Game of the Week: Oak Grove vs. Laurel

LAUREL, Miss. - Oak Grove and Laurel are two similar team's.

Both loss quite a bit of guys from last year and are anxious to play each other for this non-regional game.

Laurel head coach, Todd Breland said, "I look for the same Oak Grove team. They just reload every year. They got a lot of kids, a great coaching staff. They'll always be a challenging football team to play."

"Laurel is very athletic. They've got a lot of good players on both sides of the ball. So it's going to be a tough challenge," said Oak Grove head coach, Drew Causey.

Both teams are sitting at .500 and are looking to get a win this weekend in effort to gain momentum as the season progresses, and to hopefully start a winning streak as well.

"We got a really confident group. There's a lot of great tradition here and a lot of winning programs. So our guys know what's expected and they're always going to step up to the challenge," said Causey.

"These kids understand who we're playing and they understand the chances you take when you play a schedule like we do. But, they also understand this makes us better when we hit region play, and that's the ultimate goal," said Breland.

The Warriors feel like they're playing with a chip on their shoulder this season.

Oak Grove running back, Aaron Abram said, "We underrated. People don't believe in us you know what I'm saying? But, we got way more than what people think we have."

Despite Laurel's loss to Hattiesburg last week, the Golden Tornadoes believe this year will be a great season.

Laurel defensive end, Kalen Brown said, "We have all this talent. I mean everybody is dependable. You can put them in a position to do it, even if the starter falls down, you have somebody who's just as good who can come back up and even fill that void."

The quarterback of the Warriors defense knows what his guys have to do.

Oak Grove linebacker, Hayes Maples said, "Just run the keys, do things right, and play full speed. They have a really big offensive line and they have a lot of speed. Quarterback has a lot of speed and can run it too."

Laurel's quarterback just wants to get another win at home in front of his town.

Tyquan Ulmer said "I love the community. I love my city. They come out and support us and it means a lot because this football team is all heart."

Kickoff is Friday at 7 p.m. at Laurel High School.