Ripley’s first road game comes after two sharply different performances at home. The Tigers opened with a 34-23 victory over Mooreville before falling 50-8 to Grenada on Sept. 4. Now coach Rico McDonald’s team faces another non-district test against Lewisburg.
The Class 4A Tigers will be playing up in classification against the Class 7A Patriots, but the most recent meeting was competitive. Lewisburg beat Ripley 28-21 in 2025. AHSFHS’s Mississippi historical records list the Patriots with a 2-1 advantage in the series, giving Ripley an opportunity to even that record Friday.
The Tigers produced some passing-game highlights against Grenada despite the lopsided final score. According to RCTV Stats reported by TippahSports, Skylar Barkley completed nine of 18 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Cohen Wright caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Cole Rakestraw added three catches for 35 yards.
Reestablishing the running game is an obvious objective. MaxPreps credited Kyran McDonald with 211 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the Mooreville victory. Against Grenada, he finished with 21 yards on eight carries, according to the RCTV statistics. That contrast helps explain why getting more consistent production on the ground is an important part of Ripley’s rebound effort.
Lewisburg has experienced its own reversal. Coach Rusty Cagle’s Patriots opened with a 26-14 win over Mitchell of Tennessee, then lost 49-30 at Olive Branch last Friday. They have scored 56 points through two games but allowed 63.
Even in defeat, Lewisburg demonstrated its ability to create big plays.
Junior running back Darius Totten rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against Olive Branch. His longest run covered 91 yards, and he averaged 9.7 yards per attempt. Those numbers make limiting long gains an immediate priority for Ripley’s defense.
Sophomore quarterback Kaysen Wiggins supplied another running threat, gaining 59 yards on 12 carries. He also passed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, although Olive Branch intercepted him twice. Senior receiver Will Butler caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, with a long reception of 64 yards. Lewisburg finished with 339 yards of offense, including 219 rushing yards.
The combination presents a clear challenge: Ripley cannot focus exclusively on Totten while overlooking Wiggins’ rushing production or Butler’s ability to gain substantial yardage through the air. Lewisburg’s passing totals were modest overall last week, but its longest completion and longest run show how quickly an otherwise manageable possession can become a major scoring threat.
For the Tigers, the matchup offers a chance to bring the strengths of their first two games together. Their opener featured McDonald’s substantial rushing production; the Grenada game included contributions from Barkley, Wright and Rakestraw through the air. More balance would give Ripley a better opportunity to sustain possessions rather than relying on isolated scoring plays.
Last year’s seven-point margin provides useful context, not a prediction. Friday’s game will test whether Ripley can recover its opening-night effectiveness while reducing the explosive plays Lewisburg showed against Olive Branch.
