North Pike High School will be playing its first of two games on Southwest Mississippi Community College’s football field when it hosts Tylertown at 7 p.m. Friday.
This will be the first of two games this season the Jaguars will host at SMCC.
The Jaguars come into this week’s game after going on the road last week and defeating Purvis 27-21 on Nakia Trotter’s game-winning 45-yard touchdown reception.
“Generally, your biggest improvement of the year is between the first and second game, because everybody gets over those first-game jitters and settles in to what we’re going to do,” North Pike head coach Chris Smith said. “We’ve got to improve on not making the same mental mistakes that we made last Friday night. We’ve got to play hard like we did last week and be physical.”
Chiefs led head coach Osborne Holmes to the first win of his tenure last week when they went on the road and beat East Marion 18-6.
“We’re going to have to play hard each play. They’ve got a pretty good quarterback in Juwan Adams and receiver in Javian Jackson, so we have to be sure we don’t give up big plays to them,” Holmes said.
Tylertown will have to travel again next week to face the McComb Tigers.
Holmes said he believes his team will reap the benefits from taking on such a tough opponent so early in the season.
“It’s a big challenge for us, but it’s going to make us a better team because both ball clubs are great teams and made the playoffs last year,” he said. “Hopefully, all the fans will come out and support us. It’s going to be a tough game, and we’ll need everybody there.”
Smith looks forward to playing at Southwest’s field, and believes his players are excited as well.
“I look for a big crowd to come out. It’s a nice stadium with a new scoreboard and they’re excited about getting to play over there. They like their home field out at the middle school but they’re excited about playing closer to their field house and school where they’re at every day.”
Adams finished last week completing 16 of 22 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, Jackson had 10 receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown; Trotter finished with 11 carries for 43 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and two receptions for 55 yards and a receiving touchdown. Jake Spears led the defense in tackles with eight and Marquez Lee had one interception.
Ojavius Magee led the way for Tylertown last week with 28 carries for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Aaron Jefferson completed 6 of 12 passes for 120 yards and Josh Lacroix led the defense in tackles with eight.
