AHH! The month of October is finally here and several local and area schools are ready to get down-and-dirty as the season really gets started for the teams with high hopes of making the playoffs in November.

Four local teams will have home games this Friday as local football fans gear up to support their favorite schools in their race to the playoffs in week seven of the Friday Night Lights football frenzy.

Enterprise and Lawrence County will host homecoming festivities Friday night as former and past alumni return to their alma maters for their class reunions. Enterprise welcomes the East Marion Eagles to Harry Cole Field. Lawrence County entertains the North Pike Jaguars in Monticello.

Brookhaven Academy hosts Simpson Academy in a battle of Cougars. Wesson invades Hazlehurst to tangle with the Indians.

Several local schools will be on the road facing region opponent. Brookhaven visits Waynesboro to take on their rivals, the Wayne County War Eagles; West Lincoln invades Bassfield; and Amite County welcomes Loy Star to Liberty.

Bogue Chitto will be in action Saturday. The Bobcats will travel to Pascagoula to battle the Resurrection Eagles.

In other area action, Wilkinson County hosts Franklin County, Oak Forest entertains Copiah Academy, Presbyterian Christian invades Parklane, South Pike visits McComb and Crystal Springs hosts Jefferson County.

Brookhaven (4-1, 0-1),  coached by Tommy Clopton, suffered a tough 31-13 Region 3-5A loss to Laurel last Friday. The Panthers are looking to bounce back as they prepare for the Wayne County War Eagles.

The War Eagles (3-2, 1-0), under the direction of coach Todd Mangum, soared past the Natchez Bulldogs 61-13 in region action last week.

Brookhaven’s top performers last week were:

Fred Trevillion paced the Panthers, completing 11-of-29 passes for 160 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Defensively, junior Kardel Clark and Leo Lewis were the leaders for the Panthers with six tackles each. Billy Thomas and Ben Robinson provided five stops apiece.

Brookhaven Academy (3-3, 2-0),  coached by Tripp McCarty, enjoyed a successful homecoming week after beating East Rankin 27-23 last Friday.

This week, BA hosts their archrivals, the Simpson Academy Cougars, at R.M. “Red” Stuard Field.

Simpson Academy (5-1, 1-0), led by coach Winston Mullins, blanked Wayne Academy 37-0 last Friday.

BA’s top performers last week were:

Heath Hickman completed 13 of 17 passes on the night for 196 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Jacob Thurman led all receivers with five catches for 107 yards and a score.

Defensively, Ethan Harris led the Cougars with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Landon Nettles had seven tackles, three of those for a loss.

Bogue Chitto (6-0, 4-0),  coached by Gareth Sartin, crushed their region rivals the Dexter Bulldogs 43-16 last Friday.

The Bobcats have an extra day to prepare before putting their undefeated record on the line when they visit the Resurrection Eagles.

The Eagles (3-3, 1-3), coached by Scott Sisson, captured their first region win of the season with a 28-8 victory over Mount Olive.

BC’s top performers last week were:

Brock Roberts led the Bobcats completing seven passes for 168 yards and one interception. He also rushed for 121 yards on 12 carries.

Defensively, Jeremy Blackwell paced the team with 12 tackles. Justin Click contributed with 10 stops.

Loyd Star (1-4),  coached by Randall Huffman, suffered a 41-12 defeat to North Forrest last Friday.

The Hornets will be searching to snap a three-game losing skid as they prepare to visit Liberty to battle their region foe, the Amite County Trojans.

The Trojans (3-3), under the direction of Robert Raines, lost 13-6 to the Prentiss Bulldogs last week.

Loyd Star’s top performers last week were:

Junior running back Peyton Flowers was the offensive leader for the Hornets with eight carries for 47 yards on the ground.

Defensively, Flowers paced the Hornets with 12 tackles and three assists. Dustin Hart provided seven stops and one assist.

West Lincoln (1-4),  coached by Willie Brumfield, claimed their first win of the season after beating the Union Christian Academy Lions 14-0 last Friday.

The Bears begin the first tour in Region 7-2A action on the road against the defending 2A state champions, the Bassfield Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets (5-1), coached by Lance Mancuso, are mad after losing their first game of the season to Jackson Prep 27-20 last week.

West Lincoln’s top performer last week:

Junior running back Bryce Temple led the Bears ground attack with 116 yards rushing on seven carries and one touchdown.

Defensively, freshmen Jade Use paced West Lincoln with 12 tackles.

Enterprise (0-5),  coached by Brooks Burns, is currently on a 20-game losing skid after falling to the Pisgah Dragons 27-6 last Friday.

The Jackets will have to overcome the homecoming distraction this week to get ready for the East Marion Eagles.

The Eagles (5-1), led by coach Kevin Jackson, surpassed Taylorsville 20-15 last week.

Enterprise’s top performers of the week were unavailable.

Wesson (0-5), coached by Ronald Greer, returns to the gridiron after a much needed week off to nurse their wounded soldiers.

This week, the Cobras will experience a tough regional test as they battle the defending 3A state champion Hazlehurst Indians.

The Indians (5-1), coached by Randel Montgomery, received an easy win last week after Port Gibson forfeited.

In the loss to North Pike two weeks ago, Wesson’s top performers were:

Tyler Christmas led the Cobras ground attack with 19 rushes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Kendrick Brown paced the Cobras with eight tackles.

Lawrence County (3-3),  coached by first-year coach Herbert Davis, is hoping that some home cooking and happy homecoming memories will help them snap a two-game losing skid as they entertain the North Pike Jaguars.

The Jaguars (3-3), coached by Chris Smith, suffered an disappointing 42-31 loss to Northeast Jones last week.

LCHS’s top performers last week were:

Tex Cole led the Cougars in rushing with 71 yards on 14 carries. Laderrick McCray rushed for 37 yards on four carries, and caught three passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.

Franklin County (3-2),  coached by first-year head coach Chris Calcote, returns to the gridiron after their bye week and will look to continue their hot three-game winning streak when they battle the Wilkinson County Wildcats.

The Wildcats (4-1-1), under the direction of coach Kenneth Brown, witnessed a very rare tie in Mississippi high school action against Greenwood.

In the win over South Pike, two weeks ago, Franklin County’s top performers were:

Bernard Selmon rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Franklin County Bulldogs

On defense, DeAnthony King, Chris O’Quinn and Denzel Allen led the Bulldogs with six tackles each.