Northeast Lauderdale running back Michael McClinton (20) fights for yardage during the Trojans’ home game against Southeast Lauderdale last Friday.

Northeast Lauderdale hasn’t just won its first three games, it’s dominated them.

Against Kemper County, Enterprise and Southeast Lauderdale, the Trojans have scored at least 40 points in those contests. The most their opponents have scored in one game? Fourteen, which Kemper County scored in Week 1.

Expectations are different heading into Friday’s matchup, however. The Trojans (3-0) will host fellow unbeaten Jackson Academy, which has also dominated its first three opponents to the tune of 42 points per game thus far.

“I believe this will be our toughest test (so far),” Northeast Lauderdale head coach John Douglass said.

It’s also going to have a bit of a personal twist, as Jackson Academy is coached by former Meridian head coach Larry Weems, for whom Douglass played when Weems was at Pearl and against whom Douglass has coached when Douglass was at Quitman.

“I’m very familiar with Coach Weems,” Douglass said. “I played for him, and I was on his staff at Pearl, so he and I go way back. The thing that has me kind of uneasy is, I’m not exactly sure what we’ll see. They’ve been in some blowout games and have done two or three different things on defense. We feel like we have it narrowed down to a couple of different looks that we’ll see, but we’ll have to go into the game and see what we’re getting and adjust on the fly a little bit.”

Going up against Weems is nothing new for Douglass thanks to the Quitman-Meridian matchups when the two coaches were at each school. Still, Douglass said there are always mixed emotions right up until kickoff going up against a former coach.

“He and I have talked, and we’re really good friends,” Douglass said. “We’ve had multiple relationships, whether it’s player-coach, or head coach-assistant coach, but now we’re coaches that talk to each other regularly and share ideas. It’s definitely different. I know before the game starts he’ll be doing everything he can to beat us, and he knows I am, too. It’s definitely a level of respect and a different kind of feeling about a guy across the sideline who’s had an impact on my life.”

Senior quarterback Kam Hulin gets much of the attention when it comes to the Trojans’ explosive offense, but junior running back Michael McClinton has had a productive season so far as well. Last week against Southeast Lauderdale, McClinton rushed 17 times for 92 yards, and in order to have success against an opponent the caliber of Jackson Academy, Douglass said players like McClinton must continue to have strong showings.

“He’s been a big factor in all three of our games,” Douglass said. “I’m not sure of his numbers, but he has to be close to 300 yards on probably about 50 carries. He’s kind of the work horse that we give the ball to a good bit. He’s proven to be very durable and reliable, and he does a good job in pass protection. Michael plays a big role in what we want to do.”

McClinton, though, credited his offensive line for much of the Trojans’ success.

“It starts with the offensive line,” McClinton said. “We have a good offensive line, and everything else kind of falls in between.”

Not only has the run blocking been there, but the pass protection has allowed Hulin to make plays with his arm as well as his legs, McClinton said.

“I feel they’re better (at pass protection) because they’re learning new techniques and learning to stay at home,” he said. 

That’s a big deal to a running back who needs holes in order to be productive, McClinton said.

“For me, it means the world,” McClinton said. “With them, I feel confident in making my moves and taking chances, knowing that they’ll have a good push up front.”

While he understands the challenge Jackson Academy presents, McClinton said the right approach to such a big test is business as usual.

“We approach it like we do every week,” McClinton said. “We’ll study film, do what we can to get a game plan together and go out and execute it to the best of our ability.”

Winning the first three games, and winning big, has contributed to a positive feeling amongst the team, and McClinton said he hopes that continues.

“Our attitude is, we go out on every drive looking for another touchdown,” McClinton said. “That’s all we’re thinking about, trying to find a way to get in the end zone.

“Winning just helps everyone’s self-esteem, because it makes us feel like we’re doing something good or getting better. We like to celebrate after we win, and I think everyone likes the feeling of celebration.”

The trick is making sure to maintain that positive despite whatever challenges they face going forward, Douglass said. So far, he’s been pleased with the positive momentum, as there was good attendance at practice Monday despite it being the Labor Day holiday.

“Obviously, you’d love to win them all, but realistically, there will be highs and lows,” Douglass said. “Hopefully, it’s not as low as a loss, but you have to understand it’s not always going to be fun and happy. We’re going to face some adversity, and when that happens, good or bad, we have to be the same people Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The most important thing is that we’re playing our best football at the first of November. If that means we lose a game or two along the way, or win them all, my goal is for this team to be at its absolute best at that time.”

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday at Northeast Lauderdale.