One thing is for certain about the high school playoffs this year: Trustmark Park isn’t on the schedule, thanks to a schedule conflict with the Conference USA tournament.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association finals were moved to aging Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, with its plain concrete, hard benches and artificial surface with no dirt in sight. Even the pitching mound is made of turf, colored orange, and made of shredded old tires. It’s not exactly the place you’d want to be on the bottom of a title dogpile.

But as the suspended New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton always says, it is what it is.

Teams playing there with speed in the lineup and in the outfield can expect an advantage and funny hops on the surface of the infield will be legion.

But the bigger question is this: will any of the three teams make it there?

If St. Aloysius does, it’d be the third trip in four years for the Flashes, who won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. The Flashes have rebuilt with a young team with a few solid veterans, like pitcher/infielder Josh Eargle and infielder Matthew Foley, and have endured some growing pains in a 5-16 season.

Across the county, Warren Central came into this season with a veteran, talented ball club and high hopes of playing for its first title since 2001. But the third-seeded Vikings come into the playoffs limping after losing of seven out of their last nine games.

But stranger things have happened. The postseason, as evidenced by the St. Louis Cardinals’ World Series title last season, is a nice reset button for the regular season. The Cardinals needed the implosion by the Atlanta Braves to earn a spot as a wild card down the stretch, and the Cardinals rode their wild card berth to a title.

The Vikings wouldn’t mind doing the same thing from the third playoff spot out of Division 3-6A. If they get past Columbus in the first round, Division 4-6A champion Northwest Rankin awaits in the second.

“We’re excited to be in, that’s for sure,” WC coach Josh Abraham said. “It doesn’t scare us at all. From the three spot, it’s going to be tough. But you’re going to have to beat them (Northwest) at some point. We’ve got three pitchers. We’ll tee it up and play anybody.”

Vicksburg earned the second spot by virtue of a 6-5 walkoff win over WC in the division finale for both teams last week. The victory had added meaning, as the Gators took the season series between the two rivals for the first time since 2009, Abraham’s first year at WC.

First-year coach Ryan Grey has one wish for the postseason, which starts for the Gators Friday in a rematch against South Panola.

“I’ll be pulling for Warren Central throughout the playoffs and, hopefully, we can meet those guys right here at Bazinsky (Field),” Grey said. “That’d be a classic three-game series that’d be really good for this community.”

The two teams are on the same side of the bracket and could meet in the third round.

Let’s hope that happens. If last week’s game was any indication, that’d be one heck of a three-game set.