Oscar Smith (6-0, 5-0) at Lakeland (5-1, 4-1) – 7 p.m.

Last season – Oscar Smith 44-0

The defending state champions in Div. 6 have no weaknesses. Oscar Smith’s offense is led by senior quarterback Phillip Simms is headed to the University of Alabama. The Tiger defense has held their last four opponents to a total of six points, two field goals.

Lakeland’s rebounded with two district victories on the road since a 42-0 loss against Great Bridge. Scoring points against Oscar Smith is likely an even bigger challenge for the Cavs.

The Cavaliers have had this game circled all offseason and preseason long. It’s the test the Cavaliers have been waiting for to see how far they’ve come as a team. Last season, in the regular-season finale, the Tigers held Lakeland to one first down.

Deep Creek (3-3, 3-2) at King’s Fork (1-5, 1-4) – 7 p.m.

Last season – King’s Fork 22-14

Finally, the Bulldogs, and most importantly the seniors on KF’s team, get a true home game and, it wasn’t official until earlier this week, on a Friday night to boot. Head coach Joe Jones hasn’t used the odd schedule or home games away from home as excuses for his team’s record, but there should be extra energy on KF’s side for this one.

The same goes for the Hornets, too. Deep Creek was expected to remain near the bottom of the district this season, but are within reach of a playoff spot in Div. 5 with a 3-1 or 4-0 record down the stretch.

Hickory (2-4, 1-4) at Nansemond River (0-6, 0-5) – 7 p.m.

Last season – Hickory 35-13

Nansemond River’s last Southeastern District win came vs. the Hawks in Oct. 2007. Despite the 0-6 record, there have been some building blocks to point to for the Warriors. NR’s led at halftime or later in two of their last three games, including last week when NR led 14-7 at the half against undefeated Great Bridge.

Hickory’s lost four straight games with a 38-0 loss vs. Western Branch last Friday.

Norfolk Academy (2-4, 2-1) at Nansemond-Suffolk (4-2, 1-1) – 7 p.m.

Last season – Norfolk Academy 20-14

Traditionally, this game each year is for the Tidewater Conference title with Norfolk Academy as the favorite and NSA as the challenger. This year, that’s not the case thanks to Bishop Sullivan Catholic as the Crusaders have already defeated NA and NSA.

The Saints took a big step toward the state playoffs last Friday by beating Portsmouth Christian. NSA moved from No. 4 to No. 2 in the Division 2 ratings. A win against Norfolk Academy, a Div. 1 school, would be another boost in NSA’s power rating.