[11/14/03]It won’t take much for Tallulah Academy to advance to its first state championship game in 11 years.

Just the impossible.

Tallulah (10-2) travels to Natchez on Friday night to face undefeated Trinity (12-0) in the Academy-A South State championship game.

Trinity, which won a state title in 2001 and beat Tallulah in the second round of the playoffs last year, has allowed just 86 points this season and rolled through nearly every opponent it has faced. Seven of its 10 wins in the regular season were shutouts.

It’ll be a challenge for the Trojans, but one they’ve been expecting and hoping for.

“In the back of our minds, we always thought there was a potential to run into them again. Since day one, I always thought we’d end up playing them,” Tallulah coach Jacky Thames said. “We don’t see any weaknesses. We watched tapes until we were sick, and could not find anything.”

That’s because there may not be anything to find.

In addition to their stingy defense, the Saints boast a potent offense that is averaging 40.5 points per game.

Quarterback Ryan Rachal has thrown for nearly 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns, with only four interceptions.

His favorite target, 6-foot-3, 210-pound wide receiver Dudley Guice, has caught 42 passes for 780 yards and 16 touchdowns, and has verbally committed to Mississippi State. On the ground, running back Gregory Ketchings has rushed for over 1,000 yards.

“They’re very polished. They give you a lot of formations and have threats all over the field,” Thames said. “You can’t really key on any one guy.”

While Trinity looked unstoppable for most of the year, it has been tested late in the season. Glenbrook stayed within a touchdown during the regular season, then lost 21-20 in the playoffs last week when Trinity rallied for two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Deer Creek, a team Tallulah beat during the regular season, lost to Trinity by seven points in the first round of the playoffs.

Trinity’s tough stretch coincided with the loss of running back and safety Chase Brown, a key cog in their defense who suffered a torn ACL. Several other injuries have also hurt the Saints, coach David King said.

“I think a lot of that is attributable to injuries. We have a couple of other kids that might not play right now,” King said. “It’s part of high school football, but it’s magnified even more at the single-A level.”

Briarfield faces long haul against defending champions

It’s a scenario in which Briarfield has seen success numerous times this season.

Briarfield (9-3) has found a way to stay alive in the hunt for the Academy-A title. Traveling more than 200 miles to face defending state champion Heidelberg tonight, Briarfield sets up a classic David vs. Goliath match. The winner of the game advances to the state finals at Mississippi College.

Heidelberg (10-2) practically has a locker room reserved in Clinton. In seven appearances, Heidelberg has won the state title five times, in 1980, ’81, ’94, 2000 and ’02. Briarfield has never even been to the big game.

But Briarfield has beaten the odds all season.

With only 20 players on the roster seven of them freshmen Briarfield has battled through injuries to key players, often winning by the skin of its teeth.

Falling behind Deer Creek in the playoff seeding, Briarfield received one of two wild card berths to barely make the postseason.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Rebels held off a late comeback by Lee to win 48-42. Last week, it took two fourth-quarter touchdowns by Drew Manning for Briarfield to escape with a 14-12 victory over Wayne.

Now the Rebels face their biggest challenge of the season in the defending state champions.

“Boy are they tough,” Briarfield coach Lance Prine said.

Led by quarterback Brooks Lewis, Heidelberg can pick apart a secondary if its powerful two-back running game is struggling. The balanced attack makes it difficult on defenses trying to key on the run or pass.

“There’s nothing we can cheat on,” Prine said. “We’ve just got to line up and try to whip them.”

Heidelberg will also challenge Briarfield with mammoth offensive and defensive lines.

“They’re real big and very physical,” Prine said. “They don’t have any soft spots or weaknesses.”

Heidelberg coach Tom Lewis feels the same way about his opponents.

Briarfield mixes in two quarterbacks Manning and J.D. Kiefer as well as shifting personnel at running back and receiver.

Blake Pierce and E.J. Holden lead the running game, but Manning, Kiefer and receiver Montellus Craft see their share of carries as well.

“They all play different positions, so you can’t just zero in on one guy,” Lewis said. “It makes their offense very versatile and difficult to defend.”