By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
July 29, 2003
Philadelphia will have a new head football coach and be in a new league this fall.
After a couple of years as an assistant at Kosciusko, former Tornadoes assistant Mike Brown returns to Philadelphia as head coach this fall.
Brown replaces Marcus Wood, who left for a similar position at Columbia. Wood was 14-9 in his two years at Philadelphia with both teams making state playoff appearances.
The playoffs should be familiar territory for the Tornadoes again this fall as they drop from Class 3A to Class 2A and will compete in Division 5-2A with Newton, Lake (up from Class 1A), Clarkdale, Williams-Sullivan, and Kemper County. Four of the six will make the playoffs.
The Tornadoes open their 2003 season on Aug. 29 at Choctaw Central. Philadelphia has won the last six games in the series to take a 10-3 all-time advantage.
Philadelphia's home opener is with former Division 5-3A rival West Lauderdale on Sept. 5. The Tornadoes have won all six previous meetings with the Knights.
Philadelphia hosts Neshoba Central on Sept. 12. The Tornadoes have reeled off six straight wins in the series to grab a 23-20 all-time edge.
On Sept. 19, the Tornadoes travel to Class 2A defending state champion Taylorsville. Taylorsville has a 4-1 series lead with all five previous meetings coming in the playoffs.
Philadelphia goes to Forest on Sept. 26 to renew a series dormant since 1998. The series is knotted at 6-6-2.
After a two-year layoff, the Tornadoes renew their long-running series with Newton at home on Oct. 3. This year's meeting will be the 76th between the two with Philadelphia holding a 50-23-2 advantage.
The Tornadoes make their first trip to Lake on Oct. 10. Philadelphia holds a 3-0 series lead over the Hornets with the last meeting coming way back in 1936.
Philadelphia takes on Clarkdale for the first time on Oct. 17 at Harpole Stadium.
On Oct. 24, the Tornadoes travel to Durant to take on whipping boy Williams-Sullivan. Philadelphia has won all 12 previous meetings by a combined 639-138 margin.
Philadelphia closes out its regular season at home on Halloween night against Kemper County. The Tornadoes hold a 5-0 series advantage over Kemper County since the school consolidated in 1990. Philadelphia frequently played Kemper County's ancestors of DeKalb and West Kemper.