s a tough competition.”

Brown said Wesson is a big offensive team, and the key to winning is to shut down its ground game.

“We have to stop the run,” he said. “They like to use the option game. They also have a few wide receivers that are at least (6-foot-2), so we have to be ready to cover them.”

A win against Wesson before heading into the playoffs will give the Wildcats just what they need to be mentally prepared for a tough schedule ahead, Brown said.

Wilkinson County host Wesson at 7 p.m. Friday.