After hitting a bump in the road three weeks ago, the Columbia Wildcats (6-1, 2-0) are now back in a winning rhythm with consecutive victories over district foes. Friday night they'll try to extend that streak to three district wins when they travel to Purvis to take on the region rival Tornadoes (4-3, 0-2).
The Wildcats enter Week 8 of the season with momentum on their side after grinding out a tough 20-14 win over FCAHS last week in their homecoming game. Despite a slow start offensively, Columbia found ways to create offense on special teams and surged to victory with three second-half touchdowns. Head coach Chip Bilderback said he's been pleased with the resilience his team has shown in crucial moments of games and believes it'll be a major factor for them as they enter the final three games of their district schedule.
"I was proud of how our guys kept their heads and kept fighting against a really tough football team last Friday," Bilderback said. "This is a tough district with a lot of teams that can get the best of you on any given week. But we like where we're at entering these last few weeks. A win on Friday against Purvis would officially cement our spot in the playoffs, so we're excited to get back out there and try to take another big step toward our goals as a team."
The Tornadoes, on the other hand, are limping into this week's matchup after back-to-back district losses to Poplarville (42-0) and Sumrall (34-21).They've struggled defensively against Class 4A offenses, allowing more than 31 points per game through four contests against 4A teams. Bilderback said the Wildcats won't be taking them lightly, however, knowing that Purvis was a thorn in Columbia's heel for quite some time, defeating them in five of seven meetings between 2007 and 2016.
"They've taken a couple of tough losses the past two weeks, so Friday night is going to be big for them as well," he said. "We're going on the road to play them on their homecoming night, so we're expecting them to be amped up and eager to get a big win in front of a big crowd on their home field. So we're going to have to execute really well in all three phases of the game and make the most of every opportunity we get to make a play. If we can do that, we'll have a good chance to come away with another win."
The opening kickoff for Friday's contest between the Wildcats and the Trojans is scheduled for 7 p.m.
