Leflore County is ready to make another run at a state title after falling short in last year’s appearance. Friday, the path to a championship kicks off as the Tigers host M.S. Palmer in the first round of the North 2A playoffs.
The Tigers beat Leland High School 28-0 last week, finishing the regular season with a 7-2 overall record and a perfect 4-0 record in Region 4 games.
“Last week we played much better. We limited turnovers and just played better football,” Leflore head coach Eric House said.
Leflore’s stack of wins slotted the Tigers as the first seed in their region, something House said is good, but is only useful for one game.
“It (getting the first seed in the playoffs) is real important for the first round because you get matched up with a lower seed, but after the first round, all the teams are good,” House said.
M.S. Palmer comes in at 3-7 overall with one win in Region 3 competition, a 42-7 victory over Strayhorn on Sept. 30. Since then, the Dragons have lost four games in a row, in which opposing teams outscored Palmer 158-26.
It’s been 51 years since the Dragons have captured a win over Leflore County. The two teams have been matching up since 1971 — which was the last time Palmer beat Leflore.
The Tigers have won 19 of the 20 games between the two teams, outscoring Palmer 625-114 in the series history. Friday’s playoff game will be the first time since their last meeting in 1996, which was a 26-20 Leflore win.
Even though the Dragons’ record isn’t pretty and the Tigers have owned them in the series history, House doesn’t think they’ll go down easy.
“They are athletic, physical and play in a tough district with some powerhouse schools,” House said. “They are used to playing good teams, we just have to play Tiger football.”
Leflore still has some players on its roster that were a part of last year’s state title run, and they still retain that playoff experience. House said he believes that experience give his team an edge.
“No doubt last year’s experience helps our guys — but last year was last year,” House said. “We have to come out and play high level football the rest of the way.”
The victor of Friday night’s playoff opener will face the winner between Choctaw County and Belmont in round two of the playoffs next week.
-Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
