By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
Here is a look at all six games in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Mississippi Football Classic, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the Southern Miss campus in Hattiesburg.
CLASS 6A
Oxford (13-1) vs. Oak Grove (11-3)
7 p.m. Friday
The Chargers are making their fifth trip to the state finals but have yet to win in four previous championship games, including three straight defeats in the Class 5A finals (2013-15). Oak Grove is in the finals for the sixth time and have one championship to its credit, in 2013.
Oxford is a little more run-oriented, averaging just 113.7 yards passing to go with 174.6 rushing yards per game, and the Chargers rely on their defense, which gave up just 10.4 points per game.
Senior quarterback John Meagher is the guy who makes Oxford go on offense, completing 119 of 209 passes (56.9 percent) for 1,484 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he’s also the Chargers’ leading rusher, with 796 yards and 10 scores.
Defensively, keep an eye on senior linebacker Kiyon Williams, a big kid at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds who has 116 tackles and 7 sacks.
Oak Grove averages 386.8 yards and 34.2 points per game, but it’s a balanced attack that averages 209.1 yards passing and 177.7 yards rushing per game, behind the play of senior quarterback Damon Stewart and senior running back Nick Milsap.
Stewart has completed 184 of 275 passes (66.9 percent) for 2,810 yards and 36 touchdowns, plus he’s run for 516 yards, second-best for the Warriors behind Milsap, who has 1,349 yards and 9 TDs on the ground.
The Warriors also have a lot of weapons in their receiving corps, led by senior Brandon Hayes (51 catches, 772 yards, 11 TDs), and they’ve got three other players with at least 30 catches.
Defensively, Oak Grove is led by its linebackers, including seniors Joey Griffith and Graham McCarty in the middle, and senior Javarian Jenkins and junior Zac Little on the outside.
The Warriors have won eight straight games since a three-game losing streak in midseason imperiled their playoff hopes. Oxford’s only loss was on Aug. 30 at Starkville (17-45), which the Chargers avenged in the North Half finals last week, 25-16.
CLASS 5A
West Point (14-1) vs. Picayune (14-0)
7 p.m. Saturday
Three-time defending state champion West Point is in the finals for the 13th time and the Green Wave are gunning for an 11th state title, which would tie them with South Panola for the most in state history.
Standing in the way of a West Point four-peat is undefeated Picayune, featuring the most lethal running game in the state in veteran head coach Dodd Lee’s last season after a fine career that includes a pair of Class 5A state titles (2011 and 2013).
The Maroon Tide average 434.4 yards and 51.9 points per game on offense, led by senior Cameron Thomas, who has amassed an astounding 3,371 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns this season.
Picayune has only attempted 73 passes this season, but the Maroon Tide are effective when they do throw it, averaging 20.8 yards on 53.4 percent passing with two quarterbacks that split time in senior Jakail Myers and junior Isaac Hickman.
Senior Kade Turnage is the leader on the Picayune defense with 125 tackles, 10 for loss. The closest any team has come to beating the Maroon Tide was in a 54-47 win at Gulfport on Sept. 13.
West Point counters with two 1,000-yard rushers in senior quarterback Brandon Harris (1,191 yards, 18 TDs) and senior running back Dantariyus Cannon (1,106 yards, 14 TDs). Harris has also thrown for 748 yards and 9 scores.
Senior Tyran Orr has 18.5 tackles for loss for the Green Wave defense. West Point’s only loss this season came on Aug. 30 at Louisville, 38-28.
CLASS 4A
Corinth (13-1) vs. Poplarville (9-5)
11 a.m. Saturday
The Hornets are back in the 4A finals for the third time in the past four seasons, looking for their first championship, while the Warriors are in the state championships for just the second time in school history, having lost to Collins in the 3A finals in 2001.
Poplarville’s overall record is slightly misleading, as the Hornets played a brutal non-region schedule that included games against larger schools such as Laurel, D’Iberville, Picayune and Mandeville (La.).
The Hornets are a run-heavy team with two 1,000-yard rushers in junior Gregory Swann (1,076 yards, 10 TDs) and senior Chase Shears (1,034 yards, 11 TDs). Defensively, senior linebacker Devin Hart is the leader, with 7 sacks and 11 tackles for loss out of 73 total stops.
Corinth’s only loss came early, a 38-35 defeat to Tupelo on Aug. 30. The Warriors are also a run-first team, averaging 306.1 yards rushing, along with 94.9 yards passing per game.
Senior Tameron Patterson is the offensive leader, with 1,265 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing. Senior quarterback D.T. Sheffield is a threat passing or running, with 61 completions in 103 attempts (59.2 percent) for 1,222 yards and 18 scores to go with 764 yards and 13 TDs rushing.
Defensively, Corinth has 128 tackles for loss, led by senior defensive tackle Deshaun Brooks with 19 (in 67 total tackles) and senior linebacker Carter Bonds, who has 16 TFLs in a team-high 144 tackles.
CLASS 3A
Noxubee County (10-5) vs. Jefferson Davis County (9-6)
11 a.m. Friday
Two schools with championship pedigrees collide in the 3A final between the Tigers and the Jaguars.
