Covington will get Tipton County’s football weekend started a day early.

The Chargers host Bolivar Central on Thursday in a Region 7-3A game moved up because of the weather forecast. The county’s other three teams play Friday. Munford opens region play at home against Kingsbury, and Brighton welcomes McCracken County from Kentucky. Tipton-Rosemark Academy travels to Fayette Academy with a Division II-A West win on the line.

Covington keeps leaning on the run as Bolivar comes to town

There has not been much mystery to Covington’s offense this season. The Chargers want to run the football, keep the chains moving and make the other team stop them.

So far, few teams have.

Covington rushed for 384 yards and seven touchdowns in last week’s 49-3 win over Ripley. It was another long night for an opposing defense trying to keep up with a backfield that does not depend on one player to carry the load.

Nic’kylan Murray leads the Chargers with 569 rushing yards, but Makaviyon McKinnie and Cadarius Byars have also been steady parts of the offense. When one runner comes out, Covington can send in another without changing what it wants to do.

That depth has helped the Chargers rush for 2,411 yards and 33 touchdowns through six games. More importantly, it has allowed them to wear down defenses as games move along.

Covington has won four straight since losing to Haywood in August. The Chargers are 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Region 7-3A heading into Thursday night’s home game against Bolivar Central.

Bolivar comes to Covington playing better than its 2-4 record might suggest. After losing their first three games, the Tigers have won two of their last three. Both came in region play: a 40-6 win at Ripley and a 27-26 win at McNairy Central last week.

That gives Thursday’s game some weight in the region race. Bolivar is 2-1 in the region, while Covington is 2-0.

The Tigers will know what they have to stop. Covington has never made a secret of how it wants to play, and there is little reason for the Chargers to change now.

The running game has carried Covington during its four-game winning streak, but it has not had to do the job alone. The defense held Ripley to 106 yards and a field goal last week, giving the offense plenty of time to settle in and take control.

That has become a comfortable formula for the Chargers. Play sound defense, put the ball in the hands of several capable runners and keep pushing until the other team gives way.

Bolivar will get its chance to change that Thursday night. Covington will line up and try to prove, once again, that knowing what is coming is not the same as stopping it.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at George Pinner Stadium. The game was moved from Friday because of the threat of severe weather.

Munford gets a fresh start as region play begins

Munford’s season had been spotless until Whitehaven came to town last week.

The Cougars had won their first four games, outscored those opponents 191-44 and handled every challenge that came their way. Then Whitehaven handed them a 40-13 loss, bringing that early run to a sudden stop.

Now Munford has to decide what comes next.

Munford will host Kingsbury Friday in its Region 8-5A opener. The timing gives Munford a chance to leave last week behind and begin the most important part of its schedule.

Munford is still 4-1, and one difficult night does not change what the Cougars accomplished during the first half of the season. They opened with a pair of shutouts, held off Woodford County (Kentucky) 34-30 and ran past Haywood 38-14 before meeting a Whitehaven team that took control early.

The Cougars have done most of their work on the ground, with junior Tay Starks leading an offense built to keep moving forward. Starks is averaging nearly 116 rushing yards per game and has scored 10 touchdowns.

When Munford has been at its best, the Cougars have not needed to make things complicated. They have run the football, stayed ahead of the chains and let their defense keep the game under control.

That is the kind of night they will be looking for against the Falcons.

Kingsbury is 2-4 after losing 44-6 at Brighton last week. The Falcons have scored 30 or more points three times this season, but they have also had trouble settling into games when an opponent gets ahead early.

Munford will want to apply that pressure from the beginning. A strong start would allow the Cougars to return to the style of football that carried them through the opening month instead of letting last week’s frustration follow them into another game.

Memphis Central and Brighton already have region victories, while the Cougars have yet to play a game that counts in the standings.

That makes the task in front of them a simple one. Munford does not need to erase the Whitehaven loss or prove that it should have gone differently. The Cougars only need to respond.

Region play offers them that opportunity, and a good night at home would put the Whitehaven loss behind them.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Munford High School.

