For at least the fourth time in school history, the Nanih Waiya Warriors will be playing a football team three classifications larger when the West Lauderdale Knights pay a visit for the season opener at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“It’s going to be a challenge and we are working to be ready for it,” said NW head coach James Courtney.
“They are really well coached and are going to be disciplined,” Courtney said. “We are going at it like we always do. We are going to try to win the game and capitalize the things they give us.”
With the Warriors fresh off a 15-1 season that concluded with the 2019 Class 1A State Championship and West Lauderdale coming off a 12-2 season that saw the Knights advance to the third round of the MHSAA Class 4A State Playoffs, an enthusiastic atmosphere should be on tap for Friday night.
“We are expecting there to be a big crowd,” Courtney said. “We know our people will be here and we are expecting them to bring one as well.”
Courtney says playing bigger schools is important for a team looking to improve, but also notes that the advantage is sometimes with the larger school early in the season. “That’s where depth comes in,” he said.
In previous years the Warriors have played Class 4A schools in New Hope and Choctaw Central. Nanih Waiya follows up this week’s game against 4A WL, with a matchup with 2A Union on Aug. 30 and then visits 4A Choctaw Central on Sept. 5 before beginning Region 2-1A play at home against Tupelo Christian.
The Warriors tuned up for West Lauderdale with a 12-3 win over East Webster at least week’s New Hope Preseason Jamboree played on the campus of East Mississippi Community College in Scooba.
“Offensively we were sloppy at times, but we did some good things,”Courtney said. “Hopefully bud division play we will be clicking a lot better.”
Courtney said West Lauderdale had a multi-dimensional quarterback and some good running backs.
“They are going to try to run the football, but they can throw it as well,” he said.
West Lauderdale also took part in the jamboree at EMCC, rolling past Caledonia 35-6.
