Mississippi High School Football Games of the Week: September 19-21
Last week, Clinton knocked off then-No. 1 Brandon in a 65-62 thriller. Hattiesburg upset No. 2 Oak Grove, and Madison Central won a top-10 battle with Gulfport.
Week four in the state of Mississippi could prove to be just exciting, with two top-10 matchups and multiple games between ranked teams.
Below are the Mississippi high school football games of the week.
The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.
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Top high school football games in Mississippi
#1 Starkville at #6 Louisville — Friday, Sept. 20
After watching the top two teams in Mississippi fall over the weekend, Starkville bumped up to No. 1 in Mississippi with a 28-15 win over Meridian. The Yellowjackets lost in the state title to Oak Grove last season and are working to get back for another shot at the crown. Louisville handled Columbus with ease 50-13 last week to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Wildcats previously snuck by West Point and shut out Neshoba Central. Louisville made history last season by going a perfect 15-0, winning its 12th state championship, tying a state record for the most titles of any school. Louisville won at Starkville 26-22 last season, but the Yellowjackets are favored in the On3 Massey Ratings this year.
#12 Warren Central at #2 Brandon — Friday, Sept. 20
Warren Central’s only loss this year came in week one to Clinton. Since then, the Vikings have knocked off Pearl and Germantown in back-to-back weeks. Brandon fell to Clinton in a shootout for the ages last week, losing 65-62 to the Arrows. That dropped the Bulldogs to 2-1 on the season, but they remain No. 2 in Mississippi. Four-star junior cornerback Preston Ashley is the No. 6 junior in the state, per the On3 Industry Ranking, and leads the No. 12 defense in the Magnolia State. Brandon beat Warren Central 20-7 last year. The On3 Massey Ratings favor the Bulldogs 41-21.
#16 Northwest Rankin at #3 Madison Central — Friday, Sept. 20
Northwest Rankin dropped a shocker to Germantown in week one, but has bounced back nicely with wins over Clinton and Ocean Springs. The difficult schedule continues this week for the Cougars. Madison Central moved up a spot after beating then-No. 9 Gulfport 31-21 last Friday. It has been tough matchup after tough matchup for the Jaguars this year. They entered the season with the state’s projected No. 2 strength of schedule and rose to No. 1 after beating Ocean Springs in week one. Central then fell slightly after losing to Brandon. Rankin won this game last year but is a huge underdog to Madison Central on Friday.
#5 Oak Grove at #15 Madison-Ridgeland Academy — Friday, Sept. 20
Oak Grove dropped its first game of the season when it fell 27-21 to Hattiesburg. The Warriors were the preseason No. 1 team in Mississippi despite losing championship-winning quarterback and now Ole Miss freshman AJ Maddox. Maddox’s brother, Ole Miss four-star commit Andrew Maddox, stars along the defensive line on a top-10 defense. Madison-Ridgeland suffered its first loss of the year two weeks ago when it fell to Pulaski Academy (Ark.) 60-36. The Patriots bounced back with a 55-13 win over St. Joseph Catholic. Madison-Ridgeland took Oak Grove to overtime last year, winning 45-44. This time around, the Warriors are 12-point favorites.
#8 Grenada at #9 Clinton — Friday, Sept. 20
Grenada beat a previously ranked Oxford last week by a 41-22 score. The Chargers’ lone loss on the season came 38-24 to Oak Grove. Grenada now has the No. 16 offense and No. 8 defense in the state of Mississippi. Clinton pulled off the biggest upset of last week, beating No. 1 Brandon 65-62. The Arrows are 2-1 this season, their only loss coming 35-34 to Northwest Rankin. Grenada shut out Clinton 35-0 last year, but the Arrows are just 1-point underdogs this time around as they look to stay hot.
Other notable games this weekend
#18 Gulfport at #13 Picayune Memorial — Friday, Sept. 20
On3 Massey Ratings Projection: 28-21 Picayune Memorial
Oxford at #4 Tupelo — Friday, Sept. 20
On3 Massey Ratings Projection: 35-13 Tupelo