Believe it or not, the 2019 football season is upon us. Most teams will play preseason jamborees this weekend and open the regular season next week. Ten MAIS teams, including Porter’s Chapel Academy, will begin this Friday night. PCA will host Benton Academy.

As we prepare to dive headlong into football season, here are a few statistical milestones and quirks to keep an eye on:

• Vicksburg High, including all of its various incarnations over the past century such as Carr Central and Cooper High School, will play its 1,000th game in the season-opening Red Carpet Bowl next week against Madison Central.

According to ahsfhs.org, a website that chronicles the history of high school football in Mississippi, Vicksburg will join Clarksdale and Hattiesburg as the only teams in the state to reach that milestone.

Clarksdale has played 1,052 games, and Hattiesburg will also play its 1,000th game when it takes on Petal in its opener. Meridian and Laurel (991 games each) will get there later this season.

• Warren Central head coach Josh Morgan earned his 60th career victory in last year’s regular-season finale against Provine. He is one of 10 coaches to reach that mark with a Warren County school. Only six have gotten to 70 wins.

• The magic number on the scoreboard for Porter’s Chapel Academy is 30. Since 2000, the Eagles have a 62-2 record when scoring 30 or more points, but are 3-68 when allowing 30 or more, according to ahsfhs.org. The last time PCA allowed more than 30 points and won was in a 34-33 victory over Prairie View in 2009.

• Since 1970, a total of 18 players in Warren County have reached 1,000 career receiving yards. Thirteen of them have done it since 2005. Vicksburg’s Cedric Phillips (448 yards) and Porter’s Chapel’s Michael Tod Andrews (446 yards) could join the list this season.

• Warren Central and St. Aloysius have never had a quarterback throw for more than 300 yards in a game, but each has had several running backs rush for more than 300 yards.

The single-game county rushing record belongs to St. Al’s DeMichael Harris, who ran for 395 yards against Bayou Academy in 2015. Harris now plays at Southern Miss.

• The top 10 passing yardage games in Warren County history all belong to Vicksburg High quarterbacks. Cameron Cooksey, now a VHS assistant, holds the single-game record with 535 yards against Northwest Rankin in 2011

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com