By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – Here are recaps and summaries form this weekend’s MHSAA State Championship Games at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the Southern Miss campus, along with photos from a few of the games:
CLASS 6A
Oxford 31, Oak Grove 21
Oxford mounted a stunning comeback in the second half, rallying from a 21-3 halftime deficit to defeat Oak Grove 31-21 in the Class 6A State Championship Game. It was the Chargers’ first state title in their fifth finals appearance.
After spotting the Chargers a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter, the Warriors scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter, the last with 10 seconds remaining in the first half on a trick play, the Philly Special.
But the Chargers roared out of the halftime locker room and scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the third quarter to narrow the margin to 21-16.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Warriors drove to a first and goal at the Oxford 10. Three runs put Oak Grove inside the 1, but Damon Stewart was stopped on a quarterback sneak on fourth down, and the Chargers then drove 99 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Oxford added a clinching score after stopping Oak Grove on fourth down at the Warrior 28.
Quarterback John Meagher ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries for Oxford (14-1), and he completed 5 of 9 passes for 110 yards and two TD passes. J.J. Pegues caught three passes for 107 yards and both scores.
Nick Milsap ran 24 times for 119 yards to lead Oak Grove (11-4). Stewart completed 14 of 28 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown for the Warriors.
GAME SUMMARY
Class 6A State Championship Game
Friday at Roberts Stadium
Oxford 31, Oak Grove 21
Oxford 3 0 13 15 – 31
Oak Grove 0 21 0 0 – 21
First Quarter
O – Jack Tannehill 27 field goal, 2:14 (7 plays/21 yards/3:11 possession).
Second Quarter
OG – Damon Stewart 27 pass to Tavion Smith (Michael Owens kick), 10:44 (10/87/3:25).
OG – Eugene Newell Jr. 2 run (Owens kick), 6:33 (7/85/1:46).
OG – Quintin Sterling 4 pass to Stewart (Owens kick), 0:10 (12/86/3:54).
Third Quarter
O – John Meagher 62 pass to J.J. Pegues (Tannehill kick), 11:02 (3/69/0:50).
O – Meagher 23 run (Run failed), 7:04 (5/45/2:13).
Fourth Quarter
O – Meagher 21 pass to Pegues (Pegues pass to Clay Cromwell), 4:52 (5/99/2:13).
O – Meagher 25 run (Tannehill kick), 2:20 (4/28/0:58).
TEAM STATISTICS
O OG
First downs 11 18
Total net yards 314 364
Rushes-yards 35-204 44-121
Passing yards 110 243
Comp-Att-Int 5-9-0 15-29-0
Fumbles-lost 4-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 7-61 2-18
Punts-total (avg.) 4-153 (38.2) 3-112 (37.3)
Sacks-yards 4-25 0-0
3rd down conv. 2-9 7-16
4th down conv. 0-0 2-6
Time of possession 19:57 28:03
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Oxford – John Meagher 15-152, K.J. Watley 5-70, J.J. Pegues 8-34, Tank Pearson 1-0, Team – 6- (-52); Oak Grove – Nick Milsap 24-119, Eugene Newell Jr. 10-32, Damon Stewart 10-(-30).
Passing
Oxford – John Meagher 5-9-0-110; Oak Grove – Damon Stewart 14-28-0-239, Quintin Sterling 1-1-0-4.
Receiving
Oxford – J.J. Pegues 3-107, Jalen Egerson 1-4, D.K. Johnson 1-(-1); Oak Grove – Tavion Smith 6-86, Brandon Hayes 3-59, Liam Breithaupt 2-55, Nick Milsap 1-26, Damon Stewart 1-4, Jordan Coleman 2-13.
CLASS 5A
West Point 38, Picayune 26
West Point took a page or two out of Picayune’s playbook, running the ball and running the clock Saturday night in the Class 5A State Championship Game.
The Green Wave rode a strong ground attack and timely passing to defeat the Maroon Tide 38-26 for their fourth consecutive 5A state title. The win gives West Point its 11th state title, tying South Panola for the most in state history.
Senior Dantariyus Cannon rushed for 135 yards on 13 carries for West Point (15-1), and senior Brandon Harris ran 15 times for 58 yards and two touchdowns, and he completed 2 of 3 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown pass.
