Pillow Academy and Magnolia Heights have fallen on hard times this season.
A year ago, both teams were headed for the AAA playoffs - Pillow in Division I and Magnolia Heights in Division II.
This year, however, Magnolia Heights has no chance for the postseason, while Pillow's playoff hopes are on life support.
At 0-5 in the North AAA, the Chiefs have already been eliminated from playoff contention. The Mustangs need to beat Magnolia Heights Friday night and then upset top-ranked and two-time defending state AAA champion Jackson Academy to earn the second playoff spot in Division I.
"I haven't even talked to the kids about (the playoff possibility)," PA head coach Jeff Jones said. "We've got to take it one game at a time. We need to focus all of our energy on Friday night, and then we'll worry about next week."
Pillow is 1-7 after last week's 17-7 loss at Madison-Ridgeland Academy.
The Mustangs are averaging less than 13 points a game - by far the fewest of any team in the statewide academy AAA ranks.
Magnolia Heights snapped a four-game losing skid last week with a 40-6 win over Bayou. All three of the Chiefs' victories have come against Class AA teams.
"I expect Magnolia Heights to give us their best shot. I don't think they're ready to quit," Jones said. "I think our mindset is pretty good. We had a really good practice (Tuesday). This is our last home game, and we want to send our seniors out with a win.
"We're just trying to get better and working toward next year. We're working on keeping everybody together, because we can have a really good team next year."
Jones expects a physical brand of football from the Chiefs, who like to run the wishbone out of a two tight end
alignment.
"From talking to a couple of other coaches, they say Magnolia Heights will really hit you. They are big and physical," Jones said. "We better get ready to get hit. We better be ready to hit back, and I think we will be."
Offensively for Pillow, it's been the same story all year: inconsistency.
"Some plays are text book; other plays it's comic book," Jones said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Pillow's Bill Davis Field.
