The Mississippi High School Activities Association’s football season official begins this week after an offseason filled with postponements and delays due to COVID-19.

Losing the first two weeks of the season means Lafayette starts their 2020 campaign on the road at Horn Lake on Friday at 7 p.m. The Commodores lost two of their four home games in 2020 after the MHSAA pushed the start of the season back to Sept. 4.

This will be the debut of the Tyrus Williams show as he officially takes over the starting quarterback position, replacing Randy Anderson. The pair shared time under center last year before injuries put a stop to that plan during the 2019 season.

Oxford begins defense of their Class 6A state championship on the road at Grenada on Friday at 7 p.m. The Chargers have shifted from the hunter to the hunted after last year’s dramatic comeback win over Oak Grove to win their first state title in the program’s 50-year history.

Questions loom for the Chargers including who will get the start under center between Michael Harvey and Trip Maxwell? Who will be the player to step and help fill the void created by J.J. Pegues who is now in Auburn playing on Saturdays.

Water Valley gets one more week off after having to cancel their game at Baldwyn due to the entire team having to quarantine due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. The Blue Devils will begin their season at Bruce on Sept. 11.