By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
Wonder of wonders, the Mississippi High School Activities Association has gotten to its premier weekend – the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Gridiron Classic – despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
The MHSAA pushed the start of the season back two weeks, then kept in close contact with coaches and athletic administrators about any positive cases, and was pretty vigilant about cancelling games if one team or another had at least three Covid-19 cases on their teams.
Most of the public-school teams had at least one instance where either they or their opponent forfeited a game because of the Covid-19 guidelines.
But we’ve made it to the final weekend, with 12 teams ready to square off in six classes for a gold football trophy, and even that has been affected by the pandemic.
The championship weekend was originally scheduled to be played at Davis-Wade Stadium on the Mississippi State campus but was moved after the Southeastern Conference scheduled MSU with a game against Missouri that weekend.
So, the MHSAA early on made the only decision it could make and moved the Gridiron Classic to Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
There will be three games on Friday and three more on Saturday, assuming all 12 teams stay Covid-free. The way the virus is trending in the state right now, that is not necessarily a safe assumption.
The spike in Covid cases in Mississippi forced the MHSAA to cancel its popular media event on Monday, where coaches and players from all 12 teams gather in one location for interviews with reporters, a pretty good lunch and all-around schmoose-fest.
Instead the association held a virtual meeting on-line, getting all 12 coaches in a Zoom room to answer a few questions from longtime Jackson sportscaster Russ Robinson.
I would have liked to have had the chance to interview a few players, and maybe ask a few more in-depth questions of some of the coaches than what Robinson did, but, on the whole, it went as well as could be expected.
So, here are previews of this weekend’s games, with some facts, figures, some commentary and a few quotes from some of the coaches from South State. We’ll start with the first game of the weekend and take you through all six games.
This year, the North teams are the designated home teams and will occupy the press box side of the stadium.
CLASS 3A, 11 a.m. Friday
Magee (11-0) vs. Noxubee County (10-1)
When Noxubee County dropped down from Class 4A beginning in 2019, a lot of fans thought the Tigers would dominate in the lower class, after winning a display case full of gold balls in 4A, but that really didn’t happen.
Noxubee struggled against a brutal non-region schedule (think Starkville, West Point, et al), found some rhythm in region play and in the first four games of the playoffs, but then got physically whipped in the state final by Jefferson Davis County.
This year, though, the Tigers have been more up to expectations, going 10-1 heading into the 3A championship. Unlike years past, Noxubee is getting it done with defense, led by linebacker Trillo Brown, who leads the team with 127 tackles.
They will face off against a rejuvenated Magee team that is back in the finals after a long drought. The Trojans were the scourge of 3A for most of the 1980s and ‘90s but they have been mostly average since their most recent championship appearance in 2000.
That began to change when Magee lured Teddy Dyess away from Philadelphia after a dozen seasons in Neshoba County.
Dyess is no stranger to championship football; he was an assistant on a Class 5A state champion at Madison Central, then won back-to-back state titles in Class 2A at Lumberton in 2004 and 2005.
“When we got here in 2018, our goal was to a state championship back to Magee,” Dyess said. “These kids have worked hard, and we’ve gotten better every year.”
The Trojans have gotten better this year behind the multiple talents of senior Chandler Pittman, who will take most of the snaps at quarterback for Magee.
Pittman has completed 134 of 218 passes (61.5 percent) for 1,988 yards and 25 TDs, and he’s rushed for 1,052 yards, averaging 7.8 yards a carry and 11 scores.
After getting through a tough Region 8-3A schedule undefeated, Magee has outscored four playoff opponents 119-16, although the Trojans were tested in the South State final, getting past Columbia 14-6 to punch their ticket for Jackson.
CLASS 1A, 3 p.m. Friday
Lumberton (11-1) vs. Biggersville (13-0)
Zach Jones has the Panthers back in the 1A finals this season after losing to Nanih Waiya 28-13 in last season’s championship game.
Lumberton got a rude wakeup call in its first game of the season, getting trounced 32-0 at home against Bay Springs. But since then, the Panthers have allowed just 47 points in 10 games (they got a forfeit in the first round of the playoffs against McAdams).
“We did have a wake-up call in that first game,” said Jones. “But we have a lot of leadership on this team, and we went back to work and got better each week.”
