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September 4, 2008

Anonymous The Meridian Star Thu Sep 04, 2008, 10:07 AM CDT

By Rocky Higginbotham

sports editor

One year ago, Mississippi Private School Association powerhouse Jackson Prep handed Newton County its only regular-season loss.

Tonight, the Cougars have the opportunity for a little payback.

Prep makes a first-ever visit to Decatur tonight, when Newton County will serve as the host for an MPSA/MHSAA showdown. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Newton County got plenty of preseason recognition among South half Class 3A schools, and the Cougars opened the season with a hard-fought, 27-19 win at Enterprise last week.

"We made a lot of mistakes, but our guys bounced back and made plays when they had to," Newton County coach Jeff Breland said.

The competition is likely even more stiff this week, as MPSA king Prep brings a 27-game winning streak into the matchup. The Patriots have won back-to-back Class AAA state titles and coach Ricky Black's squad is led by Robert Malouf, Kaleb Barlow and Pack Toler.

Newton County, meanwhile, got 219 yards on the ground from senior running back Floyd Graves in last week's win — as well as a 100-yard receiving game from track star Michael Granger.

Showdown in Waynesboro

Wayne County is considered by many to be the favorite to win a Class 4A state title in December. Louisville is an easy pick for most to win a second straight Class 3A state crown.

Friday, those two powerhouses will meet in Waynesboro.

The War Eagles, a year after going 15-0, actually missed the playoffs in 2007 with a 7-3 record. But Wayne County's three losses were by a combined 10 points, and coach Marcus Boyles' bunch seems prepared to make opponents pay in 2008.

Wayne County opened the season with a 43-14 thrashing of defending Class 5A state runnerup George County a week ago — getting a big night from senior quarterback/wide receiver/running back Calvin McDougle.

McDougle ran seven times for 126 yards, caught three passes for 63 yards and completed 7-of-11 passes for 85 more yards in last week's win. He also accounted for three touchdowns.

Running back Tracy "Pound" Lampley is another big threat for the War Eagles.

Louisville, meanwhile, opened the season by spanking Class 5A Starkville 32-10 last week. Dandy Dozen quarterback Clayton Moore, an Ole Miss commit, accounted for five touchdowns.

The Wildcats could, however, be without Dennis Thames. Another Dandy Dozen who excels at running back, wide receiver and linebacker for Louisville, Thames reportedly could be out four to six weeks with an injury.

Big starts ...

Other area players who enjoyed big first weeks included Quitman's Wesley Warren, who threw for three touchdowns and also ran for one in a 58-21 win over Kemper County.

Warren and the Panthers had 50 points in the first half of that win, and they'll go for a second straight "W" this week when they visit Heidelberg.

The Enterprise duo of Roshawn Johnson (13-99) and Dion Johnson (7-98) combined to rush for 197 of the Bulldogs' 247 yards in last week's loss to Newton County. Coach Joel Speed's squad will try to get back on track this week with a trip to Lake and a renewal of one of the area's more storied small-school rivalries.

And finally, perhaps no area team got off to a more impressive start than Neshoba Central, which whipped cross-county rival Philadelphia 40-7.

Donnie Tabb, also a baseball stud for the Rockets, returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to start the rout for Neshoba — which hosts Class 3A Morton Friday.

Other games ...

Philadelphia, meanwhile, visits Class 3A Carthage while Kemper County goes to Choctaw Central Friday night.

In area MPSA 8-man action, Central Academy (at Tensas, La.) and Kemper Academy (hosting Ben's Ford) both try to stay unbeaten while Newton County Academy does the same in 11-man MPSA action.

The Generals, 2-0, host University Christian School in Decatur Friday. UCS' Flames are coached by Lamar School product Parker Harris.

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