Indianola Academy and Ruleville Central will both host playoff games in Sunflower County on Friday night.
Indianola, which has not lost since the 2015 state title game, pulled out an expected win over Leake Academy on Friday night with 28-0 shutout.
The Ruleville Tigers, on the other hand, pulled off a tremendous upset on the road against Kossuth.
Kossuth, a good three-hour drive from Ruleville, finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and a three-game win streak going into Friday night.
Ruleville came in 4-6 but enjoyed a two-game win streak of its own thanks to back-to-back come-from-behind wins to end the season.
Now Ruleville will face Choctaw County (Ackerman) in round two at home in the Class 3A playoffs’ second round.
The Chargers are 8-2 and have not lost a game since Sept. 15 against Eupora.
They have beaten Houston, Aberdeen, Nettleton, South Pontotoc, Hatley and Independence consecutively, according to MaxPreps.
Choctaw County’s other loss was a week-one defeat at the hands of East Webster.
IA Versus Columbia
The Columbia Cougars are enjoying a win streak of their own, with an overall 7-5 record on the season.
Columbia has won five in a row coming into Friday night’s contest against Indianola Academy.
In those five wins, they have put up 60 points twice, according to MaxPreps.
They have not scored less than 32 points since a 32-26 loss to Simpson Academy on Sept. 29.
The team’s other losses came against West Marion, Adams County Christian, Parklane Academy and Presbyterian Christian.
They have beaten Sillman Institute, Purvis, Sylva Bay Academy, Wayne Academy, Bowling Green and Riverfield Academy.
Kickoff for both games is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday.