Noxubee County this season dropped down from Class 4A, where they have won five state titles since 2008, most recently in 2017. JDC also won in 2017, taking the Class 3A championship in its debut season after consolidation between Bassfield, with its eight 2A crowns, and Prentiss.
The 11 losses between the two schools reflects rugged schedules for both teams. The Tigers played the likes of Louisville, Philadelphia, West Point, Greenwood and Corinth, and the Jags’ schedule included non-region losses to D’Iberville, Taylorsville, Hattiesburg and Jackson-Olin (Ala.), plus Region 8-3A defeats to West Marion and Columbia, both of which were avenged in the playoffs.
As usual, Noxubee County has a dual threat at quarterback in senior Marlon Windham, who has passed for 2,502 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,028 yards and six more scores.
He’s got a talented trio to throw the ball to in seniors Jeffrey Malone (41 catches, 727 yards) and Jakarion Lockett (41-530), and junior Chrishaad Rupert (40-376). Defensively, the Tigers have 194 tackles for loss and 47 sacks as a team.
Jeff Davis County is primarily a running team, with senior running back Keyser Booth as the leader with 1,065 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, the Jaguars are led by seniors Marcus Ross (90 tackles) and Markis Middleton (88 tackles).
CLASS 2A
Northside (14-0) vs. Taylorsville (14-1)
3 p.m. Saturday
The first question is, who is Northside? The answer: Northside was formed in 2018 from Shelby Broad Street and Mound Bayou JFK, and they’ve put together a powerhouse program in a hurry.
The Gators have gotten it done in just their second season with defense, pitching nine shutouts and allowing just 34 points total in 14 games. The only team to challenge them was Charleston, whom Northside defeated twice, 22-8 in the regular season and 14-6 in the North Half final.
They’ll face perennial 2A powerhouse Taylorsville, looking for its seventh state championship in 12 tries in the finals. The Tartars were 2A champs in 2017, then lost in the finals last year with their star quarterback Ty Keyes out with an injury he suffered in the South State finals.
He’s back in his junior season with another prolific offense. The Tartars average 440.3 yards per game, and Keyes has completed 201 of 291 passes (69.1 percent) for 3,597 yards and 41 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions.
He has four receivers with 30 or more receptions to choose from, led by junior Tyrese Keyes with 45 catches for 844 yards and 12 scores. However, Taylorsville is far from one-dimensional, with junior Jeffrey Pittman rushing for 1,308 yards and 20 TDs.
That Tartars’ only loss was a 28-0 defeat at Jackson Prep on Sept. 27.
Northside also features a balanced offense, with a slight edge to the run game, which averages 185.2 yards per game, to 137.5 through the air.
Senior Semaj Daniels has rushed for 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns, while senior quarterback Ja’Terrance Moore has completed 98 of 143 passes (68.5 percent) for 1,935 yards and six scores. His favorite target is senior Karltaus Burrage, who has 46 catches for 860 yards.
The stingy Gator defense is led by junior TreShun Johnson (77 tackles, 16 TFL) and sophomore Cordarrian Hickman (74 tackles, 18 TFL).
CLASS 1A
Nanih Waiya (13-2) vs. Lumberton (12-3)
3 p.m. Friday
The Warriors are back to defend the 1A title they won a year ago in a big upset of three-time champ Simmons. This is Nanih Waiya’s fourth trip to the finals after two unsuccessful tries in 1991 and 2017.
Lumberton lost to Simmons in the 2016 1A final, the Panthers’ first trip to the finals as a 1A school after winning four times in four tries as a 2A school (1983, 2004, 2005 and 2010).
Both teams run and pass in roughly equal measure. Nanih Waiya averages 251.9 yards a game on the ground and 98.3 yards passing. Lumberton averages 259.1 yards rushing and 93.7 through the air.
Senior quarterback Donovan Turner is the leader for the Warriors on offense. He’s completed 93 of 161 passes (57.8 percent) for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he’s rushed for 930 yards and 16 TDs. Nanih Waiya also has junior running back Austin Sanders with 1,171 yards and 17 scores.
The Warriors started the season 0-2 after home losses to West Lauderdale (16-0) and Union (35-24).
The Panthers are also led by their quarterback, junior Robert Henry, who has rushed for 1,831 yards and 29 touchdowns, and passed for 1,039 yards and 13 more scores. Sophomore Shavante Toney has also run well for Lumberton, gaining 833 yards and 11 TDs.
Junior K’nylan Willis is Henry’s favorite target among his wide receivers, with 32 catches for 812 yards and 10 scores. Senior Jayson Buckley also has big-play ability, including 430 yards and two touchdowns on returns (kickoffs, punts and interceptions).
The Panthers have five players on their defense with at least 90 tackles, led by freshman Da’byron Conerly (128). Senior Xavier Holder has 7.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 107 total stops, while senior Augustus Sandifer has 19.5 TFLs in 104 tackles.
Lumberton lost back-to-back games to West Marion (36-13) and Bay Springs (24-22) on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, then dropped a non-region game to then-undefeated Faith Academy (Ala.) 34-14 on Nov. 1.
