The Copiah Academy Colonels travel to Vicksburg Friday night tomeet the Porters Chapel Eagles in the finals of the MPSA SouthState Class AA football playoffs. The winner meets the North AAchamp next Thursday night at Mississippi College in the titletest.

In North finals action, Kirk Academy (9-4) invades WinstonAcademy (10-3).

Last Thursday, Copiah Academy (8-4) put together a 3-0 win overBowling Green and Porters Chapel (10-3) stopped Brookhaven Academy33-21.

“Porters Chapel has a good football team,” said Copiah Academyhead football coach Mitch Mitchell. “The Eagles are the total deal.They are very balanced. They throw and run it about the same. Theyare not one dimensional.

“The Eagles have some big kids on defense,” continued Mitchell.”Any team that can beat Brookhaven is really good. They have a lotof weapons on both sides.”

Copiah’s Richard Henley kicked a 49-yard field goal in thesecond quarter for the only points in the road win over BowlingGreen. The Colonel defense kept Buccaneers out of the end zone theremainder of the game.

“Our defense had a great game,” added Mitchell. “We had two goalline stands. We took over after we held on them on fourth down andtwo at (our) three. Then we ran out the clock.”

In the win over Brookhaven Academy, Porters Chapel was poweredby quarterback Hayden Hales who threw for 230 yards and fourtouchdowns. Hales rushed the football 23 times for 111 yards.

The Colonels were runners-up to 3-time state champion SimpsonAcademy in last year’s championship finals.