H.S. FOOTBALL: South Side Hawks set for opener vs. USJ

South Side head football coach Jason Driggers said even though there’s no official game film to use for scouting University School of Jackson, he’s still got a good idea of what the Bruins will try tonight when the teams meet at USJ.

“USJ is one of those teams – and Mickey Marley is one of those coaches – that they do what they do and do it well,” Driggers said. “And what they usually try to do, they looked good doing last week in the jamboree.”

This will be the fourth year for the Bruins and Hawks to open the season together after going a few years without playing one another.

USJ has won the last three meetings.

“I think the last time we beat them was maybe 2003, but there were a few years we didn’t play,” Driggers said. “But these seniors would like to get a win over them before they’re done.”

The season hasn’t begun yet, and South Side is dealing with injuries already. They didn’t play the first couple of running backs on their depth chart last week, and Jalen Moore might be ready to go in time tonight.

“We’ve had a rough couple of weeks to tell you the truth,” Driggers said. “But it’s something you have to deal with football, and we’ll go with what we’ve got Friday night.”

The Hawks could take to the air tonight if they continue to build on how they ended 2013 when then-sophomore quarterback Cade Willingham threw for 10 touchdowns against Bolivar in their season finale to get their third win of the season.

“We ended the season last year winning two of our last three, and that really got us going when the offseason started,” Driggers said. “We’ll see if we can keep that up this year.”

They will try that starting tonight in north Jackson.

Brandon Shields, 425-9751