MHSAA 4A Playoffs Quarterfinal Preview: Are Poplarville, Louisville destined for a rematch?
We're rolling towards the third round of the MHSAA Class 4A Playoffs like a runaway train, and that's how we like it. Both the reigning North and South State champions are still alive, but both face huge tests this weekend. Here's a look at all four of this week's Class 4A playoff games and what we can expect to see in each of them.
4A North
Senatobia (10-2) at Itawamba AHS (11-1)
The first game in the 4A North Playoffs is not a rematch from the regular season, so we don’t really know what to expect. But Senatobia and Itawamba AHS are two teams that are on a similar trajectory.
Senatobia comes in after beating Houston 48-30 in the opening round and going on the road to beat a great West Lauderdale team 27-22 in the second round last week. The Warriors finished the regular season with an 8-7 loss to Clarksdale, but have averaged 30.5 points over 12 games.
Itawamba comes in having knocked off Choctaw Central 28-14 in the first round and Ripley 30-9 in the second round. The Indians have one of the state’s very best two-way players in Isaac Smith, who has rushed for 914 yards and 21 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 291 yards and five more scores.
Louisville (10-2) at Caledonia (10-1)
Caledonia is in completely uncharted territory coming into a game against the reigning 4A State Champions, but this one is anything but a given.
The Cavaliers went 8-1 in the regular season before notching a 31-24 victory over Kosciusko in the first round of the playoffs that gave the program its first playoff win in school history. They went on to beat Pontotoc 27-8 last week to get into the North State Semifinal.
Caledonia averaged 39.2 points a game offensively, and they’ll need that to carry over against a Louisville defense that has stymied nearly every opponent they’ve faced. The Wildcats have given up 30 points just once this season, and have held six of their 12 opponents to seven points or fewer.
4A South
Columbia (11-1) at Newton County (6-5)
Columbia comes into Friday’s showdown with Newton County as the heavy favorites, having won nine in a row since losing to 6A Petal on way back on Sept. 10.
The Wildcats demolished South Pike 35-7 in the opening round of the playoffs and brow-beat Bay High 48-21 last Friday night. They can score in bunches thanks to explosive tailback Omar Johnson, but the stifling defense is what makes Columbia go, led by 4A Mr. Football Jaheim Oatis, the Alabama commit who has racked up 22 tackles for a loss to go with five sacks.
Newton County lost five of its first seven games before getting hot, but notched big wins over Richland, Northeast Jones and Quitman down the final stretch of the regular season before knocking off Pass Christian and previously unbeaten North Pike in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Mendenhall (9-3) at Poplarville (10-2)
Poplarville is vying for its fifth-straight trip to the 4A State Championship, but will have its hands full these next two weeks to get there. That starts this week against a very good Mendenhall team.
The Tigers slipped by McComb 21-20 in the second round after defeating Stone 29-15 in the playoff opener two weeks ago. They have relied on a stingy defense that has given up just 16.8 points a game since the start of October.
That defense will be tested early and often against a Poplarville team that is running that patented option-run offense to perfection. The Hornets have four backs who have run for 480 or more yards this year, led by junior Maurice Travis, who has averaged 8.8 yards on 140 carries for a whopping 1,234 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns.
(Feature photo by Keith Warren)