After Picayune (14-1) took the opening kickoff 73 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown, using up half of the first quarter, West Point grabbed the lead on Harris’ first score, a 3-yard run, and never gave it up.
The Green Wave built a 21-7 lead, but the Maroon Tide rallied on back-to-back plays, a 76-yard run by Cameron Thomas, then a 39-yard pick-6 by Jaylen Hall. Picayune missed the PAT after Hall’s score, though, and West Point led 21-20 at halftime.
West Point scored on the opening possession of the third quarter, then added a field goal to build a 31-20 lead before Thomas caught a 70-yard touchdown pass to narrow the margin to 31-26.
But the Green Wave put the game away with a five-play, 63-yard scoring drive.
Thomas finished with 147 yards on 21 carries for Picayune in Dodd Lee’s final game after 24 seasons as the head coach of the Maroon Tide.
GAME SUMMARY
Class 5A State Championship Game
Saturday at Roberts Stadium
West Point 38, Picayune 26
West Point 7 14 7 10 – 38
Picayune 7 13 0 6 – 26
First Quarter
P – Cameron Thomas 9 run (Austin Samples kick), 5:35 (13 plays/73 yards/6:25 possession).
WP – Brandon Harris 3 run (Alex Harper kick), 2:13 (7/58/3:13).
Second Quarter
WP – Corbin Kelley 18 pass to T.J. Anderson (Harper kick), 10:32 (5/50/2:06).
WP – Harris 52 pass to Jordan Rupert (Harper kick), 8:07 (3/63/0:49).
P – Thomas 76 run (Samples kick), 3:05 (1/76/0:13).
P – Jaylen Hall 39 interception return (Kick failed), 2:47.
Third Quarter
WP – Harris 5 run (Harper kick), 7:35 (8/63/4:19).
Fourth Quarter
WP – Harper 24 field goal, 6:15 (12/68/6:58).
P – Isaac Hickman 70 pass to Thomas (Pass failed), 5:55 (1/70/0:12).
WP – Kelvionte Gibbs 2 run (Harper kick), 3:54 (5/63/1:59).
TEAM STATISTICS
WP P
First downs 15 13
Total net yards 395 305
Rushes-yards 44-249 36-197
Passing yards 146 108
Comp-Att-Int 4-7-1 5-12-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-48 2-6
Punts-total (avg.) 2-64 (32.0) 4-102 (25.5)
Sacks-yards 1-1 0-0
3rd down conv. 3-9 6-12
4th down conv. 2-2 1-2
Time of possession 25:39 22:21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
West Point – Dantariyus Cannon 13-128, Jimothy Mays 9-61, Brandon Harris 15-51, Kelvionte Gibbs 5-16, Team – 2-(-7); Picayune – Cameron Thomas 21-147, AustinSamples 4-20, Kade Turnage 5-12, Jaylen Hall 3-11, Jakail Myers 1-6, Isaac Hickman 2-1.
Passing
West Point – Corbin Kelley 2-4-1-37, Brandon Harris 2-3-0-109; Picayune – Isaac Hickman 4-10-0-104, Jakail Myers 1-2-0-4.
Receiving
West Point – T.J. Anderson 2-75, Jordan Rupert 1-52, Dantariyus Cannon 1-19; Picayune – Cameron Thomas 1-70, Austin Samples 1-21, Jaylen Hart 2-13, Jaylen Hall 1-4.
CLASS 4A
Corinth 55, Poplarville 21
Corinth played about as perfect a game as a team can play in the Class 4A State Championship Game.
The Warriors scored touchdowns on every possession of the game except the last one – when they took a knee to end the game – in a dominant 55-21 victory over Poplarville Saturday for the school’s first state title in football.
Senior quarterback D.T. Sheffield ran for 220 yards on just 10 carries and scored three touchdowns, and he was 5 of 6 through the air for 164 yards and two touchdown passes.
Senior running back Tam Patterson added 134 yards on the ground on 22 runs and scored twice for the Warriors, as Corinth (14-1) piled up 553 yards of offense, 389 on the ground.
Poplarville (9-6) got a tying touchdown on a 66-yard run by senior Chase Shears in the first quarter, after Sheffield scored the first of his touchdowns on a 49-yard run.
But the Hornets’ defense was no match for the Warriors, who did not punt for the fourth consecutive game. Corinth led 34-7 at halftime, then scored on the opening possession of the second half to leave no doubt about the outcome.
