Rockets open Class 5A playoffs against Columbus

The Neshoba Central Rockets enter the Class 5A football playoffs Friday night when they host Columbus Hugh School.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Rockets come in with a 7-3 record. They went 7-1 in region 2-5A play and enter the playoffs with as the second place team out of their region.

Columbus is the third place team out of Region 1-5A. The Falcons’ overall record is 5-6 and their region record is 5-2.

Both teams started the season with non-region losses. The Rockets lost their first two games to Olive Branch and West Lauderdale. They than went on to win seven of eight region games, losing on to Vicksburg.  The Rockets were open last week, They closed out the regular season the previous Friday with a 21-13 win over Callaway.

Columbus lost its first four non region games, falling to Starkville, Southaven, Louisville and Tupelo. They went on to win five of their seven region games, falling to Lafayette and West Point last Friday night.

The winner between Neshoba Central and Columbus will play the winner between West Point and Holmes County in the second round of the playoffs the next Friday.

At the start of the season, Rockets coach Patrick Schoolar said this this year’s team would be young and might drop a couple of early games. But he also correctly predicted that they would become very competitive later in the season.

“That’s how  it has gone,” Schoolar said in an earlier interview. “We have a good program. When someone graduates or gets hurt, we will miss them but the next player steps up. For several players on this year’s yeam, now it is their turn.”