From staff reports

Getting their teeth kicked in has turned out to be a great experience for the Tallulah Academy Trojans.

Tallulah gave up 55 points in its first two games, but just 30 in its last three. Last week, the Trojans had 10 sacks, allowed minus-24 rushing yards and 26 yards of total offense — most of it on a single passing play — in a 20-0 win over Wilkinson County Christian.

Tallulah (4-2) will try to continue its dominance tonight at home against Claiborne (2-3).

“We’re just shutting them down. Three-and-out, three-and-out. Our guys are feeding off of some kind of energy,” Tallulah coach John Weaver said.

Weaver said the turnaround started after a 28-6 loss to St. Aloysius on Aug. 28. Getting mauled by a bigger, more physical St. Al team showed the Trojans how far they still had to go to be an elite defense. Since then, the defense has only allowed 24 points. Glenbrook returned an interception for a touchdown in an 18-12 victory over Tallulah on Sept. 4.

CoCo Isaac leads the defense with 42 tackles and five sacks, while Tandon Baker has six sacks.

“The turning point was St. Al. That’s the first time somebody blew us out. It woke them up. They came to practice and said we don’t want that to happen any more,” Weaver said.

Central Hinds at Copiah Academy

Central Hinds had one avenue to the playoffs closed off with losses to District 4-AA rivals Bowling Green and Brookhaven the last two weeks. The Cougars, though, can still earn a wild-card berth with a strong run in the second half of the season.

Central Hinds is currently second among likely wild-card teams in power points, which determine the wild cards, and tonight’s game against Copiah Academy could turn out to be crucial to its hopes. Copiah (2-3) is in Class AAA District 2, meaning a victory would give Central Hinds the maximum 16 power points.

Hinds AHS at Prentiss

Hinds AHS is on a roll, having won four in a row and outscoring opponents 74-15 in its last three games. Not coincidentally, the winning streak has come at a time when the War Dawgs (4-1) have dramatically cut down on turnovers.

Hinds AHS committed six turnovers in its first two games, a 24-7 loss to Hazlehurst and a 15-13 win over Port Gibson. Over the past three games, Hinds has committed just one turnover.

“We just had them get a little more football knowledge about what’s going on. When they get in a crowd, the running backs need to know to go down instead of fighting for that extra yard and getting the ball ripped out. Things like that,” Hinds coach Michael Fields said.

Madison at Grambling

Madison Parish (0-3) heads to Grambling in search of their first win. Madison lost 31-6 last week at home to Delhi.

Huntington at Briarfield

The Rebels (4-1, 1-1) look to stay alive in MAIS-District 6-A tonight when they host Huntington in a key contest in Lake Providence. Briarfield has already lost to district front runner Trinity and needs a win over the Hounds to keep its playoff hopes intact.

The Rebels defeated Bayou Academy 27-14 last week in Cleveland. Briarfield quarterback Joseph Hopkins rushed for 244 yards and three scores against Bayou.

Benton at SIA

Sharkey-Issaquena (2-2) celebrates homecoming tonight when it takes on Benton (2-2) in a district contest.