Current 5A Rankings Week 2
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There are some teams who have started out rolling in 5A. It’s very early in the football season so let’s not get too excited. It is just always good to be able to see the talent hit the gridiron in…
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Continue ReadingThere are some teams who have started out rolling in 5A. It’s very early in the football season so let’s not get too excited. It is just always good to be able to see the talent hit the gridiron in these non regional games to see what they got. Here are my top 6 teams from 5A.
1. Picayune (2-0)
These guys literally made me a fan last year. Their fans were so upset with me for not giving their team the recognition they deserved. Last December I had West Point picked to beat them in the state championship. Boy did they not like that. They don’t have to tell me twice. They returned 16 starters from that state championship team last year. They won’t be missing a beat at all.
Picayune has an offense that rolls and rolls. They have two of the best RBs MS has to offer. Dante Dowdell Dante Dowdell 6'2" | 215 lbs | RB Picayune Memorial | 2023 State MS and Chris Davis Chris Davis 6'0" | 175 lbs | RB Picayune | 2024 State MS are going to be hurting defense during the 2022 season. Together they combined for over 3400 rushing yards last season. It is going to be hard to put a stop to these guys. Darrell Smith also helps out this offense a lot. You have to be accounted for so many players on this offense. They even toss the ball around in the air some.
Picayune has a defense that does not mind hitting. They don’t see the pass a lot, but that is going to be the test for them going into this week. We all know they are aggressive and don’t mind hitting, but we need to see that defense against the pass. They have some studs in the secondary, but haven’t been tested this year. Jamonta Waller Jamonta Waller 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Picayune | 2024 State MS and Zay Coleman have been nasty on their defensive line. We can very well see them making it back to Hattiesburg.
2. Laurel (2-0)
Laurel took a loss to Picayune during semi final weeks last season. I’m sure they aren’t pleased with Picayune at this point. Seeing them next to Picayune on a list probably sets them on fire. That’s what we want to see. We want to see these two teams anxious to get back at each other this year. This begets a great season and big things to look for.
Their offense is led by two studs on the offensive line. Malachi Breland Malachi Breland 6'5" | 315 lbs | OL Laurel | 2023 State MS and Malik Ellis Malik Ellis 6'4" | 235 lbs | OL Laurel | 2023 State MS are some big guys that move mountains for Caden Arrington. These guys will run right over you. They are looking to go around you. If they can keep pounding the ball the way they do, it will be a great season for the Tornadoes.
Their defense gave up a lot of points against D’iberville. They also gave up 21 points to Meridian who is a very good 6A team. That doesn’t define their squad. However I do want to see them give up less than 40 points. These guys are going to want to find a way to buckle down and handle their business.
3. Ridgeland (2-0)
It was hard to decide which team will be in the third ranking spot. Ridgeland has been on a roll and they don’t mind putting up a lot of yards on the offensive side of the football. Last Friday Garrison Davis Garrison Davis 5'11" | 190 lbs | QB Holmes County Central | 2025 State MS passed for over 500 yards. That didn’t surprise me at all. Coach Dyess has been telling me all summer that he has a good chance to accumulate over 3000 passing yards this season.
Let’s go ahead and get into more details about this offense. Ayden Williams Ayden Williams 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Ridgeland | 2023 State MS and Jabraxton Boone are the leaders of this offense. Both guys know how to go and get the rock. Last week Ayden had over 250 receiving yards. He is not the guy you want to play around with on the edge. You have to line up against him and just see what happens. He’s liable to give you a hard time, but know that it comes with the territory.
Their defense has some playmaking ability. The question this year will be can they make stops when they need to. We all know they can put up points at any given time. The test will be to prevent a team from scoring a lot. That’s how you know what you will be working with for the post-season.
4. Holmes Country Central (1-0)
These guys are sitting back waiting to shock the whole state. Their head coach has been vocal about how good they will be, but lately he has been silent. That’s a scary site to see. They have some guys on offense who will open up the field for them, but their defense is what made me fall in love. I think they have one of the best defensive lines across the whole state. They got at least a thousand pounds between four studs on the line who they don’t have to blitz much behind to get to QBs. Joseph Head Joseph Head 6'4" | 205 lbs | DL Holmes County | 2023 State MS and Jalandyn Humphreys are a lot to deal with on the edge and they have two interior guys who get the job done too.
5. Lafayette
These guys took a rough loss to Tupelo in their first week. That’s not too bad of a thing to say. Tupelo is loaded and there aren’t too many schools that can keep up with them. Lafayette has talent all over the field and they will be flying to the football. They have a defense that knows how to play ball. Kylan Egerson Kylan Egerson 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Lafayette | 2023 State MS is guy that most defensive coordinators wouldn’t mind having on their team. He knows how to be a leader and be brings the thump when he hits. He leads that defense and keeps them going.