By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – When it comes to state championship games in Mississippi, it always pays to bet on Louisville.
Once again, the Wildcats found a way to win Saturday afternoon in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Gridiron Classic at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the University of Southern Mississippi, edging Mendenhall 17-14 in the Class 4A State Championship Game.
It was the 11th state title in 11 visits to the finals for Louisville (14-1), but it wasn’t secured until junior Ceidrick Hunt converted a 27-yard field goal as time expired. Mendenhall (12-2) was denied in its first state finals appearance since 1988.
“I didn’t want to be the first coach (at Louisville) to come down here and lose in the finals,” said Louisville head coach Tyrone Shorter.
“But I told our guys it wasn’t about us, it wasn’t about me, it was about the tradition of the program, and for me to be a part of that tradition is humbling. I just want to continue to build on that tradition.”
The Wildcats got the better of a fierce defensive struggle, thanks to the only turnover of the game, sophomore Ja’cari Owens’ fumble recovery at the Mendenhall 43-yard-line with 32 seconds remaining in regulation.
Wildcat senior quarterback Keyarrion Jackson scrambled out of trouble for a 14-yard gain, then hit senior Jaden Triplett for 19 yards to the Tiger 10, getting out of bounds to stop the clock with 4 seconds to play.
“Everybody was bailing out (on the scramble), so I just pulled it down and ran with it,” said Jackson. “It was open the whole game, I just knew I had to get it right there. I’m part of the legacy now.”
Mendenhall called two time outs, then each team was called for offsides, the Tigers first, the Louisville. Hunt patiently drilled three practice kicks before hitting the real thing.
“A lot was going through my mind while I was out there,” said Hunt. “I just wanted to concentrate on the basics, watching the snap and getting in my rhythm, then blocking everything out and focusing.”
It looked early on like the Wildcats might run Mendenhall out of the The Rock, as they scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, sandwiched around a three-and-out.
Louisville took the opening kickoff and drove 58 yards on 13 plays, getting the score on a 2-yard run by junior Kendon Sanders.
The Wildcats converted three first downs, on a 19-yard pass from Jackson to junior Jykevious Goss, a 2-yard run by Jackson to the Tiger 5 and the touchdown. Louisville was also gifted a fourth-down conversion on an encroachment call on the drive.
After getting the ball right back at the Tiger 33 following a short punt, the Wildcats covered the distance in six plays, with Nigel Anderson scoring on a 7-yard run.
“They had corner who was high up, so we felt like we could get our guys open in the middle of the field and get the ball to them,” said Jackson, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 134 yards. “They started playing off on our hitches, and we didn’t adjust like we should have.”
The Tigers got their offense going on the ensuing possession, driving 76 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown.
Senior quarterback Tayton James hit senior Nicholas Williams for 20 yards and senior Darius Dampier picked up 20 more on the first two plays of the drive to get Mendenhall going.
Dampier then ran 11 yards on a fourth-and-4 from the Wildcat 20, and James got the score on a back-shoulder throw to senior Walter Owens in the left corner of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The PAT kick failed, however, but the Tigers were back in the game.
“Our kids are real resilient, and we were able to come back,” said Mendenhall coach Monroe Allen Jr. “It’s unfortunate, ball just didn’t bounce our way a few times. We had some things that didn’t go our way.
“But it is what it is. We battled our tails off. I’m extremely proud of them.”.
The score stayed at 14-6 the rest of the first half and well into the fourth quarter.
Louisville played almost the entire second half backed up in its own end of the field, as Mendenhall used its defense and special teams to keep the Wildcats in poor field position.
“We just kept grinding to keep them from scoring,” said Louisville junior linebacker Kendon Sanders, who earned Player of the Game honors after recording 13 tackles, including eight solos and two for loss. “We just tried to play our best defense and believe in ourselves”
The Tigers twice drove inside the Louisville 10 without scoring. In the third quarter, James’ fourth-down pass from the Wildcat 6 was no good, and in the fourth quarter, James’ swing pass to Dampier from the Wildcat 6 came up 4 yards short of the goal line.
