Week 1 Power Rankings

High School football officially puts a toe to the pigskin this Friday night and with that it’s time to take a look at our initial 2021 Power Rankings. 1. Oak Grove The Warriors do not open their state title defense until a matchup next week at Hattiesburg, but they are the definite favorite in 6A South if not 6A as a whole. With as much returning talent as anyone in the state,  Kabe Barnett Kabe Barnett 6'3" | 185 lbs | QB Oak Grove | 2022 State MS at QB and  Tyrell Pollard Tyrell Pollard 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Oak Grove | 2022 State MS look to lead a prolific offense. This week: No game 2. Oxford The Chargers came up literally one point short in 2020 and will be driven by that in 2021. The 6A north frontrunners have become a constant under Coach Chris Cutcliffe. Physical football on both sides define the Oxford bunch led by one of the top 2023 LBs in the state  Alex Sanford Alex Sanford 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Oxford | 2023 State MS .  Trip Maxwell Trip Maxwell 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Briarfield Academy | 2023 State MS does a solid job as the signal caller and is now in his 2nd year at the reins. This week: vs. Brandon 3. West Point Year in and year out West Point is the favorite in 5A north with their physical, smash mouth brand. Covid will keep the Green Wave off the field until week 3. This week: No game 4. South Panola Ricky Woods may have his best team since returning to South Panola in 2017. The Tigers went 8-3 last season and bring back plenty of pieces from that unit. D’Mariun Perteet is one of the most explosive RB’s in the state. This week: No game 5. Madison Central The Jags new head man Toby Collums moves over from Northwest Rankin and has a squad loaded with talent in year one. QB  Vic Sutton Vic Sutton 6'3" | 200 lbs | QB Madison Central | 2023 State MS will soon be a household name. This week: vs. West Jones 6. Ocean Springs The Greyhounds should be one of the better teams across the MS Gulf Coast and that is all due to their QB play.  Bray Hubbard Bray Hubbard 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Ocean Springs | 2023 State MS looks to be one of the top 2023 QB’s moving forward. This week: vs. #8 Clinton 7. Poplarville The Hornets look to be the cream of the crop in 4A and if they’re able to do so it will be on the backs of their running game.  Khalid Moore Khalid Moore 6'2" | 205 lbs | LB Poplarville | 2022 State MS is a monster on the defensive side that will cause terror for 4A offenses. This week: @ Picayune 8. Clinton Judd Bowell got his Arrows to the North State Title game last season and looks to get back to the State Championship for the first time since 2016. To do so they will have to navigate thru a gauntlet in 2-6A. This week: @ #6 Ocean Springs 9. Lafayette County The Commodores have a huge test at home week 1 against Tupelo. Coach Michael Fair preaches toughness and it shows on the defensive side led by Southern Miss commits  Mario Wilbourn Mario Wilbourn 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Lafayette | 2022 State MS and  DJ Burgess DJ Burgess 6'3" | 250 lbs | DL Lafayette | 2022 State MS . This week: vs. Tupelo 10. Greenville Christian (2-0) The Saints of Greenville Christian have gone on the road and whipped MRA and Jackson Prep in back to back weeks. Offensive star power has led the way. This week: No game