By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Sept. 21, 2001
West Lauderdale and Newton County may decide the Region 5-3A championship when they meet a week from Friday.
Not so fast, says West head coach Stan McCain.
McCain won't be letting his team look that far ahead as they have to take care of winless Heidelberg this Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Collinsville.
The Oilers have been a slippery opponent for the Knights in the past as they won four straight from 1991-94 before the series went on hold due to redistricting. Included in that run were 41-14 (1994), 35-7 (1993), 28-6 (1992), and 14-3 (1991) Oiler victories.
The current Oilers are 0-3 after losses to Northeast Lauderdale, Noxubee County, and Bay Springs … teams that are a combined 7-2.
After wins over Florence and Union, the 2001 Knights suffered their first defeat last week when they dropped a 44-37 shootout at Northeast Lauderdale.
West had a great night on offense, cranking out 535 total yards. C. Jay Fountain completed 13-of-26 passes for 217 yards with the Knights' ground game accounting for 318 yards. Carlessio Blanks ran the ball 28 times for 215 yards.
Heidelberg comes in 0-3, but McCain is plenty concerned with head coach Larry McGill's team.
The Knights will have everybody on hand this week, although they still aren't at 100 percent.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com or call him at 693-1551 ext. 3234.