Veteran sportswriter and high school football expert Robert Wilson is doing the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard predictions column each week during the high school football season on teams from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin County. Wilson had a 3-0 record (100 percent) last week.

Simpson Academy (0-0) at Tri-County Academy (0-0)

Junior quarterback Bryce Warriner set school records with 2,262 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes and led Tri-County to a 12-2 record and a MAIS Class 4A runner-up finish last season.

Tri-County has eight more starters returning, four on offense (senior wide receiver Jacob Clearman, senior tackle Connor Hillman, senior tackle Will Barker and senior center Nathan Selph) and four on defense (senior end Hayden Walker, junior middle linebacker Rhett Gray, junior outside linebacker Brayden Walsh and free safety Clearman).  Clearman was second on the team with 407 receiving yards and first in yards per catch (20.4) and scored five TDs and tied for the team high with six interceptions. Gray had a team-high 61 tackles.

Tri-County coach Philip Wasson has an impressive 42-10 record (an 80.8 winning percentage) and has been in three state championship games, winning in 2021, as he begins his fifth season in Flora. He also won two state titles at Washington School in Greenville.

MAIS Class 5A Simpson is looking for its first state title since 2013 and has three state runner-up finishes in the past six seasons.

Junior quarterback Barrett McKenney completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 1,600 yards and 17 TDs last season and helped Simpson to a 9-3 record and a state runner-up finish. His top receivers returning are juniors Chanse Funchess and Braden Duncan, who combined for 34 catches and 516 yards and six TDs last season.

Simpson must replace running back Carter Cockrell, who graduated after rushing for 2,238 yards and 29 TDs last season.

Senior Devan Drennan (6-3, 250 pounds) anchors the line for the Cougars.

Todd Mangum starts his third year as head coach at Simpson and his 21st season in his career as a head coach. He has a 119-56 record, a 68.0 winning percentage, and has coached at McLaurin, Seminary, Collins, Ocean Springs, Wayne County and Wayne Academy before coming to Simpson. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Simpson in 1986. Mangum won the MHSAA Class 5A state title in 2015 at Wayne County.

Tri-County and Simpson are two of the most successful teams in the smaller classes in MAIS history and have not met in at least 18 years in football. Tri-County leads the series 10-2.

Simpson 21, Tri-County 14.

In other games (winning team in bold):

Brookhaven Academy (0-0) at Hartfield Academy (1-0)

Carroll Academy (0-0) at Canton Academy (0-0)

Cathedral (0-0) at Central Hinds Academy (0-0)

Clinton Christian Academy (0-0) at Greenville St. Joseph (0-1)

Copiah (0-0) at Jackson Prep (0-0)

Delta Streets Academy (0-0) at Madison St. Joseph (0-0)

East Rankin Academy (0-0) at Oak Forest, La. (0-0)

Hillcrest Christian School (0-0) at Wilkinson Christian (0-0)

Jackson Academy (1-0) at Leake Academy (0-0)

Magnolia Heights (0-0) at MRA (1-0)

Park Place Christian Academy (0-0) at Ben Ford’s (0-0)