The Ridgeland Titans will head out to face off against the Neshoba Central Rockets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Ridgeland will be strutting in after a win while Neshoba Central will be coming in after a defeat.
Ridgeland is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 49-21 victory over Canton. Considering the Titans have won six matchups by more than 20 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Johnathan Henningburg continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 190 yards and a pair of scores while picking up 11.9 yards per carry. Those 190 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Ashton Gorden helped out on the ground, rushing for 92 yards and a rushing touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Ridgeland was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 487 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 191 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Nigel Lockett
| 10/23/25 vs Canton | 13 |
| 10/16/25 vs Callaway | 11 |
| 10/10/25 @ Warren Central | 11 |
| 09/26/25 vs Natchez | 12 |
| 09/19/25 vs Yazoo City | 12 |
| + 14 more games |
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Ridgeland's defense and their 6.5 sacks. Leading the way was Nigel Lockett with three. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last 19 games he's played dating back to last season. Jordan Wright was another major factor on D, forcing two fumbles and making 17 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Neshoba Central played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 42-13 loss at the hands of Warren Central. While losing is never fun, the Rockets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 75th, while the Vikings are ranked 15th).
Ridgeland will need to focus on slowing down Alandrick Hathorne, one of several Neshoba Central players who made an impact when they last played. He picked up 119 receiving yards and one TD. The team also got some help courtesy of Samuel Huffman, who threw for 254 yards and one touchdown.
Ridgeland's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.0 points over those games. As for Neshoba Central, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 4-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Ridgeland has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 381.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Neshoba Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Ridgeland ended up a good deal behind Neshoba Central in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, losing 23-7. Thankfully for the Titans, Mekhi Gaddis (who rushed for 289 yards and three scores while picking up 8.5 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
