Mississippi FootballPOWER INDEX

Class 5A, Region 3 · Week 9, 2026

Laurel High School

Laurel High School is No. 49 of 225 teams in the Mississippi Football Power Index and No. 6 of 25 in Class 5A. Record at the Week 9 cutoff: 3-4 in 7 verified games.

  • State ranking: up 7 spots to No. 49 (from No. 56).
  • Class 5A ranking: up 2 spots to No. 6 (from No. 8).
  • MFPI rating: increased 2.5 points to 72.0. (provisional)

Week 9 explanation

Why Laurel High School is ranked here

Strongest result

A 56–42 win over West Jones High School on Aug 28 (home), an opponent currently No. 42 statewide. “Strongest” means the defeated MHSAA opponent with the best current MFPI rank, not its rank when the game was played.

Recent results

W 49–21 vs. North Pike Senior High School (Oct 23); W 44–42 at Natchez High School (Oct 16); L 20–42 vs. Oak Grove High School (Sep 25). Recent-form percentile: 79.9.

Schedule strength

MFPI strength-of-schedule percentile 92.4 (100 = the strongest completed schedule statewide). Classification path: playing up — 5 games against higher classes, 2 in Class 5A, 0 against lower classes.

What changed this week

Rank and rating are separate measures. State ranking: up 7 spots to No. 49 (from No. 56). MFPI rating: increased 2.5 points to 72.0. Largest component changes since Week 8: opponent-adjusted performance +1.4 pts; points scored +0.7 pts; mfpi strength of schedule −0.7 pts. Opponents' ratings are re-solved every week, so these can move without a new game.

Limitations

Ratings use only verified final scores through Oct 27, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT. 2 listing(s) for this team were still awaiting a verified score. Media rank and media strength of schedule (from MaxPreps) contribute 20%. MFPI does not consider injuries, rosters or weather, and it is not a prediction.

2026 season

Schedule & results

3-4 · 7 verified games
DateOpponentSiteResultScoreOpp. class
Aug 28West Jones High SchoolNo. 42HomeW56–426A
Sep 4Hattiesburg High SchoolNo. 44AwayL25–276A
Sep 11Gulfport High SchoolNo. 2AwayL0–517A
Sep 18West Harrison High SchoolNo. 52HomeL41–617A
Sep 25Oak Grove High SchoolNo. 16HomeL20–427A
Oct 16Natchez High SchoolNo. 56AwayW44–425A
Oct 23North Pike Senior High SchoolNo. 124HomeW49–215A
Oct 8Brookhaven High SchoolAway—Score not verified—
Oct 9Brookhaven High SchoolAway—Score not verified—

Dates are game dates in Central time. Opponent ranks are current MFPI ranks, not ranks at game time. Scores come from the official MHSAA score center, with MaxPreps team schedules used only to fill gaps. Week 9 statewide coverage: 97.8% (980 of 1002 game listings due by the cutoff verified).

Why Laurel High School rates 72.0

Rating breakdown

Each component becomes a statewide percentile, then carries its weight into the final score. Points are how many of the 72.0 rating points come from that component.

Opponent-adjusted performance70.535% weight · 24.7 ptsMargin of victory or defeat, adjusted for opponent strength and site.
MFPI strength of schedule92.420% weight · 18.5 ptsAverage current rating of every opponent played.
Media rank (MaxPreps)79.910% weight · 8.0 ptsStatewide ordinal rank in the MaxPreps Mississippi rankings, as a percentile.
Media strength of schedule (MaxPreps)93.310% weight · 9.3 ptsPublished MaxPreps schedule-strength value.
Points scored74.68% weight · 6.0 ptsPoints per game, capped at 49 in each game.
Points allowed4.58% weight · 0.4 ptsDefensive value derived from points allowed per game.
Record39.35% weight · 2.0 ptsWins plus half credit for ties, over games played.
Recent form79.94% weight · 3.2 ptsOpponent-adjusted performance across the last three games.

Nearby in the statewide rankings

No. 48 · aheadHouston High School4-6 · MFPI 72.7No. 50 · behindKemper County High School7-2 · MFPI 71.5

Others in Class 5A

Brookhaven High SchoolPontotoc High SchoolNew Hope High SchoolCleveland Central High SchoolLafayette High SchoolWayne County High SchoolWest Point High SchoolNatchez High SchoolLeake Central High SchoolVicksburg High SchoolEast Central High SchoolSouth Jones High SchoolLanier High SchoolCaledonia High School

Rankings generated October 27, 2026 · Formula MFPI-3.2 · Report a correction