The 2-3 Charleston High School Tigers will open Region 3-2A play this week by hosting the 5-0 North Side Gators of Shelby.
North Side is coming off a 40-0 thumping of the Coahoma County Red Panthers Friday night.
The last time Charleston and North Side met on the gridiron was Nov. 29, 2019, when the Gators defeated the Tigers 14-6 in the Class 2A North State Championship game at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale.
A lot has happened since then. Both teams have new head coaches. But the fact remains that this battle of region challengers is shaping up to be an important one.
Charleston had an open date last week, giving them two weeks to prepare for this important regional matchup.
CHS head coach LaDon Taylor said the uncharacteristic week off also gave some banged-up players on his team much needed rest and additional time to get better.
Kickoff Friday is at 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
