Week 1 high school football capsules
Aug. 26—FEATURED GAMES
All stats are from 2021 season.
LAFAYETTE AT TUPELO
THE PLAYERS
Lafayette: QB Charlie Fair passed for 1,262 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INTs. ... RB Jayden Reed rushed for 1,412 yards, 13 TDs on 236 carries. ... DB Kylan Egerson made 75 tackles, 8 INTs.
Tupelo: QB Jeremiah Harrell passed for 1,009 yards, 10 TDs, 7 INTs; rushed for 248 yards, 3 TDs. ... WR K.D. Gibson made 26 catches for 529 yards, 7 TDs. ... LB Tyler Vaughn recorded 113 tackles, 11 TFL.
FOUR DOWNS
—Tupelo won last year's meeting 5-3.
—Lafayette's defense recorded 39 sacks last season.
—This is the first of seven road games for Lafayette.
—Tupelo was 4-1 at home last year.
NEXT UP: Lafayette hosts Horn Lake; Tupelo hosts Saltillo.
AMORY AT ITAWAMBA AHS
THE PLAYERS
Amory: QB Jatarian Ware passed for 1,408 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs; rushed for 675 yards, 17 TDs on 130 carries. ... RB Charleston French rushed for 1,880 yards, 18 TDs on 215 carries. ... CB Cam Haynes made 42 tackles, 5 INTs.
IAHS: RB/S Isaac Smith rushed for 1,196 yards, 23 TDs on 121 carries; made 51 tackles, 5 INTs on defense. ... QB Ty Davis passed for 2,364 yards, 22 TDs, 5 INTs. ... LB Bryson Walters made 59 tackles, 7 TFL.
FOUR DOWNS
—IAHS has won four straight in this series, including a 35-14 win last season.
—Amory reached the Class 3A state title game last fall.
—IAHS created 31 turnovers on defense last season.
—Amory was 6-1 in road games last year.
NEXT UP: Amory hosts Caledonia; IAHS at New Albany.
SHANNON AT PONTOTOC
THE PLAYERS
Shannon: QB Jamarcus Shines passed for 1,483 yards, 12 TDs, 8 INTs; rushed for 654 yards, 4 TDs on 96 carries. ... LB Jaiden Shannon made 45 tackles, 1 INT. ... LB Jayden Thompson made 41 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 INTs.
Pontotoc: QB Conner Armstrong passed for 732 yards, 5 TDs, 9 INTs in six games. ... WR/CB Nic Townsend had 30 catches for 462 yards, 5 TDs; rushed for 604 yards, 8 TDs on 98 carries. ... RB Anndru Berry rushed for 338 yards, 8 TDs on 60 carries.
FOUR DOWNS
—Pontotoc won last year's meeting 33-32.
—Shannon's defense made 12 interceptions last season.
—Armstrong played only six games in 2021 due to a shoulder injury.
—Shannon has lost four-straight season openers.
NEXT UP: Shannon hosts New Hope; Pontotoc at Grenada.
KOSSUTH AT BALDWYN
THE PLAYERS
Kossuth: QB/S Jack Johnson passed for 716 yards, 6 TDs, 2 TDs; rushed for 1,045 yards, 15 TDs on 162 carries. ... DL Trace Wegmann recorded 115 tackles, 14 TFL, 5 sacks. ... LB Ethan Tucker made 55 tackles.
Baldwyn: QB Jamaury Marshall passed for 1,857 yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs. ... WR Hastin Nelson made 34 catches for 786 yards, 9 TDs. ... DE Rodney Stewart made 98 tackles, 40 TFL, 15 sacks.
FOUR DOWNS
—Baldwyn won last year's meeting 12-11.
—Kossuth is the Daily Journal's No. 2-ranked small school, while Baldwyn is No. 3.
—Baldwyn's defense recorded 31 sacks last season.
—Kossuth was 4-0 on the road last year.
NEXT UP: Kossuth at Corinth; Baldwyn at Booneville.
NEW ALBANY AT EAST UNION
THE PLAYERS
New Albany: RB Kody Atkinson rushed for 999 yards, 12 TDs on 124 carries. ... LB Jareil Bowling made 83 tackles, 15 TFL. ... LB Drew Hobson made 48 tackles, 8 TFL.
East Union: RB Hayden Frazier rushed for 861 yards, 11 TDs on 168 carries. ... LB Connor Timms recorded 47 tackles, 1 INT. ... CB Riley Williams made 23 tackles.
FOUR DOWNS
—New Albany is 4-0 all time against East Union, including a 41-0 win last year.
—Brandon Cherry is in his first season as East Union's head coach.
—East Union averaged 30.3 points per game last year.
