Tra’ Norwood sacks the Germantown quarterback earlier in the season. He leads the Tigers in tackles with 35. (Glennie Pou)

South Panola will host Hernando Friday, Nov. 13, at Robert H. Dunlap Stadium to open round one of the Class 6A State Playoffs for 2020.  The Tigers have battled obstacles the whole season from dealing with a deadly pandemic that could have canceled the season to a quarterback change halfway through. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

The Tigers are 8-2 (No. 2 seed in Region 2-6A) and the visiting Tigers from DeSoto County (No. 3 seed in Region 1-6A) have a 5-4 record. The last meeting between the schools was early this season when South Panola won 14-13 at Hernando. The winner will advance to the second round of the playoffs to take on the winner of the Madison Central at Oxford game, also being played Friday, Nov. 13.

South Panola has defeated Meridian(42-14),  Clarksdale (41-6), Germantown (19-16), Madison Central (12-10), and Warren Central (36-35) while picking up forfeit wins over Greenville and Murrah.

The Tigers’ only losses were to Starkville (38-20) and Clinton (24-21).

Players to watch for South Panola include David Hubbard,Jr.( Soph. QB.) D’mariun Perteet (Soph. RB), Martez Clark (Sr. RB), Cameron Wright (Sr. WR), Antoine Wright (Jr, OLB), Tym Taylor (Sr. DE), Tra Norwood (Sr. NG), and Ta’Javious Cotton (Jr.DT)

Hernando’s wins have come against New Albany (59-35), Tupelo (21-19), Southaven(12-0), Lewisburg (42-13) and Olive Branch (31-13). The Tigers  have lost to Center Hill (42-28), Horn Lake (16-14), and Oxford (37-27).

For Hernando, Reed Flanagan (Sr.WR), Zach Wickle (Jr. QB), and Shawn Wade (Sr. LB/WR) will be key players in the visiting Tigers’ game plan.

Tickets are $8  and may be purchased for South Panola fans only at the home ticket booth until the stadium reaches 50 percent capacity.

Facemasks are required for entry and must be worn at all times. State passes will be honored at both home and visitor ticket booths.

For those who can’t make the game in person, air time for the pre-game show on 100.5 FM will be at 6 p.m. The game will also be live streamed at www.sptigerden.com, with pre-game also beginning at 6 p.m.