High school football’s Week 2 slate sends Munford, Covington and Brighton into action tonight, each looking to build on a 1-0 start.<\/p>\n
Munford hosts Millington in the annual M&M Bowl, Covington welcomes rival Haywood, and Brighton hosts Dyersburg \u2014 all three games kicking off at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
Munford hosts Millington Central at home Friday in the annual M&M Bowl, with the Cougars entering 1-0 after a 58-0 win over Memphis Business Academy and the Trojans looking to bounce back from a 31-13 loss to Fairley. Munford produced more points than any other West Tennessee team during opening week while pitching a shutout on defense, a combination that leaves little room for a slow start from Millington.<\/p>\n
Recent history favors Munford \u2014 the Cougars won last season’s meeting 46-6, following wins of 30-0 in 2024 and 42-14 in 2023. Millington, though, has stayed a postseason regular through that stretch, qualifying for the playoffs every season since 2011 and reaching the opening round again last year before falling to South Gibson.<\/p>\n
Friday’s clearest question is whether Millington can make Munford play a full, competitive game \u2014 avoiding an early deficit, finishing more of its offensive opportunities and keeping the Cougars from building the kind of separation they created a week ago. A second straight lopsided win would put Munford at 2-0 and reinforce the Cougars as a team capable of winning with both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n
Matchup: <\/strong>Millington Central Trojans at Munford Cougars<\/p>\n When: <\/strong>Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n Where: <\/strong>Dr. Sid Witherington Field (1080 McLaughlin Drive, Munford, Tenn.)<\/p>\n On deck: <\/strong>Munford is off Sept. 4 before hosting Woodford County (Ky.) on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n Editor’s note: The Haywood-Covington matchup is the U.S. 51 Country Game of the Week. Listen live at<\/em><\/p>\n Covington’s 47-13 victory over Lakeland Prep offered plenty of reasons for optimism, but Friday’s game against Haywood will be a clearer measure of how quickly this young group of Chargers is developing.<\/p>\n Covington hosts the Tomcats in a nondistrict meeting between two programs accustomed to making playoff runs \u2014 the Chargers enter 1-0, while Haywood is seeking its first win after a three-point loss to Henry County last week.<\/p>\n The most encouraging number from Covington’s opener was 396 rushing yards, with the Chargers averaging more than 8 yards per carry and scoring five rushing touchdowns despite extensive turnover in the lineup \u2014 only two offensive starters returned from last year’s Class 3A semifinal team, and five sophomores started against Lakeland Prep.<\/p>\n Quarterback Colby Labermeier<\/strong> led the way with 132 rushing yards, while Nic’kylan Murray<\/strong> added 101 yards and four touchdowns. Haywood, a perennial Class 4A contender, counters with a large offensive line, a productive running game and a three-star defensive back, Jaden Butler, who is committed to the University of Tennessee, according to 247Sports.<\/p>\n Covington coach J.R. Kirby says the Chargers’ biggest challenge will be matching Haywood’s physicality on both sides of the ball. The Chargers must also clean up mistakes \u2014 they committed eight penalties for 85 yards and lost a fumble in the opener \u2014 while managing the heat; several Chargers dealt with cramping last week, and Colin Winfrey<\/strong>, who missed the opener after receiving fluids at a hospital, is a game-time decision for Friday.<\/p>\n Matchup: <\/strong>Haywood Tomcats at Covington Chargers<\/p>\n When: <\/strong>Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n Where: <\/strong>George Pinner Stadium (803 S. College St., Covington, Tenn.)<\/p>\n On deck: <\/strong>Covington hosts Frederick Douglass on Sept. 4.<\/p>\n Brighton found a way to win its season opener, and the Cardinals’ next challenge is turning that narrow victory into a stronger performance against a Dyersburg program accustomed to responding after difficult starts.<\/p>\n Brighton enters Friday’s home game 1-0 after defeating PURE Academy 23-22, a result that reversed last year’s 24-7 loss to the Royals. Dyersburg is 0-1 following a 42-20 loss at Dyer County.<\/p>\n Dyersburg surrendered 42 points last week but still produced 20 of its own, and the Trojans know how quickly an opening loss can be put aside \u2014 they began last season with a 35-34 loss to Dyer County and answered a week later by beating Brighton 36-27. Dyersburg went on to finish 8-5 in 2025 and reach the Class 3A state quarterfinals, winning playoff games over Bolton (42-6) and Fairview (52-35) before its season ended with a 42-21 loss to Covington.<\/p>\n Brighton’s opening result suggests the Cardinals are better prepared for a close fourth quarter than they were a year ago, but the question is whether they can create more separation this time.<\/p>\n A second straight one-score game would put extra weight on late possessions, defensive stops and avoiding mistakes that surrender field position. A victory would give Brighton a 2-0 start before the Cardinals host Jackson Central-Merry on Sept. 4 and travel to Covington on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n Matchup: <\/strong>Dyersburg Trojans at Brighton Cardinals<\/p>\n When: <\/strong>Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n Where: <\/strong>Rodney Eubanks Field (8045 Highway 51 S, Brighton, Tenn.)<\/p>\n On deck: <\/strong>Brighton hosts Jackson Central-Merry on Sept. 4.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Follow Paper Folds News for updates through the games Friday night.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" High school football’s Week 2 slate sends Munford, Covington and Brighton into action tonight, each looking to build on a 1-0 start. Munford hosts Millington in the annual M&M Bowl, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[700,19],"tags":[701,720,721,761,702,722,762,763,703,725,764,765,706,35,709,766,710],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-sports","tag-2026-football-season","tag-brighton-cardinals","tag-class-3a-football","tag-class-4a-football","tag-class-5a-football","tag-covington-chargers","tag-dyersburg-trojans","tag-haywood-tomcats","tag-high-school-football","tag-j-r-kirby","tag-mm-bowl","tag-millington-central-trojans","tag-munford-cougars","tag-tipton-county","tag-tssaa","tag-week-2-football","tag-west-tennessee-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nCovington Chargers<\/h2>\n
Brighton Cardinals<\/h2>\n