Football fever began heating up late Friday night. Most highschool teams found out if they had made the state playoffs andexactly who they would be playing in this Friday’s openinground.

Football fans can save themselves some money by purchasing theplayoff tickets early, either at the high school office or from theathletic department. Pregame cost is $5. At the gate Friday night,the cost is $7.

The state playoffs, under the direction of the Mississippi HighSchool Activities Association, begin in three classificationstomorrow night: Class 4A, Class 3A and Class 2A. Members of theClass 1A and Class 5A ranks won’t start until next Friday, Nov. 16.State championship games are Dec. 7-8, at Mississippi VeteransMemorial Stadium in Jackson.

Under the MHSAA’s new format. the teams were grouped in regionsinstead of divisions. The top four teams out of each region advanceto the state playoffs.

Some of these potential matchups are intriguing. In Region 6-4A,Brookhaven is at Northeast Jones, Lawrence County is hostingFlorence, South Pike is hosting Magee and McComb is at Quitman. IfBrookhaven and Lawrence County both win Friday night, they wouldplay each other in the second round, Nov. 16, at Brookhaven. IfSouth Pike and McComb both win, there would be another rematch,this time at McComb.

McComb won a 7-6 thriller last week over South Pike at Magnolia.Lawrence County overpowered Brookhaven 59-13 at Monticello and theclock ran nearly non-stop the second half, with the exception ofscores.

Over 2,000 folks witnessed the last Brookhaven-Lawrence Countygame. This heated rivalry has featured 13 games. The Cougars havewon two of the last three encounters but still trail 9-4 in theseries.

In Region 6-2A, Wesson finished first and Loyd Star was second.If the Hornets beat South Leake and the Cobras beat Kemper County,there would be a rematch of these two archrivals, at Wesson. TheCobras rallied in the second half to beat Loyd Star 28-9 on Oct.12, at Loyd Star.

Certainly, there would be another huge crowd for a secondencounter at Wesson. Both athletic departments would profit fromthe encounter, too.

Speaking of encounters, Lincoln County’s answer to State-OleMiss will take place Friday night at Enterprise when the YellowJackets host Bogue Chitto. Both teams are going to the Class 1Astate playoffs but whoever wins could wind up at home for the firstround.

When last spotted, Professor Hoopla, B.S., was looking for theright place to place his deer stand. His list of predictions waswritten on camouflage paper so it took a while to decipher thewinners. He’ll start with a Thursday night special.

Mize at West Lincoln: Bears welcome the defending Class 1A statechampion to Perry Miller Field tonight. The Bulldogs are favored towin another title. Mize 35-7.

Bogue Chitto at Enterprise: The Bobcats have the advantage ondefense and that should make the difference. Bogue Chitto24-14.

Brookhaven at Northeast Jones: Panthers invade The Jungle tobattle the Tigers in the state playoffs. Northeast Jones 27-14.

Florence at Lawrence County: Eagles bring a potent runningattack to Monticello but the Cougars have more weapons. LawrenceCounty 21-10.

South Leake at Loyd Star: Hornets have enough speed and muscleto bring down the visitors. Loyd Star 31-12.

Kemper County at Wesson: Cobras sport a balanced attack and animpressive defense. Wesson 28-6.

Columbia at North Pike: Jaguars have landed a berth in the stateplayoffs after a runners-up finish in their region. Wildcats haveone horse too many. Columbia 19-9.

In other area action, Greene County will edge Franklin County17-14, West Marion will clip Hazlehurst 28-22, McComb should dumpQuitman 19-10, South Pike should smash Magee 21-8,Madison-Ridgeland should crush Copiah Academy 27-10 and Pillowshould beat Parklane 28-20.

After feasting on the lunch buffet at El Sombrero, Hooplareveals the winners of Saturday’s college games. Southern Miss, OleMiss and Valley State have open dates to evaluate theirprogress.

Mississippi State at Alabama: Bulldogs might have a one-gamevictory streak but the red elephants will squash hopes of a secondstraight win. Alabama 28-17.

Jackson State at Prairie View: Thankfully, the hosts don’t havemuch of a defense. Jackson State 38-28.

In other Magnolia State college games, Mississippi Collegeshould handle Louisiana College 21-10, Trinity should edge Millsaps17-14, Delta State should stop Arkansas-Monticelo 27-17, Belhavenshould ambush Wingate 18-8, and Alcorn State should edge AlabamaA&M 35-30.