Noxubee County made it through the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs relatively unscathed — handling Hernando 36-10 to improve to 10-0 on the season.

But veteran Nox High head coach M.C. Miller hadn't even left the field at Macon's Tiger Stadium before he was already looking ahead to this week's opponent — Itawamba AHS.

"It was all we could do to beat them last year," Miller said of the Indians, who will bring their 10-1 record with them to Macon for a second-round state playoff contest.

The Noxubee/Itawamba matchup is one of four in Class 4A involving area teams this week: West Lauderdale is at Shannon; Quitman is at D'Iberville; and Wayne County hosts Picayune.

All games kick off at 7 p.m.

A year ago, Noxubee went to Fulton and came away with a thrilling 27-20 victory.

"It could have gone either way," Miller said. "They were tough. We were lucky to get out of there with a win."

Itawamba did lose standout quarterback Bret Jeffcoat — who is now at Southern Miss — but the Indians return the bulk of last year's team.

Among those returnees is 5-foot-11, 235-pound fullback William Shumpert, who has committed to play at Mississippi State. Shumpert is a two-way star for the Indians and was selected to the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic last week as a defensive lineman.

Offensive lineman Sam Marshall was also picked to represent the Magnolia State for the Indians, while junior running back Deshaun McGaughy will be one of Mississippi's biggest recruits next year.

McGaughy ran for four touchdowns in a 43-0 win over Tishomingo County last month and also had four rushing TDs in a victory over Center Hill earlier this season.

The new quarterback is Maikhail Miller, and he's also a good one. Last week, Miller ran and passed for 238 yards and accounted for all three of his team's touchdowns in a 26-0 blanking of Yazoo City. Miller threw a 19-yard TD pass to Kevin Marks and ran for two scores.

Rico Shumpert is also a big offensive threat for the Indians, while junior wide receiver/defensive back Asian Ruff is another player expected to get plenty of recruiting attention next year.

Itawamba is 10-1, with its only loss coming to Shannon on Oct. 24.

Noxubee, meanwhile, is 10-0 after cruising past Hernando in last week's state playoff-opener.

The Tigers rolled up 425 yards of total offense in the game and also added a pair of defensive scores.

Wide receiver Patrick Patterson and defensive stalwart Deontae Skinner key the Tigers. Both were selected to the MS/AL All-Star Classic last week.

Patterson — who also made the U.S. Army All-American Bowl all-star game — has 50 catches for 877 yards and 12 touchdowns as well as two rushing TDs this year. Skinner, a Mississippi State commitment, has 122 tackles.

Other big contributors for the Tigers include quarterback Temarcus Conner, junior wideout/defensive back Vincent Sanders, wideout Teddy Young and a defensive unit which has given up 30 points total in 10 games.

Last year, Noxubee turned to its ground game to beat the Indians, when Patreon Hopkins (109 rushing yards) and Patterson (90 rushing yards) led an attack that rolled up 298 yards on the ground.

"We needed everything we could last year to beat them up there," Miller said. "I'm glad we've got them at home this time, but I know they've got a good football team."



Picayune at Wayne County

The No. 1 ranked and unbeaten War Eagles look to continue their march toward Jackson when they host the Maroon Tide.

Wayne County is 11-0 after rolling up a 41-20 victory over Forrest County AHS in first-round action last week.

Senior tailback Tracy Lampley and senior "slash" Calvin McDougle key the War Eagles.

Lampley has rushed 110 times for 975 yards and also has a team-high 27 pass receptions for 385 yards. He's totaled 16 touchdowns.

McDougle, meanwhile, has thrown for 593 yards; rushed 84 times for 690 yards; and has 11 receptions for 223 yards. He has totaled 14 touchdowns.

Demarcus Henderson, who played through a shoulder injury a week ago, is the team's leading passer. He's connected on 75-of-121 attempts for 1,033 yards this season.

Wayne County averages 401 yards per game.

Defensively, Mississippi/Alabama All-Star selection Willie Daniels leads Wayne County with 94 tackles, while Jamaine McDougle and Marion Chapman have seven sacks apiece.

It's the third time in the last four years Wayne County and Picayune have met in the postseason. In 2006, the War Eagles won a 39-31 thriller on their way to the state championship; and coach Marcus Boyles' bunch eliminated the Maroon Tide 35-21 in the 2005 playoffs.

Picayune, 9-2 overall, was the Region 8-4A runnerup. The Maroon Tide's only losses were to unbeaten D'Iberville and Class 5A Oak Grove, and they are coming off a 40-12 win over Forest Hill in first-round playoff action a week ago.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Quitman at D'Iberville

The dream season for the Quitman Panthers continued last week with a 10-0 win over Stone.

The Quitman forced six Tomcat turnovers — turning one into the game's only touchdown — and held their opponent to 166 total yards.

This Friday night, the Panthers will face one of their toughest hurdles to date as they travel to undefeated D'Iberville.

The No. 3 Warriors have outscored their opponents by an average of 29.2 points per game, while Quitman — ranked eighth — has only lost to Wayne County.

DeAnthony Pickens, who led the Panthers with 53 yards on 16 carries last week, is still flirting with the 1,000-yard mark for the 2008 campaign. The junior has rushed for 934 yards and has scored 10 touchdowns.

Wesley Warren — also a junior — added 74 yards to his passing total against Stone, bringing his season total to 1,376. His three interceptions last week, which came on the Panthers' first three drives, gave him a dozen on the year.

Ten of Warren's 15 touchdown passes have gone to Patrick Hearn, who has hauled in 61 catches for 861 yards.

This is the third straight playoff appearance for D'Iberville, which missed the postseason for two straight years after winning the state championship in 2002.

Quitman is looking to advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.

— Chris Brennaman