The second football season, also known as the playoffs, begins this Friday night.
And for the Gentry High Rams football team, a trip to Collinsville to take on the West Lauderdale High Knights is on their agenda.
This Friday’s 7 p.m. contest at the school near Meridian will be the first time these two teams have ever met on a football field.
“They are fundamentally sound and big up front,” said Gentry Head Coach Mario Young. “While I think our speed could help offset their size, if we will limit the turnovers and penalties, we can take them.”
Entering the game with a 6-3 record, the Rams will take on the Knights who have accumulated an 8-1 record and second place finish among teams in Region 4-4A play.
The Rams concluded their 2022 season in third place against their Region 3-4A competition.
Should the Rams claim an opening round victory over the Knights this Friday they will move on round two of the 4A state playoffs.
That opponent will come in the form of this Friday’s winner of the Houston-Shannon match-up.
If Houston wins this week, the Rams will be on the road again for that Nov. 11 clash.
However, an upset win by Shannon High this Friday would enable the Rams to host the second-round game on their own field.
Last Friday night while the Rams enjoyed an open date, the Knights completed their regular season schedule with a 43-21 victory over Northeast Lauderdale High of Meridian.
The Knights come into this Friday’s game with their only loss being suffered at the hands of Region 4 champion Louisville High School.
Since that loss, the West Lauderdale High team has responded with two consecutive victories.
Featuring a high-scoring offense, the Knights have averaged 40.2 points per game over the course of the season.
Meanwhile, defensively the Knights have allowed only 132 points all season, a 14.6 per game average. Notably, 40 of those points allowed by the West Lauderdale defense occurred during the Knights’ loss to Louisville High School.
