District 6AA play gets under way for Bowling Green and Silliman Institute tonight, as the two compete at Bowling Green.

The Buccaneers begin tonight’s play with a 1-3 record after falling to Brookhaven Academy 29-15.

Bowling Green is off to a tough start this season, having been outscored 126-35.

Last week, the Bucs trailed 15-7 at halftime but tied things up early in the third quarter on a Connor McCain 28-yard run, followed by a 2-point conversion.

Brookhaven tallied 14 in the third for the 29-15 win.

“We’re moving the ball better,” Bowling Green coach David Currier said.

“We came back and tied it up in the third quarter, but we couldn’t hold on. We couldn’t stop the pass. We couldn’t get a pass rush.”

Quarterback Brady Goings was good on 8-of-14 passes for 35 yards with an interception. He also ran nine times for 51 yards (5.6 per carry) and a touchdown.

McCain led the Bucs’ rushing attack with 97 yards on 13 attempts (7.4) and the score. McCain also caught two passes for 17 yards.

Cameron Cowart finished with four receptions for 10 yards.

Defensively, Matt Pierce posted 13 tackles and coach Currier said Brock Faust also played well.

Currier said Faust is an inside linebacker.

“He’s just a 10th-grader, and he’s playing some physical football,” Currier said.

“Matt Pierce is an outside linebacker. He’s got good size, and he’s making a lot of tackles.”

Hayden Thompson returned to the lineup Friday from an injury and made six tackles. Currier said Thompson gave them a spark defensively.

McCain also intercepted a pass.

These teams met last season with Silliman winning 33-6.

The Wildcats (3-1), who are ranked No. 3 by Southern Sports & Travel on SS&T’s Facebook page, come into this week’s match up after defeating Copiah 28-7.

Silliman’s only loss occurred in the opening week against Oak Forest Academy, 30-6. OFA is 4-0 this season and has defeated both of the teams in this week’s game. They beat Bowling Green in the second week, 49-0.

Since the loss to Oak Forest, Silliman has scored 27, 20 and 28 points, while allowing 0, 6 and 7.

“We’re a team that brings back a host of seniors, but we’ve also added some new faces,” Silliman coach T.J. Davis said. “We’re still becoming a team and a family. The more we play together, the better we’ll get. The focus is on getting better week-to-week.”

Quarterback Zach Kelly has thrown for 810 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He’s also carried the ball 40 times for 275 yards and three scores.

His receivers are Jordan Talley, Tyren Shelton and Caleb Jackson.

Jackson begins with 17 receptions for 355 yards and two touchdowns, while Shelton has eight catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns and Talley enters at five catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.

The running backs are Keon Brown and Shelton.

“Keon’s our hard-nosed tough runner and Tyren’s like our lightning bolt,” Davis said.

Brown has 138 ground yards with a touchdown to go with six catches for 87 yards and three TDs, while Sheldon has gone for 96 yards and a score.

Defensively, the Wildcats run an odd-man front.

Davis said the players are doing a good job of taking care of their responsibilities.

“Our defensive coordinator coach (Robert) Andress has kept the guys dialed in and focused on their responsibility. When all 11 guys take care of their responsibility, you have a pretty good chance of being successful,” Davis said.

This is the final time for more than a month the Bowling Green faithful get to see their team at home.

After tonight, the Bucs don’t host a game until the final regular season game Oct. 24 against Central Private.

Beginning next Friday, Bowling Green plays three on the road against Trinity Sept. 26, Centreville Oct. 3 and Ben’s Ford Oct. 10. The Buccaneers have a bye week Oct. 17.