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Prep Rally

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#440: Tupelo, New Albany impress; Skunk Bowl on deck – 09/04/26

Brad and Brandon have a quick but packed episode for you this week. Brad offers his impressions of Tupelo in its Week 1 win against Brandon (1:04), and Brandon does the same on New Albany, which rolled past Saltillo (2:16). Other observations include a stout Starkville defense (3:25). Looking at Week 2, the annual Skunk Bowl features Baldwyn and Booneville (4:52). Other rivalry games include Hatley-Smithville (6:24), and West Point-Starkville (7:05). On the volleyball front, East Union continues to dominate and looks like the favorite in Class 2A (7:39).

#439: Brandon-Tupelo, Dampeer Bowl highlight Week 1 football – 08/27/26

The high school football season is here at last, with a full slate of games in Week 1. Brad and Brandon are here to preview some of the more notable matchups. Tupelo is hosting Brandon (1:50) in a battle of Class 7A titans, with Drew Dean making his debut as the Golden Wave's quarterback. Brothers Baylor and Brooks Dampeer face off again when Pontotoc visits Amory (5:16), and will likely be the last Dampeer Bowl. Also, reigning 1A state champion Calhoun City meets Myrtle in the first-ever meeting between the teams (6:50). Also today, Brad breaks down his preseason rankings (7:55). On the volleyball front, Brandon has a recap of Hatley's recent win over rival Smithville (9:10).

#438: Football is back, and we're pumped about it – 08/21/26

Brad and Brandon are itching for some football, and that's the main topic of conversation on this week's episode. Brad wrapped up his position rankings with the area's top five quarterbacks (3:10). Some of those guys will be in action Friday night for preseason jamborees (6:08). Brandon will be reporting from Saltillo-Ponotoc, while Brad will have Okolona-TCPS. Also on this episode: Saltillo volleyball picked up a big region win (1:47), and the Tupelo 49ers made a deep run in the American Legion World Series (7:46). Oh, and don't forget to pick up a copy of the Football Journal in Saturday's paper for a comprehensive preview of area teams.

#437: Brandon Speck returns to the Daily Journal – 08/13/26

Guess who's back? That's right, Brandon Speck has rejoined the Daily Journal sports staff and is on this week's episode with Brad to discuss several topics. Brandon got out to a big volleyball match the other night, as Tupelo knocked off New Albany (2:01). Football season, of course, is drawing nigh, and Tupelo looks to be tough on offense the return of tailback Kylan Bobo and the addition of quarterback Drew Dean (3:54). And there's some big basketball coaching news out of Baldwyn (9:00).

#436: 7A baseball is brutal; big basketball coaching news – 04/29/26

Brad and Brendan are back, and they've got plenty to talk about what with the baseball and softball playoffs going on. Class 7A baseball continues to be a gauntlet, with more than a third of the first-round games decided by one run (1:23). In 1A, Tupelo Christian took down Biggersville in three games (3:27). And looking ahead to the quarterfinals, the East Union-Hamilton softball series will feature some elite pitching (4:25). The Miss Softball and Mr. Baseball awards were announced earlier in the week, with six area players being honored (6:27). And we've got some big coaching news: Robert Green has stepped down as Tupelo boys basketball coach (7:29).

#435: Tupelo, TCPS baseball looking to make playoff runs – 04/22/26

Brad and Brendan are here with a brand new episode as the baseball and softball playoffs get going. Tupelo opens the Class 7A baseball playoffs against Starkville (1:16), which won't be an easy out. In 1A, Tupelo Christian looks to be a contender with players like Jax Coker and Jack Decker (3:33). And in softball, Amory and Ripley will tangle in 4A this week (4:52). The tennis championships were held earlier this week, with both Pontotoc and New Albany taking home titles (5:58). In football news, Thrasher is hitting the pause button on its football program (6:35).

#434: West Union softball 'poised' for a run in 1A – 04/08/26

Brad and James are back after a brief hiatus, and there's plenty to discuss. On area diamonds, we're in the final stretch of the regular season, with region titles and playoff seedings on the line. In softball, West Union clobbered Potts Camp on Tuesday to claim the Region 2-1A title (1:29), and James believes the Eagles are "poised" to make a big run in the playoffs. Lafayette, meanwhile, has work to do if it wants to claim the 1-5A crown after a mistake-filled loss to Caledonia (3:23). On the baseball front, Region 1-7A is crowded at the top, and Tupelo is looking to pull out a good playoff seed (4:50). In coaching news, Ryan Finch has stepped down as Saltillo's head football coach (6:19). The Daily Journal released its annual All-Area basketball honors last weekend (7:22). In other hoops news, Tishomingo County's girls finished No. 4 in the MaxPreps Small Town Top 25 rankings (8:04).

#433: Tupelo softball, Mooreville baseball notch impressive wins – 03/16/26

Brad is joined by Brendan for this week's episode, and they've got some updates from the diamond. Tupelo softball, which has Katherine Gillon back in the fold, took down county rival Mooreville last week (1:35). West Union softball, a Class 1A team, took down Lafayette, which reached the 5A finals last year (2:50). And Mooreville's baseball team rolled past Tishomingo County (4:09). Also today, Tishomingo County's Meg Moore was named the Mississippi Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year (6:15). Be sure to vote for Athletes of the Week (7:46) by visiting us on Twitter, @djournalsports.

#432: Seven area basketball teams win state titles – 03/10/26

Brad and James are back after a week in Jackson, where seven area teams won basketball state championships. Ingomar's girls won a fourth straight title behind the play of Daylen Grisham (2:04). Calhoun City's boys, meanwhile, gave 26th-year head coach Daren Coffey his first gold ball (3:51). East Union's girls won it all for the first time (5:30), while Booneville's girls won for the fourth time in five years (6:24). Tishomingo County's girls took their second crown in three years (8:21), and Starkville swept the 7A titles (9:40). Be sure to vote for Athletes of the Week (11:18) by visiting us on Twitter, @djournalsports.

#431: Three teams win soccer titles; basketball playoffs roll on – 02/23/26

Yes, it's a Monday, which is now the day Prep Rally will drop each week. Hurray! Brad and Brendan have plenty to recap from a busy weekend. Three area teams won soccer state championships on Saturday: Tupelo's girls broke a 20-year drought (2:54), Saltillo's girls won their fourth in a row (5:14), and New Albany's boys claimed their first title (5:40). The basketball playoffs are ongoing. Tupelo's girls and boys both won their first-round games (6:52). The quarterfinal round begins later this week for all classes, and there are some mighty attractive matchups (9:36). Also, several area players won Mr. and Miss Basketball awards (12:11). In some big coaching news, Brett Morgan is the new head football coach at Starkville, and he was replaced by longtime assistant Roger Burton (13:11). Be sure to vote for Athletes of the Week (14:09) by visiting our Twitter page, @djournalsports.

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