Gone are Carroll, Lee (MS) and Lee (AR) from last season’s District 1AA. In are the North Delta Green Wave and the West Memphis Black Knights. The district has been reduced to five teams with the defending district champion Kirk Raiders, the Indianola Colonels and the Marshall Patriots staying put. The prohibitive favorite to win a district title rests solely on the Kirk Raiders; the question will be which team can pose a threat to unseat the champs. If a title could be granted for the coolest mascot it would have to be either the Black Knights or the Green Wave but in the football world little consideration will be afforded.
The Kirk Raiders, lead by head coach Rick Johnston, lost in the state AA championship game to Centreville in 2008. The 28-10 loss capped a 12-3 season and the second title game in three years for the Raiders. While another district title could be expected the road to another AA championship game will be a harder task than the two previous. The Raiders last title was in 1997 when they captured the AAA championship.
While I’m not much of a gambler, I would say with mild confidence that Kirk will finish the regular season on top of District 1AA. The reluctance to give the Raiders a full vote of confidence is the possibility that the Marshall Patriots will mount a threat in 1AA. Marshall returns six starters on offense and six starters on defense from last season’s 6-5 squad that finished 3rd in district 1AA behind Kirk and Lee (MS). Four of those offensive starters are at the skill positions including junior quarterback Hank Owens. Patriot head coach Keith Wicker begins his third year at the reign and has compiled a solid 18-7 mark in his previous two seasons. In Wicker’s first season he guided Marshall to the state AA title game and a 12-2 season.
Indianola finished last season’s campaign at 4-6 overall and 2-3 in district play. For the Colonels to avoid another fourth place finish in district they will contend with the North Delta Green Wave. The Green Wave moved up to AA and while the competition will be stiffer they do return 10 starters from last year’s 5-5 squad. North Delta first year head coach Dan Werner will need to improve the Green Wave defense which allowed 25 points a game last season. If Indianola is to return to 2007 form in which they finished 7-5 and went into the 2nd round of the playoffs they’ll need better play on the road. The Colonels were 1-4 away from home last season and a critical district match-up will take place in week four as they travel to North Delta.
That leaves the West Memphis Black Knights who also made the move up to AA football after posting a 6-5 mark last season that included a playoff appearance. The Black Knights lost in round one to Winona Christian 15-14. West Memphis head coach Tim Pugh could have depth issues which may result in a long season. Of the 18 players on the 2008 roster 7 were seniors including the starting quarterback. The Black Knights averaged 24 points last season and yielded 21.
*Projected Finish
1) Kirk
2) Marshall
3) Indianola
4) North Delta
5) West Memphis
District 2AA
Gone from the 2008 version of District 2AA is Canton, Leake and Tri-County; joining Winston and Manchester is Carroll and Oak Hill. The lone four team district from the north could possibly be the weakest from top to bottom in AA football. That doesn’t suggest that during the span of 10 or 11 regular season games that a surprise team couldn’t emerge to challenge the Winston Patriots. All football junkies have witnessed each year a surprise team surface to throw the proverbial monkey-wrench into the mix.
If District 2AA is going to be competitive it may take Winston to not be Winston. The Patriots have six state championship trophies (three in both single A and AA) displayed in Louisville. The task at hand for Manchester, Oak Hill and Carroll is daunting to say the least. Over the past three seasons Winston is 31-9 while their new district counterparts are 23-71 combined.
Manchester should be expected to fall in behind Winston and hope to return to the form that qualified the Mavericks for the playoffs in 2007, but only if there is marked improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Manchester last won state titles back in 1983 and 1984 as they went back to back in AA. With only a three game district schedule the Mavs will host two of them, the last a week ten home match-up against the Carroll Rebels.
The battle for the third spot in District 2AA will come down to week six when Oak Hill makes the trip to Carrollton to face the Carroll. As I’ve said over the past few years…..two evenly matched teams regardless of their records can make for a great football game. Week six will provide just that when Carroll and Oak Hill collide. Leading up to the week six game Oak Hill has a somewhat brutal schedule while Carroll has a more opportunistic path that includes an open week prior to the Oak Hill game. Oak Hill could only muster a 22 man roster last season with ten of those having been seniors. If this were Las Vegas the line for which squad will finish in the third spot in District 2AA would read “pick em”.
*Projected Finish
1) Winston
2) Manchester
3) Carroll
4) Oak Hill
District 3AA
The football gods were smiling when this district was formed. Undeniably the toughest district in AA this season. Football freaks would pack up and move to be in the center of this hotbed of MPSA football. This is fact……four of the five squads in District 3AA could make a run at the 3AA title, but when playoff season comes calling there will one solid team sitting at home with nowhere to go. Here’s an idea, scrap the current playoff format that allows the district runners-up to qualify for a playoff appearance. District champions are automatic but move to the power-point system in selecting the remaining five squads in the north and south. Districts that are loaded are at a severe disadvantage to the weaker districts when it comes to playoff qualifiers. Enough mindless dribble from a novice football fan, lets get to it!