Shears finished with 154 yards rushing on 12 carries for Poplarville.
GAME SUMMARY
Class 4A State Championship Game
Saturday at Roberts Stadium
Corinth 55, Poplarville 21
Corinth 14 20 14 7 – 55
Poplarville 7 0 6 8 – 21
First Quarter
C – D.T. Sheffield 49 run (John Ellis Murrah kick), 8:16 (3 plays/60 yards/0:52 possession).
P – Chase Shears 66 run (Zach Carpenter kick), 8:05 (1/66/0:11).
C – Tam Patterson 9 run (Murrah kick), 6:20 (5/62/1:40).
Second Quarter
C – Patterson 2 run (Murrah kick), 10:12 (13/86/5:47).
C – Sheffield 69 pass to D.K. Gaines (Murrah kick), 6:20 (2/66/0:28).
C – Sheffield 30 run (Run failed), 0:08 (7/86/1:38).
Third Quarter
C – Sheffield 43 pass to Gaines (Murrah kick), 9:59 (4/70/2:01).
P – Caziah Daniels 4 run (Kick failed), 2:59 (14/80/7:00).
C – Sheffield 72 run (Murrah kick), 2:06 (2/72/0:53).
Fourth Quarter
P – Zac Owen 1 run (Daniels run), 9:30 (11/76/4:29).
C – Patterson 35 run (Murrah kick), 6:39 (6/62/2:51).
TEAM STATISTICS
C P
First downs 20 21
Total net yards 553 374
Rushes-yards 39-389 65-374
Passing yards 164 0
Comp-Att-Int 5-6-0 0-3-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-66 7-60
Punts-total (avg.) 0-0 (0.0) 3-120 (40.0)
Sacks-yards 0-0 0-0
3rd down conv. 7-8 5-14
4th down conv. 0-0 4-6
Time of possession 17:48 30:12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Corinth – D.T. Sheffield 10-220, Tam Patterson 22-134, Cayden Betts 2-29, Nazarius Jones 3-12, Will Agnew 1-(-3), Team 1-(-3); Poplarville – Chase Shears 12-154, Zac Owen 23-77, Casin Sones 12-53, Caziah Daniels 7-47, Gregory Swann 5-28, Ethan Taylor 2-16, Blaise Breerwood 31-13, Team 1-(-8).
Passing
Corinth – D.T. Sheffield 5-6-0-164; Poplarville – Blaise Breerwood 0-3-0-0.
Receiving
Corinth – D.K. Gaines 3-128, Calvin Jones 2-36; Poplarville – None.
CLASS 3A
Jefferson Davis County 25, Noxubee County 15
Lance Mancuso still has the magic touch in state championship games. The coach for Jefferson Davis County guided the Jaguars to a 25-15 victory over Noxubee County Friday in the Class 3A State Champonship Game.
It was Mancuso’s eighth state title as a head coach, in eight championship game appearances, and his second in three seasons since JDC merged Bassfield with Prentiss in 2017.
Both teams finished their season 10-6 overall.
The win competed a big midseason turnaround after the Jaguars were 2-6 after eight games this season.
Senior Keyser Booth scored two touchdowns, rushing for 184 yards on 17 carries and he also caught a 36-yard touchdown pass as the Jaguars led from start to finish.
Senior Deandre Shorts ran for 93 yards on nine carries and added another touchdown for JDC, plus he had two interceptions to key a stout defense that held the Tigers on three consecutive second-half possessions inside the Jaguar 25-yard-line.
Noxubee County senior quarterback Marlon Windham finished with 18 completions in 43 attempts for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 20 times for 128 yards. Jaqualon Sherron had 118 yards in receptions on 10 catches for the Tigers.
GAME SUMMARY
Class 3A State Championship Game
Friday at Roberts Stadium
Jefferson Davis County 25, Noxubee County 15
Noxubee Co. 0 7 0 8 – 15
Jeff Davis Co. 13 6 0 6 – 25
First Quarter
JDC – Lyric Hall 36 pass to Keyser Booth (Chase Hanegan kick), 7:02 (4 plays/55 yards/2:21 possession).
JDC – Booth 80 run (Kick failed), 4:10 (1/80/0:14).
Second Quarter
NC – Marlon Windham 33 pass to Anthony Little (Kylan Stewart kick), 8:56 (1/33/0:08).
