Jackson Free Press

Football season starts on Friday nights in Mississippi. Here are 10 big stories to follow for the high-school football season.

Sideline Shuffle

The offseason saw a dizzying turn on the coaching carousel. Brad Peterson left Brandon High School for Madison Central High School, where he replaced his old coach Bobby Hall, who moved to Biloxi. Peterson's cousin, Tyler Peterson, left Northwest Rankin High School after just one season to take over for his kinfolk at Brandon. Throw in new coaches at Starkville, Oak Grove, and Olive Branch high schools, and the top of the 6A football landscape looks a lot different.

Akers Attack

Few players captivated the state last season like Clinton High School sophomore running back Cam Akers, who is rated the state's top player in the 2017 class. He's arguably the state's best player in any classification. Akers led the upstart Arrows to a 10-3 record and the 6A north semifinals in 2014. What's in store this time around?

MAIS Upheaval at the Top?

The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools state title race is usually a simple equation: Jackson Academy or Jackson Preparatory School equals the MAIS champion. Is this the year Madison Ridgeland Academy changes the results? The Patriots have a chance with second-year coach Herbert Davis in place and son, D-1 recruit Hayden Davis, at quarterback. But Prep and JA have remained at the top for a reason, and none of the elements have changed at those places.

JPS Resurgence

Jackson Public Schools football has experienced a resurgence of sorts. In 2011, Murrah High School earned its first playoff berth in two decades. Callaway High School went 12-1 and advanced to the 5A semifinals in 2013. Provine High School could be next. The Rams improved from 2-9 to 6-5 a year ago under first-year coach Otis Riddley, who played at Provine and Mississippi State University. Riddley is committed to building a winner on Robinson Road.

More MHSAA Controversy

The Mississippi High School Activities Association ruled this offseason to crack down on its enforcement of a rule prohibiting out-of-state students from competing in athletics. That forced border parochial schools, St. Aloysius School, St. Joseph Catholic School in Greenville, and Cathedral High School in Natchez, to make an emergency move to the MAIS. The defections will be a boon for that association, and it's another case of the MHSAA's curious 
decision-making.

At Home in Mississippi

At the end of the season, people have always asked one question about the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game: Why is it always in Alabama? No more. This year's game will be played in Mississippi for the first time since 1988, at the University of Southern Mississippi's M.M. Roberts Stadium. Will home-field advantage be enough to end the Alabama's six-year winning streak?

Football on Screen

High-school football fans will have on-screen access like never before. ESPN will televise the Starkville High School v. Oxford High School matchup on Aug. 28. Jackson's My35 is again slated to televise a series of metro games. Most major programs now produce their own high-quality online streams. The advent of big-screen Jumbotrons for in-stadium viewing has turned into a regular arms race. Exposure, eat your heart out.

Opening Metro Mega Matchups

Crosstown power programs Brandon and Madison Central started a welcome trend of sorts two seasons ago when the schools scheduled a Thursday night "primetime affair" as a season opener. The atmospheres were electric. This year, star-studded Clinton hosts defending 6A champion South Panola High School at Arrow Field, Thursday, Aug. 20, in a season-opening rematch of last year's North State semifinals.

Recruiting Wars

For every great high-school football season, there's a great recruiting battle. This year should be no different, with a slew of coveted players in the state still undecided on a college. Six-feet 2-inch, 235-pound Noxubee County High School defensive end Jeffrey Simmons is the crown jewel, with Mississippi State, the University of Mississippi, University of Alabama and Louisiana State University all in for his signature. Battles like those can surpass the drama on the field for some.

The University of South Panola

The road to the state championship still runs through Batesville. South Panola won its 11th state title last season, the most in Mississippi, with 15 trips to the title game in the last 21 years. The Tigers program won 89 straight games from 2003-2008, claimed a national championship in 2010 and boasts an uncanny list of alums in the NFL. They don't return that type of marquee talent, but don't expect the truism to change easily.