We’ve reached the portion of the season where high school football action will shift to a Thursday night kickoff for most of the schools in this area to wrap up the 2023 regular season.

Thursday

Wesson (8-0) at

Jefferson County (5-3)

Tiger Field, Fayette

The Wesson Cobras are on the cusp of history, trying to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record for the first time since the 1989 team went 8-0.

Back before region play began, Wesson coach Jeremy Loy tabbed Jefferson County as one of the most talented teams in the region and a likely contender for the top spot in the division along with his Cobras and the South Pike Eagles.

And now, Jefferson County is the last hurdle left for the Cobras in the regular season finale for both teams.

Last week, Wesson jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead over South Pike at home and never looked back on the way to earning a 42-20 victory. Wesson sits atop the Region 7-3A standings with a 3-0 record while South Pike and Jefferson County are both 2-1.

Loy’s squad made very few mistakes offensively as they carved up the South Pike defense last week. Junior quarterback Cole Gibson went 10-of-14 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore O’Mari Johnson hauled in six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Deshawn Smith caught four passes for 45 yards.

Johnson was equally impactful with the ball in his hands as a running back. He finished the game with 123 yards rushing on 17 carries for three more touchdowns. Smith also had nine carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.

The Wesson defense got a sack and a fumble recovery from junior Korbin Ashmore along with making four tackles. Junior Wyatt Garrett led the Cobras with nine total tackles against South Pike. Junior Hunter Meredith added eight stops for WAC in the win.

Jefferson County lost 30-22 to South Pike in Magnolia two weeks ago. The other blemishes on the Tigers record are a 26-20 home loss to Natchez and a 20-14 road defeat at Murrah.

JCHS will put the ball in the air offensively as senior quarterback Jabari Watson is a linchpin for the Tiger’s offense. Through eight games this season, Watson has thrown for 1,682 yads and 16 touchdowns. He also leads the team with six rushing scores.

Junior Royale Shelvy is his favorite target as he’s hauled in 43 passes for 760 yards and six touchdowns.

Enterprise (4-5) vs.

Sacred Heart (8-1)

Harry Cole Field, Highway 583

Enterprise lost a heartbreaker last week 28-21 at East Marion in a matchup that was essentially a playoff game as it knocked the Yellow Jackets out of fourth place in the division.

There is nothing EAC head coach Trey Woodard and his team would love more than to send their senior class of Gavin Regouffre, Harley Moak, Ethan Durr and Alex Sales out as winners on Harry Cole Field.

The competition on Thursday is a Sacred Heart team that began the season 8-0, before losing 34-24 to Resurrection Catholic.

Bogue Chitto (4-4) at

Wilkinson County (2-7)

Wildcat Field, Woodville

For the first time ever, Bogue Chitto and Wilkinson County will meet on Friday in Woodville.

Bogue Chitto should be rested and ready after having an off-week last Friday.

Finishing with a win would slate Bogue Chitto and coach Gareth Sartin as the third placed team in Region 7-2A, as they’ll play on the road next week when the MHSAA 2A playoffs begin.

Loyd Star (8-1) at

Franklin County (3-6)

Louie Mullins Memorial Stadium, Meadville

With the Region 7-2A title secured and a first-round playoff game coming next week at Loyd Star, the Hornets will likely do their best to come out of this non-division, regular season finale hoping to stay healthy above all else.

Loyd Star is 5-7 all time against the Bulldogs from Meadville. The last game in the series was a 38-6 win for FC at home in 2016. The last win for Loyd Star over Franklin County came in 2009.

First-year LS head coach Adam Smith and his team wrapped up region play last week with a 41-0 win at West Lincoln. Franklin County and coach BJ Smithhart will play in the MHSAA 3A playoffs next week after earning fourth place in their region with a 22-20 win over Port Gibson last week.

West Lincoln (2-7) vs.

Amite County (3-5)

Perry Miller Field, Flea Hop

The 2023 season comes to a close for the West Lincoln Bears with a home matchup against the visiting Amite County Trojans.

Seniors this season for West Lincoln head coach Brad Bland include Ryan Purdy, Will Harris, Brice Peeples, Bayor Sills, Logan Anders and Zackary Taylor.

The Bears are 1-9 all-time against Amite County, with Bland coaching the team to their first ever win over the Trojans by a 20-18 final score on the road in 2020. AC won 22-15 last season on Perry Miller Field.

Lawrence County (4-5) vs. Forrest County AHS (5-3)

Cougar Field, Monticello

Lawrence County wants to stay in second place of Region 7-4A and host a playoff game next Friday. Standing in the way of the Cougars are the Forrest County AHS Aggies.

LC is coming off a 41-14 loss to the region champion Columbia Wildcats. Currently, Columbia is 3-0 in region play while Lawrence County is 2-1. Both FCAHS and Purvis are 1-2 in region games.

The Cougars are 3-2 all time against FCAHS including a 47-42 win last season.

Friday

Brookhaven High (4-4) at North Pike (3-5)

Jaguar Field, Summitt

Brookhaven High and coach Tucker Peavey cruised to a win last week by a 33-7 final score at South Jones in Ellisville.

The Panthers were led by senior running back Xavier Gayten with 205 yards and three scores on seven carries. Senior Nathan Lewis had an 80-yard run that went for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Dreamus Harron also added 45 yards on five carries and scored a touchdown as well.

Senior Kenan Quinn led the BHS defense with 12 total tackles. Lewis added 10 tackles. Junior Christian Jones recovered a fumble for the Panthers on defense.

North Pike won 23-18 last week over Provine.

BHS is 5-1 all-time against North Pike and last played the Jaguars in 2018, a 27-14 win for the Panthers.