from staff reports
Each of the squads representing the North in this week’s MHSAA state championship football games have been designated as the home team.
That means Meridian High School will technically be the visiting team in tonight’s Class 5A title tilt against South Panola, which kicks off at 7 p.m.
In addition to being the guest on the scoreboard, Meridian High fans are asked to sit on the side of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium opposite the press box — as well as enter on that side of the stadium.
The Wildcats will also wear white jerseys.
Noxubee County, meanwhile, will be the home team in the Class 4A state championship game Saturday night against D’Iberville.
Tiger fans will enter and sit on the press box side of The Vet and Noxubee will wear its dark jerseys.
— Rocky Higginbotham
Buy early, save $2
Discounted tickets are still available for tonight’s Class 5A state championship game between Meridian and South Panola.
Tickets purchased through the school are available for $10 apiece — with the school receiving half of those proceeds — and will be on sale until 2 p.m.
Admission at the gate will be $12.
According to Meridian High athletics director Jermaine Brown, the school has already distributed more than 1,000 tickets.
MHS will also be providing spectator buses for fans that will leave Meridian High School at 4 p.m. and will return to the school immediately following the game.
The $15 cost for the bus also includes a game ticket. Fans who are riding the buses are asked to be at the school no later than 3:45 p.m.
For more information, call the MHS office at (601) 482-3191.
— Chris Brennaman
Can't go?
For those unable to make the trip to the Capital City for tonight’s game, you have a few options to still be able to keep up with the Wildcats.
Continuing a five-year tradition, Mississippi Public Broadcasting will air each of the championship games live.
The games will also be streamed live on the internet and available on a pay-per-view basis. A link to the video can be found at misshsaa.com. The cost is $15 for 24 hours of access to both live and archived video.
The Meridian game can also be heard on the radio in East Mississippi. WJXM (105.7 FM), which has been the home of Wildcat football for many seasons will begin its broadcast with a pre-game show at 6:30 p.m and will include an interview with head coach Larry Weems.
The Voice of the Wildcats, Rob Allen, will be calling the game, with commentary provided by former Meridian High assistant and current Calvary Christian head coach Kirby Newell.
After the game, WMOX (1010 AM) will do its postgame show with interviews of MHS coaches and players.
— Chris Brennaman
Healthy Pat
Noxubee County’s Patrick Patterson is considered the state’s top wide receiver by some recruiting services, but Patterson doesn’t have very fond memories of his first visit to Veterans Memorial Stadium as a player.
Last year, Patterson suffered a severe ankle sprain in the North State championship win against Kosciusko which essentially knocked him out of the state championship game.
In that contest, Patterson was on the field for a total of just seven plays — catching two passes for 14 yards — and he also missed out on his normal placekicking duties.
This year ...
"I'm just glad to be healthy," Patterson said during the MHSAA press conference Monday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson.
Patterson has put up nearly identical numbers the past two seasons: He has 73 catches for 1,287 yards and 19 touchdowns this fall after catching an MHSAA-best 72 passes for 1,415 yards and 14 TDs a year ago.
— Rocky Higginbotham