JDC – Deandre Shorts 39 run (Pass failed), 1:19 (8/79/4:35).
Fourth Quarter
JDC – Booth 42 run (Kick failed), 2:44 (8/76/4:21).
TEAM STATISTICS
NC JDC
First downs 18 13
Total net yards 346 363
Rushes-yards 25-144 45-329
Passing yards 202 34
Comp-Att-Int 18-43-2 2-5-2
Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 4-30 7-38
Punts-total (avg.) 4-151 (37.8) 4-123 (30.8)
Sacks-yards 0-0 1-12
3rd down conv. 5-13 4-10
4th down conv. 1-4 0-1
Time of possession 18:29 29:31
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Noxubee County – Marlon Windham 20-128; Bobby Shanklin 4-16, Team 1-0; Jeff Davis County – Keyser Booth 17-184, Deandre Shorts 9-93, Ty Johnson 7-34, Demarrio Booth 5-21, Malcolm Hartzog 1-2, Markis Middleton 2-0, AlJurae Arnold 1-(-1), Michael Carraway 1-(-2), Team 2-(-2).
Passing
Noxubee County – Marlon Windham 18-43-2-202; Jeff Davis County – Lyric Hall 2-5-2-34.
Receiving
Noxubee County – Jaqualon Sherrod 10-118, Anthony Little 2-39, Marcadi Johnson 2-24, Jakarion Lockett 2-17, Edward Colvin 1-3, Bobby Shanklin 1-1; Jeff Davis County – Keyser Booth 1-36, Demarrio Booth 1-(-2).
CLASS 2A
Taylorsville 49, Northside 18
Taylorsville completed its redemption tour Saturday in the Class 2A State Championship Game.
A year after losing in the state finals with their star quarterback Ty Keyes sidelined with a broken ankle, the Tartars roared to a 49-18 victory over Northside, handing the Gators their first defeat of the season after 14 wins.
For Taylorsville, it was the school’s seventh state title in 12 championship game appearances and the second title in the past three seasons.
Keyes, a junior, operated a dominating offense that racked up 359 yards, including 235 on the ground. Junior Jeffery Pittman ran for 113 yards on 13 carries and scored three touchdowns for Taylorsville (15-1).
Northside had only allowed 34 points all season, but Taylorsville surpassed that in the third quarter. And it was the Tartars who played the superior defense, holding the Gators to just 167 yards, including just 42 yards rushing.
Taylorsville trailed 12-7 before hitting its stride in the second quarter, scoring on three consecutive possessions to take a 28-12 halftime lead.
Keyes completed 12 of 18 passes for 124 yards, and he ran 10 times for a net of 50 yards and a touchdown for Taylorsville. Quarterback Ja’Terrance Moore led Northside with 15 completions in 21 attempts for 125 yards and a pair of touchdown passes.
GAME SUMMARY
Class 2A State Championship Game
Saturday at Roberts Stadium
Taylorsville 49, Northside 18
Northside 12 0 0 6 – 18
Taylorsville 7 21 7 14 – 49
First Quarter
N – Ja’Terrance Moore 2 pass to Justin Hudson (Run failed), 5:29 (10 plays/45 yards/4:30 possession).
T – Tyrese Keyes 90 kickoff return (Andi Briones kick), 5:16.
N – Moore 1 run (Run failed), 2:11 (8/60/2:57).
Second Quarter
T – Travis Keyes 2 run (Briones kick), 9:09 (5/36/1:56).
T – Jeffrey Pittman 30 run (Briones kick), 6:28 (3/72/0:55).
T – Ty Keyes 13 run (Briones kick), 1:16 (7/57/1:20).
Third Quarter
T – Pittman 2 run (Briones kick), 0:22 (6/28/2:49).
Fourth Quarter
T – Pittman 12 run (Briones kick), 8:42 (6/39/2:32).
N – Moore 14 pass to Jalen Ward (Pass failed), 8:15 (2/43/0:17).
T – Travis Keyes 3 run (Briones kick), 7:24 (3/49/0:47).
