Closer look at Thursday night's high school football games

COLUMBUS VS. MANCHESTER

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Kinnett Stadium

Records: Columbus 2-0, Manchester 1-1.

Last week: Columbus beat Brookstone 21-0. Manchester beat Taylor County 32-27.

Series: Manchester leads 2-1. Columbus' lone win came last season 34-24. Manchester won in 2010 and 2011.

You should know: Columbus is looking for its first 3-0 start since 1974. That season the Blue Devils went 10-0 in the regular season, beat Richmond Academy in the state quarterfinals, then lost to Thomasville in the semifinals. Columbus quarterback Derrick James has completed 12-of-18 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Essang Bassey has six catches for 190 yards. Ty Lucas has 18 carries for 149 yards. Evan Hochstetler picked up his first win as Manchester's head coach last week.

NORTHSIDE AT WESTOVER

When: 7 p.m.

Where: High Mills Stadium

Records: Northside 1-1. Westover 0-2.

Last week: Northside lost 21-0 to Spencer. Westover lost 27-7 to Jonesboro.

Series: Westover won the only meeting 31-10 last year at Kinnett Stadium.

You should know: It has been feast or famine for Northside so far. The Patriots opened with a 35-0 win over Kendrick before being shut out by Spencer. Northside's Kalan Watts has rushed for 267 yards on 41 carries and a touchdown. Westover opened with a 42-7 loss to Lee County.

CENTRAL AT R.E. LEE

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala.

Records: Central 2-1, 1-0 Class 7A Region 2. R.E. 2-1, 0-1

Last week: Central beat Auburn 27-24 in overtime. R.E. Lee. lost 31-14 to Smiths Station.

Series: Central leads 15-6, including a 43-14 victory last season at Garrett-Harrison Stadium. That game was also played on a Thursday. Central has won seven straight in the series with the last R.E. Lee win coming in 1998.

You should know: Central held a 21-0 lead late in the fourth quarter before Auburn rallied to force overtime. Auburn scored first on a field goal before Central scored a TD to escape with the win. R.E. Lee had opened the season with win over Sidney Lanier (34-0) and Carver-Montgomery (34-13).

-- Kevin Price

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Closer look at Thursday night's high school football games ."