Will a Homecoming night at North Sunflower Academy help bring a victory to the Rebels football team?
The answer to that question will play out Friday when the 0-5 Rebels take on the visiting 1-5 Kemper Academy Rams at 7 p.m.
Attempting to rebound from last Friday’s 52-12 loss to DeSoto School of West Helena, Arkansas, the Rebels will complete a three game string of home dates with this Friday’s Homecoming clash versus the Rams from DeKalb.
Owners of a three game losing streak and a deceiving won-loss record, last Friday night Kemper Academy dropped a 36-28 decision to Delta Academy of Marks.
Additionally thus far this season, the Rams’ lone victory occurred the third week of the season with a 44-6 drubbing of currently winless Hebron Christian School of Pheba.
Although exhibiting the ability to score points by way of their 30.6 point per game average, the Rams do appear to struggle on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.
Thus far this season, the Kemper Academy defense gives up an average of 34 points per game; an average inflated over the course of the past three weeks when opponents have scored 56, 50, and 36 points each game.
However, other than a 56-20 loss to top-ranked Manchester Academy of Yazoo City, the Rams’ loss column is littered with hard-fought outings including a pair which were decided by only a two point margin.
Historically, NSA and Kemper are knotted at a 2-2 series record since the 2010 season.
Last year, the Rebels prevailed 42-6 over the Rams, who would move on to a 1-8 record.
In last week’s loss to the now 4-2 Thunderbirds of DeSoto School, the Rebels’ scoring was paced by Jacob Gentry’s pair of touchdowns, the first being a 35 yard jaunt to the end zone. Gentry would also later record a 32 yard run against the Arkansas team’s defense.
Gentry ended his night’s play with 89 rushing yards while quarterback Dakota Dawson rushed for 90 yards while throwing for another 82 yards of offense.
