FAYETTE &045; It’s their own version of &uot;I Love the 80s Strikes Back&uot; for Jefferson County.

The year was 1982, the year of the Rubik’s Cube, E.T. and the debut of HBO on cable television. It was also the last time the Tigers made the playoffs, so they’re pretty hyped up about making a return trip Friday when they travel to Magee as the MHSAA Class 3A playoffs begin.

And like the classics from 21 years ago, the playoffs are just as exciting then as it now for the Tigers.

&uot;The guys are pretty upbeat about it &045; we’re all upbeat about it,&uot; JC head coach Jeffrey Harness said. &uot;We want to get there and win. We’re taking the same approach as we did earlier in the year. We know it’s the playoffs and if we lose we’re out, but we’re trying to stay focused and want to win the ball game. But it’s good for the community, the school and the kids.&uot;

It’s good for the Tigers, who finished third in Region 7-3A after being picked to finish in the cellar after taking second-to-last a season ago in Harness’ first season as head coach. What’s got the Tigers going in the right direction mostly has been the play of the defense late in the season.

It was a 34-20 loss to Amite County at the start of region play that got the attention of the defense, and since then the unit has responded well. The emphasis has been on preventing the big play, and that’s something that will come in handy Friday against Magee.

&uot;It’s going to help us a lot if the defense continues to play like it’s been playing,&uot; Harness said. &uot;The defense has been playing with their backs against the wall a lot of times, and they’ve come through for us. I think we’re capable of defending any team. We played several good teams early in the season, and we played well at times against Tylertown. There can’t be any big plays. That’s something we constantly preach to them.&uot;

It’s the key against a Magee team that will run the ball with its two-back set. The Trojans enter the game at 6-4 with three solid wins under their belts to end the season &045; 19-6 over Prentiss, 35-7 over Richland and 41-14 over Mendenhall.

The Tigers are 6-4 and come in on an upswing after finishing the season with a win over Port Gibson to snap a two-game skid with losses to Tylertown and Hazlehurst.

&uot;They’ve got two good backs they utilize,&uot; Harness said. &uot;They will pass and have some good athletes. We’ve got to execute. We’ve seen that kind of offense before. Defensively, we’ll have to win the battle on the line. We’ve got to stop them right there. If they get to our linebackers and secondary, it could be hard. We’ve got to stop them at the line of scrimmage.&uot;

Richland at Franklin County

MEADVILLE &045; Much like an opposition that has a quick defensive front, the flu is everywhere at Franklin County High School.

Impeccable timing, huh? Here is a Bulldogs squad that wasn’t expected to do much at all this season after all the seniors last year, but now it’s sitting at home for the first round of the playoffs after winning the Region 7-3A title and facing Richland.

But not even whistles at practice can drown out the sniffles and coughing going on right now.

&uot;We’ve hit kind of a flu epidemic,&uot; Franklin County head coach Anthony Hart said. &uot;We’ve got a lot of kids sick, but we’re hoping we can get better by Friday. We had to shorten our practice, but hopefully we’ll have them back by Friday. We haven’t had all of them once this week. A couple of coaches have it.&uot;

If the medicine kicks in by Friday, the Bulldogs could be in position to play well and keep their season going. While only one player is a returning starter from last year’s squad that lost in the second round to Newton County, this year’s squad isn’t wide-eyed any at the prospect of bonus football.

&uot;I think we’ve got two guys on defense that started last year,&uot; Hart said. &uot;But it’s a totally different look. They’ve worked hard all year, and they’ve played hard. I don’t expect anything different Friday.&uot;

The difference will be a Richland squad that has its quarterback double as linebacker. The 6-1, 200-pound Bryant Jenkins has 185 tackles on the season and posted 31 against Raleigh and 29 against Prentiss.

He’s also being recruited by Southern Miss and Mississippi State.

&uot;He’s a very good player,&uot; Hart said. &uot;He makes a lot of tackles and is always there on defense. They’ve got a good running back and a couple of good receivers. They’re not a team to take lightly. If we can play like we’re supposed to play, we’ll be fine.&uot;