—New Albany was 1-4 in road games last fall.
NEXT UP: New Albany hosts Itawamba AHS; East Union at Heritage Academy.
ALSO TONIGHT
ABERDEEN AT OKOLONA
Anthony Watt makes his debut as Okolona head coach. These teams are meeting for the first time in three years, with Aberdeen winning the last matchup, 26-0.
BOONEVILLE AT MOOREVILLE
Both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks: Sophomore Noah Gillon for Booneville, sophomore Brody Thompson for Mooreville. The visiting Blue Devils have won four in a row in this series.
BYHALIA AT RIPLEY
Ripley is looking for QB Ty Long to start fast this season. Last year he passed for 796 yards and nine TDs and will be asked to do more as a junior.
COFFEEVILLE AT BRUCE
Coffeeville won this meeting last year, 21-2, en route to a 4-6 season. The Trojans went 0-7 and missed the playoffs for the second-straight year.
CORINTH AT SALTILLO
Saltillo has a solid passing combo in QB Chance Johnson and WR J.T. Beasley. Johnson is looking to cut down on the 16 INTs he threw last season, and he faces a stiff early test in Corinth, which is led on defense by linebacker Chris Rodgers, a Southern Miss commit.
HAMILTON AT HATLEY
Hatley has won six in a row against its Monroe County rival, including a 21-12 victory last year. To break that streak, Hamilton will need strong play from QB Evan Pounders, who passed for 1,066 yards and 8 TDs last season.
LOUISVILLE AT WEST POINT
West Point, which has won six-straight 5A North titles, takes on a perennial 4A contender in Louisville. The visiting Wildcats were 10-3 last season and reached the third round of the playoffs.
NETTLETON AT EUPORA
Nettleton has a lot of experience at receiver, but quarterback Braylen Williams is a freshman. Eupora is trying to replace RB Jay Stevenson, who transferred to Heritage Academy.
NORTHSIDE AT HOLLY SPRINGS
In an effort to utilize its speed, Holly Springs is transitioning from a power offense to the spread. The Hawks are facing a Northside team that went 9-2 last season.
OXFORD AT BRANDON
Oxford has a stout defense but will have its hands full tonight. Brandon has most everyone back from an offense that averaged 395 yards per game. Oxford is expecting big things from transfer QB Mack Howard, who threw 47 TD passes last season for Heritage Academy.
POTTS CAMP AT FALKNER
Richard Russo debuts as Potts Camp's head coach. His offense is led by All-Area quarterback Peyton Aldridge, who passed for 1,802 yards and 21 TDs last year.
SMITHVILLE AT BELMONT
Smithville, 8-4 a year ago, has a lot of retooling to do on both sides of the ball due to personnel losses. Belmont (6-4) is in the same boat as it seeks to replace RB Myles Cox (1,419 yards, 18 TDs).
SOUTH PONTOTOC AT EAST WEBSTER
The host Wolverines lost a couple of defensive stars when linebackers Zy Ford and Kobe Smith graduated. But they still have lineman Britain Burleson, who had 76 tackles and 17 TFL last year.
STARKVILLE AT COLUMBUS
Starkville has one of the state's best passing combos in QB Trey Petty and WR Braylon Burnside, both juniors. The Yellowjackets have won five straight against Columbus, with an average margin of victory of 39.2 points.
TISHOMINGO CO. AT MANTACHIE
Cory Quinn is the new head coach at Tishomingo County, which went 1-9 last year. Mantachie (6-5) returns all the major pieces in its single-wing attack, including QB Jaycob Hawkes.
TUPELO CHRISTIAN AT NORTH PONTOTOC
It looks to be a rebuilding year for TCPS, which reached the 1A North final but saw four starters transfer out after the resignation of coach Shaune Holiday. Brad Kimberlin has taken over.
VARDAMAN AT MYRTLE
Both of these teams went 3-6 and missed the playoffs. Vardaman returns a veteran defense, while Myrtle will depend on a lot of youth on both sides of the ball.
WEST LOWNDES AT BIGGERSVILLE
Biggersville won last year's meeting, 21-7. West Lowndes went on to finish the season 10-3, reaching the third round of the 1A playoffs. The Lions went 9-3 and reached the second round.
OTHER GAMES
Bluff City (Tenn.) at H.W. Byers
Calhoun Academy at DeSoto (Ark.)
Hebron Christian at Humphreys Academy
J.Z. George at Alcorn Central
Marshall Academy at Bayou Academy
Middleton (Tenn.) at Thrasher
Oak Hill Academy at Benton Academy
Trinity Collegiate (S.C.) at Starkville Academy
Brad Locke
