Battle For The Little Egg Bowl Set For Friday Night In Starkville

On Friday night, the battle for the Little Egg Bowl will take place in Starkville, Mississippi as the Oxford Chargers take the field against the Starkville Yellowjackets. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

With the two Universities in their respective cities, it has brought the rivalry to the high school level for an Egg Bowl game of their own. 

While the fans may focus on the rivalry, Oxford Head football coach, Chris Cutcliffe, knows that they need to prepare and execute just like any other week. 
“Yes, it’s a rivalry game, it’s a lot of fun for the fans and the kids, but at the end of the day it’s a football game,” Cutcliffe said. “We’ve got to prepare really well and go play well Friday night.”
Oxford heads into Starkville with the record of 1-0 on the season after taking down Vicksburg 21-6 last Friday night. The Chargers defense shinned against the Gators by only giving up 26 rushing yards in the game.
Senior RB Hiram Wadlington Jr. led Oxford in three offensive categories with 149 rushing yards, 169 total yards, and he scored two touchdowns. Cutcliffe spoke about what Wadlington Jr. brings to the team, and how his versatility propelled them to victory last week. 
“Hiram played outstanding. He is such a versatile player,” Cutcliffe said. “Either it’s running from the backfield, catching balls out of the backfield, or playing receiver, he is so smart. We can put a lot on his plate and shoulders, and he handles it and takes it all in stride. He has been that way since he was in ninth grade when I first started coaching him. Just a consistent guy; you know what you are getting week end and week out.”
The Starkville Yellowjackets (1-0) come into the game after defeating Noxubee County by the score of 43-3. The Yellowjackets gave up a field goal in the first quarter of play and closed the door on any other scoring chances that the Tigers had for the rest of the game. After a strong performance last week, Cutcliffe knows they will have their hands full on both sides of the ball as they travel to Starkville. 
“Starkville’s always very very talented,” Cutcliffe said. “They are well coached, coach Jones is doing a great job in his first year down at Starkville. Their defensive line is very talented, and their quarterback is a great player. They have weapons on offense around him and they can fly on defense. They have a lot of ability, well-coached football team. So it’s going to be a great test for us.”
This will be the fifth time Oxford and Starkville will play for the “Little Egg Bowl.” The Chargers won the trophy in the first meeting, but the Yellowjackets have won the last three meetings on the gridiron.
All the action of this non-district 6A matchup can be heard on 95.5FM.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.