Prep RedZone MHSAA Playoff Preview & Predictions: 3A South

<!-- wp:image {"id":496015,"width":745,"height":419,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/10/Team-B-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-496015" width="745" height="419" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up above is a play off picture for this year's Class 3A, South Playoff bracket. There are few teams in the South this year that have a chance at sweeping the board and punch their tickets to state. I wanted to give week by week predictions on who I believe has the best chance to do so. Also, this series will give insight to potential match-ups and behind the scenes stories. over the next month, I will give my predictions, and let you know who to look out for as the playoff's top performers for this post season. Enjoy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Eventual Tylertown &amp; Wesson Rematch?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming out of the first quadrant in the next two weeks will be either Wesson or Tylertown. Both of these teams are .500 on the year and have had ups and downs on the season. Ultimately, I feel like will both handle their first round match-ups and meet once again for a closely contested Round 2 faceoff. Earlier in the year these two teams battled one another in the first game of the season. Wesson ended up coming out with the victory 49-48, so this match up in the second round will be a ball game to see. Now Tylertown has played a tough schedule this year; hopefully it pays off for them as they start a new portion of the 2022 season the same way they've started off. I believe T-Town will do their best to get out of their first round and then get a revenge seeking W against a respectable Wesson team. Wesson has been a team that can put up points in bunches all season, but has looked inconsistent in doing so. This is the match up out of the first quadrant that I'm looking forward to seeing if things play out how I suspect they should.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quadrant 1's Prospects to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li><strong>Tylertown</strong>: #5 <strong>Kendrell Robertson</strong> WR/DB | #8 <strong>Ahmad Thompson</strong> RB | #1 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='910407' first='Kylon' last='Magee']</strong> WR/DB | #10 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340855' first='Wildrekus' last='Johnson']</strong> ATH</li><li><strong>Wesson</strong>: #4 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='402099' first='O'Mari' last='Johnson']</strong> ATH | #15 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='108932' first='Will' last='Loy']</strong> QB | #9 <strong>Deshawn Smith</strong> WR </li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Raleigh the Favorites Out of the South?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Raleigh is going to sweet their opponents of their quadrants in the first two rounds fairly easily. I don't see them running into any competition until the 3rd round or maybe South State. Though I talked about either Tylertown or Wesson coming out of the first quadrant, I'm not sure that will even matter, because Raleigh is rolling right now and looking lazer focused as a football team. Last week they got a much needed win over over divisional opponent Hazlehurst, capturing a divisional title as well with the W. Though Raleigh's talent in the stable is top heavy, as a entire team, when it comes down to it they just play hard for one another and find ways to win ball games. I expect the Lions to roll on to the 3rd or 4th round before they receive a checking of the oil, as us Mississippian's say.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quadrant 2's Prospects to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li><strong>Raleigh</strong>: #4 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='106167' first='Suntarine' last='Perkins']</strong> RB/LB | #5 <strong>Javarious Walker</strong> FB | #2 <strong>Jay Owens</strong> TE/DE | #7 <strong>Jordan Coleman</strong> LB</li><li><strong>Morton</strong>: #5 <strong>Leviticus Boyd</strong> LB | #13 <strong>Tony Boyd</strong> WR | #19 <strong>Xavier Donald</strong> WR</li><li><strong>St.Stanislaus</strong>: #41 <strong>Bruno Dall</strong> DE/TE | #4 <strong>Evan Noel </strong>K/P | #14 <strong>Hudson Osborne</strong> QB | #53 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='312603' first='Fulton' last='Ascherl']</strong> OL</li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>JDC or Hazlehurst???</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For these last two quadrants, I decided to lump both of the quadrants into one. Either Jefferson Davis County or Hazlehurst will make it the farthest out of these two quadrants, and it is not even close. These two teams are loaded with college talent and both are coming off of years where the programs were beginning to look like themselves again. Last year after losing 4 straight to open the season, JDC went on a roll winning 10 straight games, including the 3A State Title! Hazlehurst, I'm sure, is looking forward to a rematch with them, if they could secure wins in the first round. Both of these squads have speed, athleticism, and grit, which all will get you a long way in 3A football in Mississippi! I'm not counting out either Clarkdale or Franklin County by any means, but these two teams previously mentioned are just different. The only other team that I could see challenging them is Jefferson County, but I believe that Seminary, Magee, or Enterprise could give them trouble. So we will see.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quadrant 3&amp;4's Prospects to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li><strong>JDC</strong>: #8 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340751' first='Nick' last='Thompson']</strong> RB | #16 <strong>Eli Viniard </strong>QB | #1 <strong>Chris Shorts II</strong> WR/DB | #3 <strong>Tavarus Johnson</strong> RB/SS</li><li><strong>Hazlehurst</strong>: #3 <strong>Douglas Nelson</strong> WR/SS | #12 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='340750' first='Sentario' last='Willis']</strong> DB/WR | #8 <strong>Ashton Fair</strong> QB | #1 <strong>Cameran Hawkins</strong> RB | #8 Roy Darden WR</li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->