It’s Homecoming week at Louisville High School, with Choctaw Central (3-3) being the guest Friday night at 7 at R.E. Hinze Stadium and Shorter is finding out more from a team he’s unfamiliar with after all these years of coaching. The Warriors have losses to tough teams in lower classifications like Union, Nanih Waiya and Lake but they also have back-to-back wins over Richland and Kosciusko, the second of which made them 1-1 in the district.
The Warriors searching for its first winning season in at least 15 years as they managed just two wins combined over the course of the last three seasons.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever seen Choctaw Central on film and their guys play. I didn’t know what to expect until I turned on the film but they’re feisty and they never quit. They’ve got some really good football players. There’s a lot of distractions this week with homecoming and we have to prepare,” Shorter said of Choctaw Central.
“These guys are really responding to what we’re doing. The month of October and November is the most important times of the season,” Shorter said. “We’ve got to win those months.”
— Robbie Faulk
LADY TIGERS SENIOR NIGHT
The Noxapater High School volleyball team will close out its season with Senior Night on Tuesday, Nov. 15 when Kosciusko High School plays a visit. The celebration will take place between the 5 p.m. junior varsity game and the 6 p.m. varsity contest.
“Six of our eight varsity players are seniors,” said Noxapater head coach Pam Mills. “They have done so much for this program and we are excited to honor them.”
— Austin Bishop
UNBEATEN TEAMS
There are a total of 22 unbeaten high school football teams remaining.
Top-ranked Madison Central is the only undefeated team in Class 6A. Provine is off to a 7-0 start for the first time since 2004. Second-ranked Picayune and eighth-ranked West Jones are the other unbeaten teams in 5A.
Itawamba AHS, Greenwood and South Pike are the undefeated teams in 4A. Region 8-3A has the only undefeated teams in 3A in Columbia, Magee and West Marion. Magee travels to West Marion on Friday night. Northside, South Delta, Lake and Enterprise-Clarke the unbeaten teams in 2A. Resurrection is the only unbeaten team in 1A.
Teams undefeated in the MAIS are Heritage Academy, Riverfield (La.), Winona Christian, Greenville St. Joseph, Manchester Academy, Prairie View (La.) and Tensas (La.).
— Brandon Shields
COSTLY SAFETY
French Camp Academy outscored homestanding West Lowndes18-2 in the second half on Friday night but lost 32-31 due to giving up a safety after a bad snap. FCA scored a touchdown late in the game to pull within one but the try for two came up just short.
French Camp dropped to 1-6 and 1-3 in Region 2-1A. West Lowndes is one of the state's most improved teams with an 8-1 record (4-1 in the region) after going 2-9 last year.
French Camp has a home game Friday with Noxapater, which is the third ranked 3-1A team in the state according to the website MaxPreps.
— Robbie Robertson
CHARGERS WIN REGION OPENER
Choctaw County opened Region 4-3A play with a dominating performance in a 37-14 victory over Aberdeen. It was 27-0 after one quarter, 34-0 at the half and 37-0 before Aberdeen got on the scoreboard against Choctaw County reserves. The victory was the third straight for Choctaw County, improving the Chargers record to 4-3.
Next up for CCHS is a trip to Houston, which is coming off a 19-12 loss to Noxubee County — the 2018 Class 4A Champion which dropped to 3A this year. Houston is 5-2 overall and 0-1 in 4-3A.
— Laurence Hilliard
LONG FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS
In Kosciusko’s 38-35 loss to Choctaw Central, the Whippets lined up to attempt a 96-yard field goal early in the second quarter with field goal kicker Will Carter. The ball went out of bounds at the Kosciusko 48-yard line where the ball was spotted.
The move was predicated due to injuries to both Kosciusko punters. According to a local official, the ball has to cross the goal line to be spotted at the 20 and is live just like a punt and can be returned by the defense.
Later in the game, the Whippets lined up for a 76-yard field goal attempt that netted 19 yards.
— Robbie Robertson
LADY CHARGERS WIN REGION
Choctaw County volleyball is region champion for the second time in three years.
The Lady Chargers wrapped up Region 4 for Class I with a 25-15, 25-12, 25-22 victory over Amory, improving the team's region record to 11-0. Choctaw County will begin the playoffs Oct. 17 with a home match against Region 3 runner-up Senatobia.
— Austin Bishop
COLEMAN MAKING IMPACT
After sitting out his junior season last year due to MHSAA transfer rules, Kendall Coleman has become an integral part of the Choctaw County offense as a running back and receiver. In a 37-14 victory over Aberdeen, he carried three times for 24 yards and caught TD passes of 20 and seven yards. For the season, Coleman has run the ball 14 times for 77 yards and caught 18 passes for 180 yards and four TDs.
Two years ago, he totaled 1,262 yards and 16 TDs running, receiving and passing for French Camp.
— Laurence Hilliard
