Coming off a 35-23 road win over Ocean Springs in the first round of the playoffs, a victory that earned coach Marcus Boyles his 300th career win, Meridian (6-7, 2-3 Region 3-7A) traveled to Oak Grove on Friday to play the Warriors. The Wildcats fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter, and they failed to put up points on opportunities deep in Oak Grove territory before falling 35-0 in the second round of the playoffs.
The West Lauderdale Knights (11-2, 4-0 Region 4-4A) picked up their eighth win in a row two weeks ago with a 14-7 victory over Amory in the second round of the postseason. They could not replicate the result in the third round while playing on the road at Houston despite West Lauderdale quarterback Kayden Peoples rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns while adding 97 yards through the air. Houston scored five rushing touchdowns and one passing while holding West Lauderdale to three rushing touchdowns to defeat the Knights 42-21.