TEAM STATISTICS
N T
First downs 12 19
Total net yards 167 359
Rushes-yards 30-42 36-235
Passing yards 125 124
Comp-Att-Int 15-21-1 12-18-0
Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-0
Penalties-yards 13-105 8-61
Punts-total (avg.) 5-163 (32.6) 3-112 (37.3)
Sacks-yards 2-22 2-17
3rd down conv. 1-10 3-9
4th down conv. 1-2 2-2
Time of possession 24:16 23:44
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Northside – Thaddes Latham 4-30, Semaj Daniels 10-27, Jalen Ward 2-3, Tyrese Grayer 1-3, De’Ves Seaberry 1-2, Ja’Terrance Moore 10-(-4), Team 2-(-19); Taylorsville – Jeffrey Pittman 13-113, Travis Keyes 11-84; Ty Keyes 10-50, Team 2-(-12).
Passing
Northside – Ja’Terrance Moore 15-21-1-125; Taylorsville – Ty Keyes 12-18-0-124.
Receiving
Northside – Karltaus Burrage 9-84, Jalen Ward 2-22, Justin Hudson 2-9, De’Ves Seaberry 1-5, Tyrese Grayer 1-5; Taylorsville – Jalon Clark 2-43, Tyrese Keyes 4-38, Arterrious Miller 3-22, Jabez Griffith 2-14, Jeffrey Pittman 1-7.
CLASS 1A
Nanih Waiya 28, Lumberton 13
Nanih Waiya proved too big, too strong and too much for Lumberton to handle Friday in the Class 1A State Championship Game.
The Warriors used a smashing ground game to defeat the Panthers 28-13 for their second consecutive state title in their third straight appearance in the 1A finals.
The Panthers drew first blood on the first play from scrimmage after the opening kickoff, when junior quarterback Robert Henry raced for a 50-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 lead.
But after that it was all Nanih Wayia (14-2). Warrior senior quarterback Donovan Turner ran for 189 yards on 24 carries, and senior Shia Moore added 125 rushing yards on 17 runs and scored two touchdowns.
Nanih Waiya led 14-6 at halftime, then broke Lumberton’s back late in the third quarter and early in the fourth with a 15-play, 94-yard drive that ate up 9 minutes, 10 seconds off the clock, getting the score on a 2-yard run by Austin Sanders.
In all, the Warriors racked up 371 rushing yards, they had the ball for 30:41 and they never had to punt.
Henry rushed for 145 yards on 22 carries for Lumberton (12-4).
GAME SUMMARY
Class 1A State Championship Game
Friday at Roberts Stadium
Nanih Waiya 28, Lumberton 13
Nanih Waiya 7 7 0 14 – 28
Lumberton 6 0 0 7 – 13
First Quarter
L – Robert Henry 50 run (Kick failed), 11:49 (1 plays/50 yards/0:11 possession).
NW – Donovan Turner 17 pass to Tylan Glass (Jake Vick kick), 8:50 (6/62/2:52).
Second Quarter
NW – Shia Moore 6 run (Vick kick), 11:00 (12/79/6:14).
Fourth Quarter
NW – Austin Sanders 2 run (Vick kick), 9:10 (14/94/9:10).
NW – Moore 1 run (Vick kick), 5:20 (5/27/2:52).
L – Trevon Jessie 1 run (Jake Robinson kick), 2:55 (8/78/2:13).
TEAM STATISTICS
NW L
First downs 21 9
Total net yards 439 204
Rushes-yards 50-371 28-154
Passing yards 68 50
Comp-Att-Int 3-10-1 7-14-1
Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-0
Penalties-yards 12-95 9-56
Punts-total (avg.) 0-0 (0.0) 2-78 (39.0)
Sacks-yards 1-2 0-0
3rd down conv. 3-8 4-10
4th down conv. 3-3 1-3
Time of possession 30:41 17:19
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Nanih Waiya – Donovan Turner 24-189, Shia Moore 17-125, Austin Sanders 8-62, Team 1-(-5); Lumberton – Robert Henry 22-145, Shavante Toney 2-5, Trevon Jessie 4-4.
Passing
Nanih Waiya – Donovan Turner 3-9-1-68, Shia Moore 0-1-0-0; Lumberton – Robert Henry 7-13-1-50, Rodney Parker 0-1-0-0.
Receiving
Nanih Waiya – Devean Turner 1-38, Tylan Glass 1-17, Austin Sanders 1-13; Lumberton – Trevon Jessie 3-39, K’nylan Willis 1-8, Tavis Toney 1-3, Jayson Buckley 2-0.
