While the Columbia vs. Jeff Davis County rivalry doesn’t carry the same significance as it once did when the neighboring schools were torturing each other in Region 8-3A, it remains a matchup that fans on both sides circle before the season begins, knowing a four-quarter war is on the horizon after both won state titles in 2021.
Columbia (4-0) has once again proven itself to be among the best teams in the state with impressive wins over Mendenhall and Petal and in-county victories over East Marion and West Marion.
The Jaguars (2-2) have played a non-district schedule that has been as tough as any in the state, taking on Class 5A Picayune (28-7 loss), Class 6A D’Ibervillle (35-34 win in overtime) and Class 4A Mendenhall (27-7 loss). The defending Class 3A state champions remain littered with talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, that will present some unique challenges for Columbia.
Since moving up to 4A last season, the Wildcats haven’t faced near as many Wing-T offenses as they did in 3A. When they did play Wing-T offenses last season against Poplarville and Jeff Davis County, though, they shut them down. This year’s iteration of the Wing-T for JDC is bit different, however.
“(They have) bigger, stronger backs than what they normally have — they usually have smaller, quicker backs — so we have a challenge on tackling this week,” Wildcats head coach Chip Bilderback said. “Their execution is really high right now, and they have a quarterback (Eli Viniard) who can really throw it. The big thing with the Wing-T is you have to stop the run, but they have the ability to throw the ball with a quarterback who can make all the throws.”
In defending a multi-faceted attack like that, Bilderback said the Columbia secondary is going to have to do a good job reading run or pass quickly, and the front seven will have to read its keys and play with sound technique.
“They want you to make a mistake, so it’s going to be really hard, on that front, to not do that,” he said.
On the other side of the ball, JDC loves to send pressure and play man-to-man coverage behind it. That means Columbia’s elite trio of receivers (DJ Cloyd, AJ Lewis and Kendale Johnson) is going to have to win one-on-one matchups and quarterback Collin Haney is going to need to read the defense quickly and deliver the ball with anticipation and accuracy. Bilderback said he believes his squad will be able to run the ball effectively, but with how aggressive JDC is defensively with stacking the box, the passing game is going to have to make big plays, like it has all year to this point.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but I think this week gets us better for our district,” he said. “The history we’ve had with them the last five years, every game with them has been a battle. We anticipate it to be just like that Friday night — a battle.
“I think it’s a game we need at this moment in our last non-conference game to get us ready for what lies ahead in October in what looks like a much stronger district than it may have been last year.”
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Walter Payton Field.
