Friday Night Blitz: Week 11

Another week down and another week closer to the ultimate goal for every team in the state, Jackson. Each team has aspirations of making it to the Big House in Jackson where they have the opportunity to play for the gold trophy but as each week goes by, those opportunities get slimmer and slimmer for many teams. This week, the final regular season games will be played and playoffs will be set at the end of the night. It should be a great week of high school football in Mississippi and we've got you covered here on BulldogBlitz.com. Let's take a look at my picks from last week and where I am on the season picking my top five games each week.

Last Week's Record: 3-2

Season Record 34-16

Now, my game of the week and four more games to watch.

Game of the Week: Grenada vs. South Panola: Grenada has been one of the surprise teams in the always-competitive 6A this season coming in at 8-1 this week. South Panola continues to roll inside the state and are still the team to beat the rest of the way. Tonight, Grenada can set themselves apart from the pack and prove that they belong in the hunt for a State Championship. Unfortunately for them, I don't see South Panola giving in any time soon. The Tigers haven't lost a game inside the state in over two years and I don't see them losing one any time soon.

South Panola

East Marion at Bassfield: It doesn't get quite bigger than coming in to the final night of regular season football with a title on the line and that's exactly what is on tap for Bassfield and East Marion. The Yellow Jackets of Bassfield were upset earlier this season by Jackson Prep and, since then, have shown no mercy to the rest of the schedule. These two teams will be fighting for the top spot in 2A tonight and a district championship that could come down to the wire. With both teams undefeated in their district this season, I expect this to be a hard-fought ball game but the Yellow Jackets' star power will be too much in the end. Bassfield

Wayne County at West Jones: It's hard to believe at one point this Wayne County team was 2-2. The War Eagles went down early against Oak Grove and Gulfport but both teams were 6A powerhouses and it seemed to only make Wayne County better. Right up the road, however, is a West Jones team that's won six games of their own and one of the bigger rivalries in the state sets up perfectly on Friday for the district championship. This is going to be another fun ball game with a great atmosphere and I expect it to go down to the wire. Wayne County

Ridgeland at Pearl: Another great 5A matchup pits Ridgeland at Pearl with big implications on the line. The Pirates have had a great season so far staking an undefeated district record and are on the cusp of a top 10 ranking with a win this week. A win would also put them one step closer to winning their region with a potential championship matchup against Callaway. In one of the toughest divisions in the 5A classification, this would put one of the two teams closer to a playoff push. I think Pearl hangs on in the end. Pearl

Magnolia Heights at Heritage Academy : Switching over to MAIS we find the biggest game of the week between Magnolia Heights and Heritage in Columbus. Heritage has had a great couple of years under new management including a trip to the state title game a year ago where they came up just short to the Chiefs. Cliff Young and Mag Heights have had tremendous talent come through Senatobia in recent years and that's no exception this year as the Chiefs have put together a solid 7-2 season. Another big-time game with big-time implications is on the way tonight as the two teams push forward to playoff action. Mag Heights

Player of the Week: Aeris Williams, RB; West Point: It seems like just two weeks ago that Williams was on this list. Well, it was just two weeks ago that he was on this list. The MSU commit had another monster game last Friday night as West Point went on to their third-straight victory to get back in the playoff hunt for the final week of the season. A-train had 37 carries against New Hope for 275 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, he's one normal game away from 2,000 yards as he's rushed 264 times for 1,759 yards this year and 21 touchdowns. That's a stud.

Now let's take a look at this week's top 25 for the state of Mississippi.

Top 25:

1. South Panola (8-1) 6A

2. Oxford (9-0) 5A

3. Louisville (10-0) 3A

4. Brandon (8-1) 6A

5. Oak Grove (8-1) 6A

6. Tupelo (8-1) 6A

7. Bassfield (9-1) 2A

8. Pascagoula (8-1) 5A

9. Petal (7-2) 6A

10. Starkville (7-2) 6A

11. Pearl (9-1) 5A

12. Wayne County (7-2) 5A

13. Picayune (6-2) 5A

14. Hazlehurst (9-1) 4A

15. Madison Central (6-3) 6A

16. Callaway (9-1) 5A

17. Gulfport (7-2) 6A

18. Grenada (8-1) 6A

19. St. Stansislaus (9-0) 4A

20. Meridian (6-3) 6A

21. Laurel (8-1) 5A

22. Jackson Academy (7-2) MAIS-AAA

23. Charleston (8-1) 3A

24. West Jones (7-1) 5A

25. D'Iberville (7-2) 6A