Brighton finds its footing before a different kind of test

Brighton needed a night when everything did not feel so difficult.

The Cardinals got one last week.

After losing three straight games, Brighton returned home and beat Kingsbury 44-6. The Cardinals scored early, kept the pressure on and never gave the game a chance to slip away.

It was the kind of win Brighton needed, but Friday night will bring a much different test when McCracken County, Kentucky, comes to town.

McCracken County is 4-2 and comfortable playing games in which both teams score often. The Mustangs have scored at least 43 points in five straight games, including a 48-42 win over Murray last week.

They have also given up their share of points. McCracken County lost 58-57 to Mayfield and escaped Logan County 44-43, so close games and crowded scoreboards are nothing new for the Mustangs.

Brighton would rather not let Friday turn into that kind of night.

The Cardinals have been at their best when they can run the football and keep the game settled. Jakarion Burrell and Nasir Hill give Brighton two dependable runners, and both have been important parts of an offense that does not need to throw the ball often when things are going well.

Burrell leads Brighton with 468 rushing yards, while Hill is close behind with 428. That balance gives the Cardinals more than one place to turn when they need a drive to keep moving.

Brighton ran for 185 yards against the Falcons, but the more important part of the win was how comfortably the Cardinals played. After spending three weeks falling behind and trying to recover, they were finally the team setting the direction of the game.

They will need some of that same steadiness against McCracken County.

The Mustangs have shown they can score quickly and keep coming even after giving up points. Brighton’s best answer may be to keep the Mustangs’ offense waiting on the sideline, using the running game to take time off the clock and shorten the night.

Friday’s game will not count in the Region 8-5A standings, but it comes at a useful time. Brighton is 3-3 and has an open week ahead before Munford visits Oct. 16.

The win over the Falcons ended a three-game skid. Beating McCracken County will require them to stay patient, run the football and keep Friday night from becoming the kind of game the Mustangs enjoy.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Brighton High School.

Rosemark looks for a needed region win at Fayette Academy

Tipton-Rosemark Academy has spent much of the season running into teams that have left little room for mistakes.

Friday night brings something different: a game the Rebels have a real chance to win.

Rosemark will travel to face Fayette Academy. The Rebels are 1-5 overall, but their 1-2 record in the Division II-A West Region has kept them ahead of several teams in the standings.

Fayette Academy is 3-3, though the Vikings are still looking for their first region victory.

That gives Friday’s game some weight for both teams. Rosemark can strengthen its place in the region with a win, while Fayette Academy is trying to keep from falling further behind.

The Rebels are coming off a 41-14 loss to Jackson Christian, one of two unbeaten teams at the top of the region. The final score was one-sided, but Rosemark showed more life on offense than it had the week before, finishing with 263 yards against a team that has not given many opponents room to work.

Rosemark’s best night this season came when the Rebels were able to settle into their running game. They rushed for 317 yards in a 42-6 win over First Assembly Christian School, controlling the game from beginning to end.

Sophomore Reggie Holmes has been the steady part of that offense. He is averaging more than 85 rushing yards per game and has scored five touchdowns, giving the Rebels someone to trust when they need to keep a drive moving.

Friday would be a good time to lean on him again.

Fayette Academy snapped a two-game losing streak with a 36-20 win over Halls last week. The Vikings found some balance in that game, passing for 150 yards and rushing for 171.

Their region games have been more difficult. Fayette Academy lost to University School of Jackson and Jackson Christian, leaving the Vikings 0-2 in the West Region.

Rosemark has faced many of the same problems. The Rebels have played several strong teams, struggled to keep games close when they fell behind and asked a young roster to learn quickly.

That makes Friday less about everything that has happened and more about the opportunity in front of them.

The Rebels do not need a perfect night. They need to stay close early, give Holmes room to run and avoid the mistakes that have allowed games to get away from them.

Rosemark has already shown what it looks like when that formula works. Friday night offers the Rebels a chance to find it again, this time with an important region win waiting at the end.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Fayette Academy in Somerville.