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Two weeks make a huge difference
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| By: Shawn Jenkins |
October 17, 2009 |
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Coldwater vs. Smithville. Photo by Willie Love
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What a difference two weeks have made in Tate County football action. Independence and Coldwater had winning records and were gaining ground in their division. Senatobia was undefeated and looking to take charge of their division. All three teams were in the driver seat when it came to the post season, but now all three have lost two straight and the playoff picture is starting to get fuzzy. Let's look at what happened around the county including Strayhorn's eighth loss of the year.
Independence 7 at Charleston 48
Two weeks ago, Independence had won two straight road games and had a 1-0 start in their division. Then they took a tough 14-0 loss at home to East Side and then traveled to Charleston to take on the undefeated Tigers last Friday. The Wildcats didn't have much success against the Tigers and their only score came late when London Parker took the ball into the end-zone on a quarterback sweep. "They had so much speed and we didn't have an answer for it," said Coach Dogan. "They're a really good football team!"
With the loss to Charleston the Wildcats fall to 1-2 in their Division. For a ticket to the postseason the Wildcats must win their last two games against division foes; Palmer and Ruleville Central. They'll travel to Palmer this Friday and the Dragons have had trouble moving the ball and putting points on the board lately, but they have a decent defense. Independence will need to jump out to an early lead and get Palmer into a passing situation. They don't want to keep it close with the Dragons.
Coldwater 0 vs. Smithville 41
The Cougars were enjoying a winning record (3-2, first winning record since at least 2003) two weeks ago and they were looking for their first win at home since 2007. Coldwater lost to Wheeler and then hosted division leader, Smithville last Friday. The Undefeated Seminoles jumped all over the Cougars and walked away with an easy 41-0 victory.
The Cougars dropped to 1-3 in the division and they'll travel to Biggersville this week. The Lions are also 1-3 in the division, so it is a must win for both teams to have a shot at the playoffs. Coldwater hasn't lost on the road yet this year and they'll need to be focused for this game. "Biggersville are a tough team and our biggest problem is getting our players to practice," said Coach Wellington. "When we practice hard and everyone is there we take care of business."
Senatobia 25 at Rosa Fort 26
Two weeks ago the Warriors were undefeated and took the field looking to knock off Lafayette County for the division lead. We all know that Senatobia was upended in that game and the loss wasn't a huge set back for them. Last Friday, the Warriors traveled to Rosa Fort and the Lions have yet to lose at home this season. They defeated the Warriors by one point and this loss was a setback. Rosa Fort improved to 3-2 in the division and Senatobia slipped to 2-2.
The Warriors have two division games left and they need to win both to make up some ground in the division. They host the Lewisburg Patriots this week. The Patriots come into the game at 2-7, but last Friday they upset North Panola 8-0 and they will be looking to improve to 2-3 in the division and lock things up with the Warriors if they can pull off another upset in Varner stadium. Senatobia cannot afford to look past Lewisburg.
Strayhorn 0 vs. West Tallahatchie 54
After scoring in their first five games the Mustangs failed to score again for the third week in a row and lost their eighth game of the year when the West Tallahatchie Choctaws came to town. The Choctaws poured on the points and pulled to 2-0 in the division despite a rough start to the year.
It has been a hard year for the Mustangs who had a lot of hope coming into this season, but it isn't over yet. Strayhorn will hit the road this week to face the Coahoma Agricultural Tigers. The Tigers have yet to win a game and haven't scored in a while. Both teams are playing for pride and this could be the Mustangs game to win.
Well it was another tough week for the teams of Tate County, but this Friday they all have an opportunity to turn things around and get back on track. There will be a lot of questions answered and it will be interesting to see which team steps up when they need the win. Be sure to read next week's Democrat to catch up on the action. By the way, Senatobia is the only team at home this week and it is their last regular season at home. The Boys in blue could use a big crowd for this one.
Want to talk football? Have some insight or nice action shots? Send me an email to sjenkins.shelter@gmail.com.
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©The Democrat 2010
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