A pair of teams looking for a victory will begin their Region 3-3A competition this Friday night when 1-5 J.Z. George High School of Carrollton visits 1-4 Ruleville Central High School.
With kickoff slated for 7 p.m., Ruleville Head Coach Mario Lane is hoping the extra preparation time due to last week’s open date pays dividends this Friday night when the Jaguars come calling.
“I expect this to be a dog fight”, said Lane. “They have good athletes and run a Wing T offensively. But we have to turn our season around beginning this week if we want to get to the playoffs.”
In this first of four consecutive Region 3-3A contests, the Tigers are also hoping to break the three game losing streak they are experiencing with an all-important regional victory.
While the Ruleville Central Tigers were afforded a mid-season break last week, that same night the Jaguars of J.Z. George were being pummeled 44-6 by East Webster High School of Maben.
The Jaguars have experienced difficulty on both sides of the line of scrimmage this season as they have been shut-out twice and only scored one touchdown in three of their losses. Meanwhile, on the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Carrollton squad is giving up an average of 36.8 points per game.
The Jaguars’ only victory to date occurred September 15 by way of a 16-12 decision over Holly Springs High School.
Currently in their first season in 3A football, their won-loss status is a vastly different story compared to last season which saw the Jaguars accumulate an 8-5 record. Their long run ended with a second round 2A playoff loss to eventual state champion Calhoun City High School.
Ruleville Central has not played J.Z. George since the 2004 season when the Jaguars claimed a 20-14 victory.