The center of attention for Lumberton is senior Robert Henry, who has had one of the great careers in a program that has seen a lot of great players come through. This year, Henry has rushed for 1,840 yards, averaging 12.1 yards per carry, and he’s scored 27 touchdowns.
Henry will start at quarterback for Lumberton, and he’s a decent passer, completing 52 percent of his throws. But Jones likes to move Henry around, and junior Rodney Parker will take plenty of snaps for the Panthers, and he’s the better passer, completing 62.3 percent of his attempts.
Lumberton’s opponent is from Biggersville, a community south of Corinth, a team that until recently was a reliable doormat.
Now in his fifth season, Stan Platt has taken the Lions literally from the brink of extinction when he got there to a program that has just brutalized opponents, including teams that have been championship-level programs in the recent past, such as Smithville and Baldwyn.
Platt started with a small group of eighth graders his first season, and those players have formed the nucleus of this season’s dream team.
But the player to watch for the Lions is running back Goldman Butler, who has rushed for 1,748 yards and 26 touchdowns. He’s a load at 5-11, 215 pounds, and he runs behind a big offensive line.
Last year, Nanih Waiya beat Lumberton by simply running over the quicker, but smaller Panthers with a power ground game. That could be a problem again Friday unless Jones and his staff figure out a scheme to slow Biggersville down.
CLASS 6A, 7 p.m. Friday
Oak Grove (12-0) vs. Oxford (12-0)
The marquee game of the weekend pits the only other undefeated teams in the state in a rematch of last season’s 6A final, won by Oxford 31-21.
That game has motivated Oak Grove almost every day since, as the Warriors led 21-3 at halftime and were an inch away from going up by two scores early in the fourth quarter before the Chargers rallied.
That motivation has led Oak Grove to the top of the state’s rankings with a machine-like performance almost every game this season. The closest the Warriors came to defeat was 24-22 win over Brandon; otherwise they have been lights-out.
Teams that have tried to defend Oak Grove face a true dilemma, because the Warriors run the ball as effectively as they pass it – and they pass it extremely well. The key is a big, mobile offensive line that has dominated at the point of attack.
“For us, it starts with our offensive line,” said Oak Grove coach Drew Causey. “We returned four guys who started for us last year, so they’ve got a few snaps under their belt. Offensively, we’ll do what we do and try to execute to the best of our ability.”
Quarterback Kabe Barnett is the triggerman for the Warriors, and he’s had a sensational junior season, completing 138 of 227 passes (60.8 percent) for 36 TDs and just five interceptions. His favorite target is junior Tyrell Pollard, who has 44 receptions for 940 yards and 15 scores.
On the ground, Oak Grove features a two-headed monster in seniors Courtland Harris and Eugene Newell Jr., who have combined for 1,585 yards and 20 TDs. Barnett has also become a running threat, averaging 8.4 yards a carry and scoring six times on the ground.
Defensively, Oak Grove has had games where it has given up some points, and the Warriors can be vulnerable to a power running game up the middle. But they’ve got superior athletes in the secondary, and a real leader at middle linebacker in senior Zach Little.
Oxford, which has won 25 straight games, lost some key talent from last year’s championship team, but head coach Chris Cutcliffe, son of the former Ole Miss and current Duke head coach, has retooled his team into a more defensive-oriented squad.
The Chargers have also been toughened by a tough playoff run, squeezing past Madison Central 25-23 in the opening round and coming from behind on the road at Clinton last week 31-27 in the North State finals.
Oxford isn’t going to wow you with its stats, but the Chargers are fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and they are strong in the kicking game.
Senior Jack Tannehill has been good on 15 of 18 field goals, with a long of 45 yards, he’s been perfect on 36 PATs and has 43 touchbacks on kickoffs.
CLASS 4A, 11 a.m. Saturday
Poplarville (10-3) vs. Louisville (13-1)
Jay Beech has the Hornets back in the 4A finals for the third year in a row and the fourth time in the past five seasons. However, Poplarville would just as soon forget last season’s championship after getting steamrolled by Corinth 55-21, a game that was not even that close.
The Hornets overcame an 0-3 start – albeit to some very good teams: Jeff Davis County, D’Iberville and Picayune – and has rolled up an average of 41.9 points in a 10-game winning streak.
Poplarville cruised through the South State playoffs, outscoring its four opponents 186-35, including last week’s 35-6 dismantling of Mendenhall in the South State finals.
