MS Top 5 Games of the Week: Week 9

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ripley (8-0) @ Amory (7-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Absolutely love this matchup. Two Region 1-4A teams whose towns live for high school football. This game basically makes up the de-facto region championship and somebody will lose their unblemished record. Both teams hang their hats on nasty defensive play, giving up less than 13 PPG a piece. Expect a great game and keep in the back of your mind that these two could see each other again sometime down the road in the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#5 Brandon (5-2) @ #9 Pearl (6-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As seems to be the case every week, we have a Top 10 matchup down in Rankin County, this one having large implications in Region 3-7A. Brandon may be possibly coming off the single best win of the season in the state of Mississippi after knocking off former top ranked Oak Grove last week. What effect will that have on the Dogs this week? Pearl took care of Petal last week in a game that took them a half to get going. Playoff seeding definitely is on the line in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Union (7-1) @ Sebastopol (8-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest game in the state of the "small school" variety takes place between the Yellowjackets and the Bobcats. With the exception of an early season loss by Union to Forest, these teams have dominated competition. Expect a game of the higher scoring variety as both teams have been known to move the ball with ease. The winner takes a nice hold of Region 4-2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#3 Oak Grove (6-1) @ Northwest Rankin (5-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most would call this a "get right" game for Oak Grove after dropping last week's decision to Brandon and being largely outplayed. "Getting right" at Northwest Rankin is not for the faint of heart, though. Both teams have given up points at times this year, but have the defensive playmakers to be very solid at any given point. This qualifies as one of the better QB battles of the week between Wesley Wright and A.J. Maddox. Getting off to a fast start could be important for both teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jackson Prep (7-2) @ MRA (6-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First round playoff bye is on the table in this traditional great MAIS matchup. MRA QB and Southern Miss commit, [player_tooltip player_id='344088' first='John' last='White'] is one of the top playmakers in the state and the Patriot offense undoubtedly runs straight thru him. White versus a Prep defense only surrendering 12.8 PPG will be quiet the battle to keep your eyes on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->