Greenwood will get a much tougher test this week.
After dismantling 2A-member Leflore County in the season opener, the 4A Bulldogs play at 5A Holmes County Central Friday night in Tchula.
These two teams played a close one in Greenwood last season, with the Bulldogs escaping with a hard-fought 21-20 victory.
“We felt like we substituted too early last year and let them get back in it. This year we can’t let up,” GHS head coach Clinton Gatewood said. “The competition level jumps up some this week since Holmes is one of the largest 5A schools in the state, but our kids will be ready for sure.”
Under first-year head coach Marcus Rogers, the Jaguars defeated Yazoo City 53-29 in the opener for the both teams.
This is his second stint as a head coach after serving as offensive coordinator at Provine last season. At Vicksburg, Rogers went 19-15 in three seasons as head coach and had two playoff appearances.
Rogers takes over for Kenneth Nelson who resigned after being the head coach of the Jaguars for two years. Nelson went 7-16 overall and made the Class 5A playoffs in 2016.
Everywhere Rogers has been his teams have been able to up points.
When he was offensive coordinator at Murrah and in his three years at Vicksburg, his offenses averaged between 30 and 40 points a game.
Quarterback Justin Smith and running back Robert Jackson lead the Jaguar offense. Smith completed 8 of 11 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns against Yazoo City, while Jackson ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
“Their quarterback has definitely improved from last year. They will throw it around with him back there, and they have good size up front,” Gatewood said.
The Jags will face a Bulldog defense that posted a shutout last week against the Tigers.
Sophomore defensive end Davin Anderson led that unit with 11 tackles, two sacks, two deflected passes and a forced fumble. Quiontavious Lymon, a junior tackle, had 10 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.
“We are healthy after the first game, and we have corrected some mistakes and feel good about where we are going into the second game,” Gatewood said. “We have fine-tuned some things that will help us maximize our success as a team.”