It is no secret what the Hornets are going to do. They are going to run the football out of the old Wing-T formation. Poplarville averages 302.2 yards rushing per game and has only attempted 34 passes all season.
Beech can turn to two 1,000-yard rushers (D.J. Richardbey with 1,297 and Tyron Holston with 1,008) and another almost 1,000-yard guy in Gregory Swann, who has run for 976 yards.
Louisville brings a strong defense and a championship tradition to Jackson this weekend. The Wildcats were state champs in 4A in 2018, the school’s ninth overall, and are back now with a team whose only loss came on September 11 to Starkville 24-14.
Linebacker Keandre Gill leads Louisville on defense with 153 tackles (80 solos) and 4.5 sacks. The Wildcats also have a talented defensive end in Ty Cooper, who has 112 tackles and 12 sacks.
CLASS 2A, 3 p.m. Saturday
Taylorsville (13-1) vs. Calhoun City (10-2)
Two teams that are no strangers to championship football will collide in the 2A final.
The Tartars won the latest of their seven titles last season, trouncing Northside 49-18, and are gunning for their third 2A championship in four seasons in their 13th overall appearance in the state finals
Calhoun City is making its 12th appearance in the state finals but have only won twice, in 1989 and 2016. Taylorsville head coach Mitch Evans remarked that he was familiar with the Wildcats after the Tartars beat Calhoun City for the 2A title in his junior and senior seasons (1994-95).
Taylorsville brings one of the state’s most dynamic players in senior quarterback Ty Keyes, who has passed for 2,319 yards, with a 67.8 percent completion rate, and 27 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
Everyone in Mississippi knows about Keyes, but a big factor for Taylorsville has been the running of senior Jeffrey Pittman, who has 1,250 yards and 20 touchdowns. In fact, it was Pittman who was the MVP in last year’s final after running for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
The Tartars’ only defeat this season came in the rain on Oct. 8 at West Jones, a 35-21 decision, and they also have significant wins over Jackson Prep (47-37) and Enterprise-Clarke (33-28).
Calhoun City started the season 0-2 after losing tough games to Choctaw County (14-12) and North Panola (34-20) but came back with a big win at Water Valley (40-21) to kickstart their season.
The Wildcats have also been tested in the postseason, getting past East Webster 30-14 and East Union 22-14 in overtime the past two weeks.
Quarterback Jackson Lee and running back Jaylon Artbery are the players to watch for Calhoun City. Lee has thrown for 1,342 yards and 16 touchdowns, and he’s run for 551 yards and 7 scores. Artbery has run for 1,103 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
CLASS 5A
West Jones (12-2) vs. West Point (11-3)
The final game of the weekend brings West Point back to familiar territory, the state 5A finals. The Green Wave are gunning for their fifth straight championship and 12th overall, which would push them past South Panola for most titles of any team in the state.
One of the teams West Point has beaten in its four-year championship run was West Jones in 2018, and the Mustangs are back after coming up short last year.
“The championships are just another week for (West Point),” said Mustang coach Scott Pierson, one of the most quotable guys in the business. “We’re honored just to be representing the South.
“Fortunately for us, when we were here in 2018, we had a lot of sophomores on that team, and they’re all back.”
Chief among those is quarterback Alan Follis, who has a knack for making big plays in big moments. The Mustangs also have a talented running back in Kentrel Pruitt.
“He’s not the fastest tailback, but he runs hard and moves the chains,” said Pierson.
West Point had some uncharacteristic struggles at various points in the season. The Green Wave lost their opener at Starkville 40-28, then dropped back-to-back games in region play at home to Lake Cormorant (35-26) and at Grenada (28-21).
As a result, West Point finished third in Region 1-5A. But, as usual, the Green Wave have peaked at the right time, winning three playoff games on the road against Holmes County Central (42-28), Grenada (28-14) and Ridgeland (29-22).
West Jones also took to road route to the finals, winning at Picayune 35-23, then avenged its only loss on the field (the Mustangs had to forfeit their game against South Jones) by beating Laurel 42-21, then knocked off Pascagoula last week 18-16.
Naturally, it was Pierson who had the final word on what this most difficult season has meant to him and his fellow coaches, as well as the players they lead.
“A lot of us take things for granted,” Pierson said. “Once it gets taken away from you, as it did earlier this year, you appreciate the moments you have.”
Stan Caldwell has been writing about sports in the Hattiesburg area for more than 35 years.
