Predicting the Winners of the 2024 Mississippi High School Football Championship; Classes 5A-7A

See who High School on SI thinks will bring home state titles in Mississippi

The Tupelo Golden Wave are 11-0 and the favorites in Mississippi's Class 7A football state playoffs. / Hannah Mattix/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Mississippi high school football playoffs are well underway - with this weekend’s quarterfinal games giving us some quality match-ups. We’re predicting each division’s champion prior to kickoff on Friday.

High School On SI will have scores, schedules and coverage of the 2024 Mississippi high school football playoffs.

2024 MHSAA 7A

Champion: Tupelo Golden Wave (11-0)

Tupelo High School has been a powerhouse so far this season. They finished 11-0 with only two of their wins coming by one score or less.

Powered by 2024 7A Mr. Football (and Miss. St. commit) Jaeden Hill, the Golden Wave have not only beaten every opponent they’ve played, but outscored eight of their opponents by 20 points or more.

The Golden Wave have much more than just Hill, though. There is a swath of talent on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Noah Gillon, whose efficient 18 TDs to 4 INTs has allowed Tupelo to excel. There’s also an elite secondary for Tupelo, which includes corners Maison Dunn and Iverson McCoy.

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>>Mississippi (MHSAA) high school football playoffs: 2024 brackets, Round 2 and 3 matchups, game times<<

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To put icing on the cake, the Golden Wave has not allowed more than 14 points in a game since October 11th against Madison Central, who eliminated the Golden Wave last year in the quarterfinals.

With an elite backfield and defense, it’s hard to see anyone slowing down Tupelo. But they could face trouble in a potential championship matchup of Oak Grove, who won the 7A bracket last season.

Still, we’re projecting Tupelo to take home their first championship since 1992. Behind the play of Gillon and Hill, it’s hard to see any team stopping (or slowing down, rather) this high powered offense. 

Even in last week’s matchup against Lewisburg, the game was out of hand after a 28-0 first quarter - and Hill only registered three carries for 112 yards and 2 TD. 

Projected Runner-Up: Oak Grove Warriors (8-3)

7A Quarterfinal Matchups this weekend:

Madison Central Jaguars (9-2) vs. Germantown Mavericks (7-4)

Tupelo (11-0) vs. Starkville (7-4)

Brandon (10-1) vs. Petal (8-4)

Ocean Springs (7-4) vs. Oak Grove (8-3)

2024 MHSAA 6A

Projected Champion: Hattiesburg Tigers (11-0)

Put simply, the Hattiesburg Tigers have too much talent to lose. With five players ranked as three-star recruits or better, there isn’t a team in Mississippi with more talent.

Leading the charge for the Tigers this season has been standout quarterback Deuce Vance - a South Alabama commit. He’s thrown for over 1500 yards and rushed for roughly a third of that amount as well. Between his arm and legs, he accounted for 23 touchdowns in the regular season.

The defensive side of the ball has a tremendous amount of talent as well - led by the best interior defensive line pairing in the state - Kevin Oatis and Justin Foster.

And I haven’t yet mentioned star wide receiver Tristen Keys - who ranks as a top-5 recruit in the country for 2026.

Hattiesburg has proven it at every turn so far this season, with marquee wins over Geroge County, Oak Grove, and West Jones (the 2023 6A champion).

Their next matchup is against Pascagoula, led by 3-star QB Silas Corder - who has 22 passing touchdowns this season. But with key players littered throughout both sides of the ball, it’s hard to see them falling in this coming matchup - or at all this season.

Pascagoula, though, may have the best odds at upsetting the Tigers - making their Friday night game one of the best of the weekend.

If Hattiesburg can get past Pascagoula, they’ll play the winner of Picayune/George County. We’re counting on the all-around skill set of 6A Mr. Football Deuce Vance to propel the Tigers to a championship this season, though.

Projected Runner-Up: Grenada Chargers (11-1)

6A Quarterfinal Matchups this weekend:

Grenada (11-1) vs. Neshoba Central (6-5)

Warren Central (8-3) vs. South Panola (9-2)

Hattiesburg (11-0) vs. Pascagoula (9-2)

Picayune (10-2)  vs. George County (7-5)

2024 MHSAA 5A

Projected Champion: West Point Green Wave (8-3)

The 5A level of Mississippi high school football is arguably the hardest to predict in the state. Almost any one of the eight teams remaining could feasibly win the state championship.

Cleveland Central is the only undefeated team in this bracket, and would in theory be the easy pick here. There has been struggles for the Wolves this year, though. In October, they had to come from behind to beat Canton (this week’s quarterfinal matchup). Still, they have the most impactful player left in the tournament in Tulane commit Jay Beamon.

I’m also tempted to take the red-hot Brookhaven Panthers, who haven’t lost since late September - especially since half back Caiden Quarles has been excellent this year, averaging over six yards per carry.

However, I’m predicting the reigning champions, West Point, to win it all once again. The Green Wave, despite being 8-3, haven’t lost since October 4th, and played a particularly tough schedule early on (losses to Tupelo, Starkville, and Louisville). 

West Point went undefeated in regional opponents, outscoring their opponents 152-39 in those games. In their first postseason game last week, the Green Wave shut out Yazoo City, 41-0.

There also may not be a better rushing tandem in 5A football than Shamane Clark and Cam Randle, who have combined for over 2,000 rushing yards and nearly 30 total touchdowns.

Between that electric rushing attack and a defense that’s allowed only 39 points in the past half-dozen games, West Point seems to be the favorite for the 5A bracket, despite having three losses to this point.

Projected Runner-Up: Brookhaven (10-1)

5A Quarterfinal Matchups this weekend:

West Point (8-3) vs. Holmes County Central (8-3)

Cleveland Central (11-0) vs. Canton (8-3)

Brookhaven (10-1) vs. Stone (6-5)

Gautier (10-1) vs. Wayne County (5-7)