Brookhaven has the honor of welcoming the Raymond Rangers toRegion 6-4A Friday night on King Field. It is the first region testof the season for both 2-1 teams. Kickoff is 7:30.

Brookhaven head coach Andrew Hickman said Raymond has plenty ofoffensive potential. The Rangers blew out winless Hinds AHS 59-0last week, leading by that margin at halftime.

“Raymond has some good size and they have a lot of speed,” saidHickman. “Offensively, they like to throw the ball. They have big,tall wide receivers with a lot of speed.”

On defense, Hickman said the Rangers “play a basic 5-3 and puteight guys in a box on defense.”

Hazlehurst beat Raymond 20-0 in the second week of the season.The Rangers opened the season with a 48-25 win over CrystalSprings.

Lawrence Atkinson (6-3, 210, sr.) returns at quarterback for theRangers. Chris Irving (6-2, 240, sr.) and Jonathan Jenkins (6-1,240, sr.) anchor the offensive line.

Michael Fields coaches the Rangers. He is in his eighth year atRaymond and the second as head coach. The Rangers were 4-7 lastyear.

Region Play Begins

Brookhaven plays six straight region games, starting tomorrownight. Under the Mississippi High School Activities Association’snew format, the top four teams out of each region will advance tothe state playoffs which begin Nov. 9.

The Panthers are coming off an impressive 27-20 comeback victoryover the Mendenhall Tigers on King Field. A 39-yard touchdown passfrom quarterback Billy Williams to wide receivers Kendell Nickelsonprovided the winning margin with 5:36 left in the game.

An interception by senior cornerback Marcus Foxworth secured thevictory. He made the theft at the Panthers’ 15-yard line andreturned it to the 30, with 1:39 left in the game. In the thirdquarter, Panther defensive back Belma Cager picked off a Mendenhallpass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.

Offensively, the Panthers were led by senior tailback CorneliusAllen who rushed the football 21 times for 142 yards and 1touchdown. Williams completed 5 of 12 passes for 87 yards.

Hickman said he was pleased with the performance offullback/linebacker Josh Anderson who filled a middle linebackerposition when Josh Townsend sustained an ankle injury. “Andersondid good job on offense and defense for us.”

Hickman said Anderson has seen limited duty at practice thisweek because “he is stove up. He has a stinger, a bruisedneck.”

On the bright side, Hickman said Townsend is moving better onthe sore ankle. Senior linebacker Brian Mitchell, who fractured histoe in an off-the-field accident before the Vicksburg game, alsohas returned

Tight ends Phillip Tobias and James Howard are both slowed byankle injuries.

On defense, the Panthers were led by Foxworth who had 6 solotackles and 2 assists. Linemen Julius Lloyd was next with 4 solostops and 3 assists. Townsend had 4 solos and 3 assists.

Panther Paws: After three straight home games, the Pantherstravel to Port Gibson next Friday night.