Mark Oct. 5 on your calendar.
That’s when Louisville will face defending Class 4A state champion Noxubee County in what could once again be the first of two showdowns between the friendly rivals.
But the Wildcats won’t have to wait near that long to be tested.
Louisville has released its 2018 football schedule, and the highly-touted Wildcats will have multiple opportunities to prove themselves.
Before the season even gets officially started, Louisville is slated to take on Class 6A powerhouse Starkville in a jamboree on Aug. 10. That’s followed by a trip to Navarre, Fla., to face another Class 6A powerhouse in the season-opener.
Louisville is coming off a 12-3 campaign in which the Wildcats’ only losses were to state champions. They fell twice to 4A champ Noxubee and once to Class 5A champion West Point.
A host of key parts return in head coach M.C. Miller’s final season, and the Wildcats were impressive in a spring jamboree win over Greenville.
The trip to Navarre will officially kick off the season, where the Wildcats will find a Raiders team which went 9-3 last year and has averaged more than 10 wins per season this decade.
A trip to juggernaut West Point follows on Aug. 24, followed by the first home game against Class 3A Kemper County Aug. 31.
September begins with a trip to Ripley on Sept. 7, followed by a trip to Grenada Sept. 14 and a home date with Greenwood Sept. 21. Louisville closes out the month with the first of four Region 4-4A contests: A trip to New Hope.
October begins with the Noxubee County showdown Oct. 5 in Louisville. The Wildcats step out of region play for the final time with a home contest against Forest on Thursday, Oct. 11, then finish out the regular season with back-to-back division games at Kosciusko (Oct. 19) and at home against Leake Central (Oct. 26).
The Class 4A state playoffs are set to begin Nov. 2.
