Sleeper Title Contenders of 6A

With only 2 weeks left of the regular season, it is time to start thinking about playoffs. In 6A this season, there are many teams that could be gunning for the 2022 state title. Teams like Tupelo, Ocean Springs, Brandon, and Madison Central have been talked about all season for title contention, but who are the teams that could sneakily make a push? Today, we check out a few 6A powers that deserve some title contending recognition.     Gulfport (8-1) | Next game: @ Ocean Springs   After a successful winning season in 2021, there was no reason to rule the Admirals out from being a really talented football team this year. With all their young talent from years past venturing into their final season, Gulfport has put together a 8-1 record so far with 2 games left. Senior quarterback Jacob Palazzo has been playing efficient football while the ground game has taken off by storm. Lead by senior back Emmanual Bentley, Gulfport has rushed for over 1400 yards and 20 touchdowns through 9 games, a credit to a massive offensive line that has gotten the job done and opened up some easy rushing lanes. The defensive unit has been just as stellar this season allowing only 13.6 points per game. The best part about this defense is many of the key contributors will return next year. As far as Gulfport's title opportunities this year go, they have an opportunity to clinch a region championship with wins over Ocean Springs and Biloxi over the next two weeks. The way that this team is rolling, nothing is out of the question. Teams that can run the ball and play stout defense are teams that historically win championships. Big things brewing down in Gulfport.   Clinton | (5-3) Next game: @ Tupelo   Finishing 6-5 last season, it was easy to see that Clinton was building something special towards this year. With 2 early season losses to Ocean Springs and Brandon (a 7 point loss), Clinton turned things around and hasn't looked back since. Before dropping a tight 2 point game to Oxford, Clinton picked up huge wins over Starkville and Madison Central. What stands out so far about the Arrows is their offensive firepower. Clinton is averaging 27.75 points per game this year and has put up big numbers against strong 6A opponents all season. With the defense coming together later in the season, Clinton is poised to make some noise and possibly a run at a state title after playing an undefeated Tupelo team this week and a struggling Murrah in the last week of the season. If the Arrows are to beat Tupelo, things could get interesting in a region where Clinton is currently slated to finish second.     Warren Central | (7-1) Next game: @ Petal   Not a lot of folks had Warren Central as one of the powerhouses in Mississippi this year, but the Vikings have been making quite a name for themselves. With only one loss to Brandon, Warren Central has dominated every team they have played against and beat a 5A contender in Vicksburg and 6A contender in Oak Grove in tight ball games. Senior do-it-all athlete Trey Hall (504 rush yds, 9 rush TDs, 346 rec yds, 4 rec TDs) has been an instrumental playmaker in an offense that is averaging 31 points a game. The rushing attack surrounding Hall has been great too, with Warren Central totaling over 1200 rushing yards on the season so far. Defensively, a front seven spearheaded by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='350949' first='Ronnie' last='Blossom'] has totaled 21 sacks on the year. By winning their next two games, Warren Central should clinch a region championship in a region not a lot of people thought they could get it done in. Super talented team that is bound to make some noise in the playoffs.     South Panola | (6-2) Next game: vs Horn Lake   After a week 1 loss to Oxford, South Panola has played great football and is in control of their own destiny. Currently in 2nd place in their region, South Panola fell earlier this month to Southaven but can still lock up a home playoff game this year. The Tigers have been dominating their region opponents through an offensive attack spearheaded by senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='106164' first='D'Mariun' last='Perteet'] who is nearing the 1000 yard rushing mark. This is how South Panola football has historically dominated on their way to a championship in years past. The Tigers defense has been great too, allowing under 20 points to each region team while creating 9 turnovers and 21 sacks on the season. Top to bottom, this is a very talented veteran team that has a chance to surprise some folks in November.     Starkville | (6-3) Next game: @ Germantown   Calling Starkville a sleeper state title team feels weird as we had big hopes for this squad this season. After a few tough losses, Starkville still remains in playoff and state championship contention with 2 games left in the regular season. Starkville has the athletes at the skill positions to compete at a high level, but the trenches have been a problem earlier in the year. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='273258' first='Trey' last='Petty'] and athlete [player_tooltip player_id='139597' first='Braylon' last='Burnside'] still remain as one of the toughest duos in the state to stop, and the defense led by defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='106317' first='Eric' last='Thomas Jr'] has been giving talented teams some struggle. While things may have not been perfect early on for the Yellowjackets, this is still a talented team that comes off a big win over Oxford and has given Tupelo their closest game all year (24-17). Keep an eye on Starkville over the next two weeks.

With only 2 weeks left of the regular season, it is time to start thinking about playoffs. In 6A this season, there are many teams that could be gunning for the 2022 state title. Teams like Tupelo, Ocean Springs, Brandon, and Madison Central have been talked about all season for title contention, but who are the teams that could sneakily make a push? Today, we check out a few 6A powers that deserve some title contending recognition.