By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
The kickoff to the 2019 high school football season is right around the corner, and if you are a fan in the Hattiesburg area without an overwhelming rooting interest in any one of the 10 high school football programs in Forrest or Lamar counties, this is for you.
The Discriminating Fan’s Guide to the 2019 season.
Here are 20 regular-season games scheduled for 2019 that will give you a chance to see all 10 schools in action, along with some of the top athletes in the area, at least once. Some weeks, there will be a couple of choices, others just one.
So, load up the cooler and let’s hit the road.
Week 1
Friday, August 23
Lumberton at North Forrest
These two old rivals open the season, as they have for several years now, this year at Eatonville. This will be an early opportunity to see one of the Pine Belt’s top running backs, Panther junior Robert Henry, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last season.
Saturday, August 24
Hattiesburg at Petal
The last Saturday before the start of the college football season gives two of the state’s marquee programs center stage to put on a show, and they usually do just that. Expect to see lots of great athletes making lots of big plays in this one.
Week 2
Friday, August 30
Wayne County at Oak Grove
The Warriors open their season a week later than many schools in a clash of two high-profile programs. Among the many talented players on both sides, keep an eye on Oak Grove’s splendid linebacking corps, led by seniors Joey Griffith and Javarian Jenkins.
Hattiesburg at Laurel
Every year since 1922, without fail, the Tigers and the Golden Tornadoes have battled it out for the Little Brown Jug, the coolest trophy in Mississippi football this side of the Golden Egg, at one of the most historic fields in the state Between the Bricks at Watkins Stadium.
Week 3
Friday, September 6
Sumrall at Seminary
Just 12 miles separates the campuses of these two schools, and their rivalry used to burn white-hot. Seminary returns plenty of talent from last year’s squad that won South State in Class 3A, facing a Bobcat team that expects to be stout on defense.
Week 4
Friday, September 13
Oak Grove at Hattiesburg
The Tigers will have an open week to prepare for this one, and they may need it. The Warriors certainly haven’t forgotten that Hattiesburg took them to the woodshed last season in a big way, and they’ll come to D.I. Patrick Stadium looking for payback.
Stringer at Lumberton
A quirk of the schedule brings the Red Devils back to Lumberton for the second consecutive season in their annual battle for supremacy in Region 4-1A. Last year, the Panthers’ defense stepped up at the end to clinch a nail-biter victory.
Week 5
Friday, September 20
West Marion at Sumrall
The Trojans might as well be playing in Region 7-4A, as this completes a trifecta that includes games against Purvis on August 23 and Forrest County AHS on September 13. West Marion always has a boatload of athletes and are extremely well-coached.
Richton at Sacred Heart
Time to see what kind of progress Ed Smith is making with the Crusaders, as well as a chance to catch the Rebels, who return a lot from an 8-4 team last year that made it to the South State semis in Class 2A for the first time. This will be Richton’s first season as a 1A team.
Week 6
Friday, September 27
Pearl at Petal
The Pirates dropped off some last year, but they’re still the same program that went 16-0 in 2017. They’ll come to the Pine Belt to open what looks to be a wild playoff chase in Region 3-6A. The Panthers’ hopes ride on senior QB DeCarlos Nicholson, a big kid with wheels.
PCS at Columbia Academy
Former Southern Miss assistant coach Randy Butler has the Cougars in contention in MAIS Class 4A, and the Bobcats will make the trip up U.S. 98 to face CA in a renewal of an old, hotly-contested Pine Belt private-school rivalry.
Week 7
Friday, October 4
Petal at Oak Grove
Clear this Friday for another edition of this bitter rivalry between the two largest schools in the Pine Belt. The Panthers are eager to avenge two defeats at the hands of the Warriors in 2018, with the loser falling a step behind in the crowded Region 3-6A playoff hunt.
Week 8
Friday, October 11
Picayune at Hattiesburg
The Tigers have had their way with Picayune the past couple of seasons, but the preseason scuttlebutt from the Gulf Coast suggests that this might be one of the most talented Maroon Tide teams in veteran coach Dodd Lee’s career, and that’s saying a lot.
Purvis at Sumrall
Throw out the records when these two Lamar County rivals collide to decide who owns Highway 589 for the next year. At this point in the season, the Tornadoes and Bobcats may well be playing for survival in the Region 7-4A playoff race.
Week 9
Friday, October 18
Jackson Academy at PCS
Pink will be part of the Bobcats’ color scheme for their home finale against the Raiders, as part of the campaign for breast cancer awareness. With a punishing two-game finish looming, at MRA and at Jackson Prep, PCS will need a win here to help its MAIS Class 6A playoff chances.
Week 10
Friday, October 25
Meridian at Petal
It’s getting to the nitty-gritty in Region 3-6A, as the Wildcats come calling to Panther Stadium for a colossal region clash. The Panthers’ last two games are on the road, so a win over another playoff contender in their final regular-season home game is critical.
East Marion at North Forrest
A clash of Eagles in this important contest in Region 8-2A. East Marion traditionally starts a little slow, but finishes fast, and they should have some momentum built for a late-season push. North Forrest, likewise, will be looking to finish strong.
Week 11
Friday, November 1
Forrest County AHS at Stone
One of the great South Mississippi rivalries, between the Aggies and Tomcats, has been dormant for a while, with Stone playing up in Class 5A. But now they’re both in Region 7-4A, and they close the regular season in a clash that could have playoff implications.
Faith Academy (Ala.) at Lumberton
A rare late-season non-region game has the Panthers hosting the Rams, an Alabama Class 5A team led by veteran Jack French, who is a member of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame after leading Forest to three state championships in the 1990s.
Week 12
Friday, November 8
Northwest Rankin at Oak Grove
The Cougars come to Warrior Field for what could be a decisive clash in the Region 3-6A playoff scramble. NWR ran the table in Region 2-6A last season, going 7-0 in region play and 11-2 overall, and are expected to battle for the playoffs after moving to 3-6A this year.
Playoffs
The final week of the regular season is also the start of the postseason for teams in Class 4A, Class 3A, Class 2A and in the MAIS, so there will be a few more opportunities to catch Pine Belt teams in do-or-die games, leading up to the MHSAA State Championships, to be played once again at Roberts Stadium on the Southern Miss campus in Hattiesburg.
Stan Caldwell is a 35-year veteran sports writer in the Hattiesburg area, and most recently served as sports information director at Pearl River Community College in Mississippi.
