It’s the week on the football schedule that fans of Nanih Waiya and Noxapater mark each year.
While the annual Thursday night showdown between the Warriors and the Tigers will be renewed before a packed house at Noxapater on Thursday night at 7, more is at stake than just pride and bragging rights.
The winners of the game will have the upper had in the Region 2-1A standings and a clearer path to home field advantage throughout the MHSAA Class 1A State Football Playoffs.
While beating the rival is nice, and expected by their fan bases, both Nanih Waiya head coach James Courtney and Noxapater head man Casey Orr both say it is what a win in that game provides that makes it crucial.
“It’s a big game,” Courtney said. “We (both) know it’s a chance to be the No 1 seed and that gives you the biggest advantage in the playoffs. It’s not just about playing Noxapater, it’s about putting ourselves in a better position.”
Orr agrees.
“If you win here, it gives you some breathing room,” Orr said. “You actually have room if you make a mistake later in the season. Winning this game will definitely give someone the advantage.”
Orr said the two teams are similar in a lot of ways and the game will be about as physical as you can imagine, but also features plenty of skill players on both teams.
“It is a fun game,” he said. “It should be a huge crowd. As far as 1A atmosphere it is of the best you can find anywhere. The people in Winston County love their football.”
He said this game, like most of them, will come down to four or five key plays. “Whoever makes those plays will likely win,” he said.
“Raheem (Hathorn) and K.D. (Carter) are great players,” Courtney said of Noxapater’s two-headed rushing attack. “When they are healthy they are as good as they come.”
Nanih Waiya has some big guns of their own in the Turner (Donovan and Devean) twins, Shia Moore, and Austin Sanders.
Noxapater and Nanih Waiya, the defending MHSAA Class 1A State Champion, are both 3-0 in Region 2-1A play. Their closest competitor is 3-1 West Lowndes. The top four teams make the playoffs, but the top two host first-round games.
