Tupelo will continue their playoff this Friday against Madison Central, Tupelo will be looking for their 4th win in a row against the Jaguars and a trip to the third round of the playoffs.
Both teams are coming off commanding victories with hopes of progressing further in the bracket, but since only one team can progress it becomes reasonable to ask who has the best shot at winning.
What makes this game unique is that Tupelo and Madison Central are regional rivals, meaning this playoff matchup has already played out in a low scoring 14-12 Tupelo win in the regular season.
Both teams had their lowest scoring game of the season against each other and will be hoping to fare better on offense this time around.
Quarterback Jaremiah Harrell especially had an uncharacteristic game as he had his only game of the season with more rushing yards (64) than passing yards (50). The game would also include 5 fumbles across both teams, a failed 2-point conversion with 22 seconds of play left, and only 12 total pass completions.
It’s unlikely we’ll see as little offensive output this time around, but a low score can’t just be credited to offensive miscues though, as both of these teams also have some of the best defenses in the state.
This year Madison Central has kept more than half of their opponents from scoring more than 14 points, including in their playoff game against Lewisburg, which ended in a 46-0 shutout victory for the Jaguars. Against DeSoto Central, Tupelo accumulated 6 sacks, their highest mark of the season, alongside 11 tackles for loss, which put them on route to winning 34-14 in their playoff matchup.
For Madison Central to win they will have to find a way to neutralize Tupelo’s run game and Star Sophomore Runningback JJ Hill, who rushed for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns in Tupelo’s game against DeSoto Central.
Tupelo will have to continue to limit mistakes, since the teams back to back losses against Houston and West Point they have made it a priority to stay focused on what’s in front of them.
“This team knew where they were. And I think they definitely just kind of humbled them, got them aligned, back focused. And just you know, it didn’t bother us. It tells you a lot about our guys. Those two losses in the middle of the season didn’t hurt us. And we just kind of strapped our boots back on and got to work and worried about ourselves.” Head Coach Ty Hardin said in an interview with Wave Media staff member Carson Foster.
This game looks to be one of the most competitive of the year for Tupelo, but I believe that the same defense and rushing attack that’s taken them this far will lead them to continued success in the playoffs.
