MHSAA football playoffs start tonight
Here are some capsule notes on tonight’s high school football playoff games involving DeSoto County teams.
MHSAA 6A
Clinton (6-4) at Southaven (8-3)
NOTES: Clinton and Southaven are playing for the fourth time in history with the Arrows leading the series 2-1. The last meeting was A 31-7 Clinton victory in 2012. Clinton enters the game on a four-game winning streak. Clinton has one overtime victory this season, a 35-31 win over Germantown (Madison) on Sept. 24. Clinton is 2-3 in road games this year and is 22-24 in playoff games in school history. The Arrows have a 13-12 mark in first round contests. Southaven also enters the game on a four-game winning streak and is 5-0 at home this fall. The Chargers are 5-14 all time in playoff games and are 4-10 in first round games. Clinton won a state title in 2016. Southaven has never won a state championship in football.
DeSoto Central (6-5) at Madison Central (9-1)
NOTES: Madison Central won the only previous contest between the Jaguars, a 35-13 victory in 2013. DeSoto Central was the third seed from MHSAA Region 1-6A for the playoffs after a 35-22 victory over Lewisburg to end the regular season. DeSoto Central (0-3) is still seeking its first playoff football victory. Madison Central is one a six-game winning steak before tonight’s contest. Madison Central has scored no fewer than 27 points in a game, including the 25-28 loss to Starkville on Sept. 24. Madison Central is 33-25 in playoff games in school history and is 19-7 in first round games. Madison Central won its only state championship in 1999.
Hernando (5-6) at Starkville (10-1)
NOTES: Hernando (6A) and Hattiesburg (5A) are the only teams in the top two classes of the playoffs with losing records. The Tigers lost to the Yellowjackets in a previous meeting, a 42-28 defeat in 2011. Hernando brings a four-game winning streak into the contest, including a last-second 24-20 win over Olive Branch last week that vaulted the Tigers into the playoffs as Region 1-6A’s fourth seed. Hernando has a 5-12 record in playoff games and is making its 13th appearance in the postseason. Starkville has won its last two games coming into the contest. This is the 33rd year for the Yellowjackets to be in the postseason and Starkville has a 54-26 record in playoff games. Starkville has won six state championships, including its last one in 2015.
MHSAA 5A
Lake Cormorant (6-5) at Neshoba Central (10-0)
NOTES: The Gators lost its last meeting with the Rockets in 2019, a 36-28 defeat. Lake Cormorant qualified for the postseason as the fourth seed in Region 1-5A despite losing its last regular season meeting with Lafayette (Oxford) 28-19 last Friday. Lake Cormorant is 3-2 in road games this fall. It will be the seventh appearance in the playoffs for the Gators and Lake Cormorant has a 4-7 playoff mark. The Gators’ first-round record is 3-4. The unbeaten Rockets are 5-0 in home games this season and are in the playoffs for the 14th time. The overall playoff record for Neshoba Central is 16-13 and the Rockets are 8-5 in first round games. Neither team has won a state football championship.
Statistics credit: David Parker, Mississippi High School Football History
2021 DeSoto County football scores/schedules