The Lamar Raiders moved to District 3AA from District 2AAA Division II where they captured three straight district titles over the past three seasons. In 2007 the Raiders brought home the State AAA Division II crown. Those expecting to see a football program in decline because of a drop in classification may be in for a rude awakening. Lamar, led by head coach Mac Barnes, compiled a solid 29-9 overall record the past three seasons and a 13-5 district mark. Those marks have included quality wins over Jackson Academy, MRA and Parklane. Ten seniors will provide a solid ground for leadership for the Raiders, one of whom is quarterback Witt Haggard. Haggard passed for over 3,500 yards and threw 30 td’s last season. Aiding Haggard at the skill positions will be two fellow seniors, Bo Bidgood (WR/RB) and Jamie Thompson (WR). While the Raiders did lose one of the better receivers in the MPSA, Robert Coffin, to graduation Thompson and Bidgood should help fill the void. The big question facing the Raiders will be on the other side of the football. Lamar gave up lots of yards on the ground last season and in a district with Simpson that could be disaster.
Speaking of Simpson, I’m now over the bitter disappointment resulting from the move of the Cougars to the north. The Simpson Cougars finished 2nd in District 4AA (3-1) last season and qualified for a playoff birth but were eliminated in the first round by Trinity. Simpson head coach Billy Hankins will have six starters back from last season’s offensive unit which will include senior quarterback Kyle Munn. Munn comprised half of a great tandem last season for the Cougars as he paired with senior running back Casey Hunt to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Replacing Hunt will be a tall order but Simpson has had one of the better junior varsity programs anywhere over the past few years. With the rich talent SCA has moving up they will compete with Lamar for the top spot in District 3AA. Defensively the loss of six starters will sting and the chances of the Cougar defense holding opposing teams to just over 11 points a game as they did last season may be difficult. Circle this game on your schedule…..week 10, Lamar at Simpson. The Simpson ground attack meets the Lamar air attack.
The football team in District 3AA that could use the motivational tool of being disrespected could be the Canton Panthers. After all, the Panthers only finished with an overall record of 9-4 and a district mark of 3-1 just behind Winston, qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season, and advanced to the second round in 2008. If the Panthers were in most other districts they would more than likely be considered favorites. Head coach Ron Jurney enters his fourth season with 11 starters returning from last year’s squad. Two of those were critical components from last season’s offense. Quarterback Kyle Warren and running back Mackey Simpson return for their final season as Canton Panthers. Warren is a two year starter and Mackey rushed for over 1,300 yards last season. Backing up Warren at quarterback will be Madison Central transfer Jeffery Davis. The junior quarterback, who may be running the offense before all is said and done, has created a bit of a stir amongst Panther fans that see unlimited potential from the new signal caller. If Canton is to return to the form that earned them AA State titles in 1987, 1995 and 1996 two things will need to happen…….they must improve their passing game and they must adapt to losing three starters on their offensive line and three starters on the defensive line.
The Leake Rebels had what most teams would consider a solid season in 2008. A 7-5 overall record and a playoff appearance. But for a team that won district titles the previous two seasons in which they amassed a combined 22-3 record that left the bar substantially high for the group of seniors from the 2008 squad. The 2009 version of Leake football faces the same challenge of sorts. The loss of 8 starters on offense and 7 on defense will test any team’s determination. The loss of all skill players on offense calls for drastic measure. The hope in Madden will rest primarily on the crop of young talent rising up at Leake. Whether that youth will mature quickly enough to translate into early success will be on display in week six when Canton visits to open up district play. While the downside is apparent, the upside could possibly be the Rebel’s schedule during the first half of the 2009 campaign. There’s no arguing that they have a brutal opening game on the road at Winston but that is followed by an open week, two home games against Hillcrest and Manchester and an away game at Oak Hill. The Rebels could be sitting at 3-1 and full of confidence when Canton comes calling. With so many losses on offense it will take time to get back to the explosive Leake attack that averaged nearly 37 points a contest on 06 and 07.
The Hillcrest Cougars must have gladly welcomed the move down in classification after two very tough seasons in 2-AAA division II. New Hillcrest head football coach Johnny Miles enters his 26th year as a head coach and takes over a program that hasn’t been able to equal what the Cougar basketball and baseball programs have done over the past several years. Coach Miles has nowhere to go but up with regards to improvement this season. Hillcrest was outscored by an average of 43 points last season and with only two starters returning on each side of the ball focusing on building from the ground up may be the best medicine. Positive aspects are noticeable on the Cougar schedule. The opportunity to be more competitive is there with eight teams on the 2009 docket that weren’t there in 2008. Among them are three single-A squads.
*Projected Finish
1) Lamar
2) Simpson
3) Canton
4) Leake
5) Hillcrest
