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Published: Aug 27, 2008 - 02:31:49 pm CDT
Professor Pigskin predicts . . . Football season is upon us once again, and, by golly, it’s about time. The ol’ prof was getting an itchy prediction finger. Here’s the ol’ prof’s thoughts on opening weekend. n n n CALHOUN CITY AT VARDAMAN Coach Mike Ray is bringing a young bunch of Wildcats into the season. That’s nothing new for the ‘Cats, but they might not have been this young in a while - only 10 juniors and seniors combined. That might spell trouble against an experienced team of Rams, who are anxious to show off what they can do for their new coach, Justin Hollis, and a community who wants to see what direction Hollis is taking the team. Even though Vardaman has been on the short end of this rivalry, the Rams have almost always been competitive. The competition will probably be too much for the Wildcats this year, but they’ll grow from the lumps they take at Carter Field. VARDAMAN 27, Calhoun City 14 n n n EUPORA AT HOUSTON The Toppers are looking to rebound from a poor showing last year. The good news is, they looked pretty good in a jamboree appearance at Tupelo last week. The bad news is, that appearance was against Saltillo, no great power by any stretch. Houston’s new coach, Buzz Boyer, is no stranger to winning. He has been part of the success at Okolona, Bruce and Tupelo in recent years, so he can be expected to put some punch back in the Hilltopper efforts. It may take a little while for the Toppers to start landing their punches, however. They will not have an easy time this week with the Eagles, who are always one of Class 2A’s power teams. With some excitement for the new coach and a home crowd to cheer them on, I’ll make the qualified guess of … HOUSTON 22, Eupora 21 n n n DESOTO CENTRAL AT BRUCE The Trojans again open against the 5A team - the one they beat last year in DeSoto County, remember? This time the Trojans get to host. The team they’re hosting happens to have another year of experience under its belt, and they’re still 5A; last year’s potential problems and caveats, like the Jaguars’ ability to keep fresh personnel on the field against the smaller Trojan team, still apply. That said, the Jags are unlikely to have seen quite the atmosphere they’ll step into at Trojan Field; they’re still a relatively new team, and school; and they haven’t tasted much success. Their fans don’t really travel well, either. The Trojans bring back 13 seniors from the team the blasted DeSoto last year, including all-everything Richard Freelon, who will lead Bruce to another “upset.” BRUCE 24, DeSoto Central 16 n n n SMITHVILLE AT OKOLONA The Chieftains start off with what is almost a backyard rivalry. The Seminoles were long a power in Class 1A under Dwight Bowling, but the succeeding coaches haven’t lived up to the legacy. Smithville comes into this season with another new coach, which may make for some rough going early in the season. That may be especially true in Okolona, where wins by visitors tend to be rare. The Chiefs are breaking in their own new coach, and he’s returning the favor to them. The difference in this game may turn out to be the real estate - location, location, location. OKOLONA 21, Smithville 14 n n n CALHOUN ACADEMY AT RUSSELL The Cougars’ foray into the world of eight-man football started last week. They’re still learning how to make that work, so it’s not really a surprise that North Sunflower, which normally still plays the 11-man variety of football, bombed the Cougs 40-0. This week they meet their first district opponent, Russell Christian Academy of Meridian, on the road. These teams have no history with each other, but they’ll find out about each other really quick. The long road trip will not be helpful to the Cougs. Russell only lost by one point, 33-32, in its opening game, and I don’t think that bodes well, either. RUSSELL 35, Calhoun Academy 14 n n n HEBRON CHRISTIAN AT NEWTON COUNTY The Eagles got blitzed by West Memphis opening week, so they could use a week with a breather. They’re not going to get it. Newton County shellacked Immanuel last week, and won’t allow Hebron to come in and escape with a win. Hebron will play NCA a lot closer than Immanuel’s 63-0, but the trip to Decatur will still end on a sour note for the Eagles. NEWTON COUNTY 36, Hebron 19 n n n BIGGERSVILLE AT EAST WEBSTER It’s hard to say much about this game. The Wolverines return most of their high-impact personnel from last season’s North State runner-up team, while Biggersville’s Lions could barely muster a couple of wins and got bombarded often. Bombs away! EAST WEBSTER 56, Biggersville 0
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