“I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships,” said Shorter “Our defense just kept on coming with big play after big play.”
But if you give a good team enough chances, it will usually cash one of them in, and that was the case for Mendenhall after taking over at their own 39 after a Hunt got a good roll for what became a 55-yard punt.
Dampier converted a third-and-1 at midfield with a 2-yard pickup, then James found Owens for a 2-yard gain on a swing pass.
Dampier had a solid afternoon for Mendenhall, running for 107 yards on 16 carries.
Two plays later, James hooked up with junior Marcus Allen for a 26-yard touchdown pass, and the two also connected for the PAT to tie the game at 14-14 with 2:47 to play.
“We’ve come from behind before,” said Allen. “It wasn’t anything new. We missed a couple of opportunities in the second half, but you can’t take anything away from Louisville; they’re a great ball club.
“Their starting cornerback had gone out, so we were going to try him out, see what we could do. Marcus made a great catch; went up and got it, then battled for the ball. That’s the thing about our kids; they know how to fight.”
Louisville got a first down in the next series, but on third down, Jackson was sacked for a 17-yard loss, forcing a punt.
Mendenhall got the ball with 58 seconds left at their own 21, and James found Owens on a bubble screen for a 24-yard gain. After a spike, James hit Allen for a swing pass and the ball came out, right into Owens’ hands to set up the winning drive.
“I knew our offense was going to make some plays,” said Shorter. “We’d just been shooting ourselves in the foot the whole second half, and we finally got it going that last drive.”
Now in his fourth season as Louisville’s head coach, Shorter said he leaned on his mentors, including Hall of Fame coach M.C. Miller, in guiding one of the state’s marquee programs. Saturday’s win tied Louisville with West Point for most state titles.
“I told the guys when I took this job, when these seniors were freshman, that there is no reason for Louisville not to be leading the state in championships, and our mission was to tie for it,” said Shorter. “Now the goal is to win another one.”
GAME SUMMARY
Class 4A State Championship
Saturday at Hattiesburg
Louisville 17, Mendenhall 14
Mendenhall 6 0 0 8 – 14
Louisville 14 0 0 3 – 17
First Quarter
L – Kendon Sanders 2 run (Ceidrick Hunt kick), 7:34 (13 plays/ 58 yards/ 4:26 possession).
L – Nigel Anderson 7 run (Hunt kick), 4:12 (6/33/1:43).
M – Tayton James 5 pass to Walter Owens (Kick failed), 0:05 (11/76/4:07).
Fourth Quarter
M – James 26 pass to Marcus Allen (James pass to Allen), 2:47 (9/61/2:16).
L – Hunt 27 field goal, 0:00 (5/33/0:32).
TEAM STATISTICS
M L
First downs 16 12
Total net yards 292 153
Rushes-yards 42-152 27-19
Passing yards 140 134
Comp-Att-Int 15-25-0 15-30-0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-43 11-57
Punts-total (avg.) 4-162 (40.5) 7-294 (42.0)
Sacks 2-31 1-6
Third down 7-16 5-15
Fourth down 2-5 1-1
Time of possession 28:11 19:49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Mendenhall – Darius Dampeer 16-107, Tayton James 18-32, Tyler Bridges 4-13, Jay Ulmer 2-5, Walter Owens 1-1, Christopher Davis 1-(-6); Louisville – Jaden Triplett 7-16, Kendon Sanders 6-12, Nigel Anderson 1-7, Jykevious Goss 3-2, Team 1-(-3), Keyarrion Jackson 9-(-15).
Passing
Mendenhall – Tayton James 15-24-0-140, Team 0-1-0-0; Louisville – Keyarrion Jackson 15-29-0-134, Team 0-1-0-0.
Receiving
Mendenhall – Nicholas Williams 2-39, Walter Owens 5-25, Darius Dampier 3-25, Marcus Allen 2-24, Myles Womack 1-12, Jay Ulmer 1-9, Jeffrey Hobbs 1-6; Louisville – Jykevious Giss 5-63, Jaden Triplett 5-36, Swahili Earby 2-16, Caleb Hughes 1-10, De’arrius Norton 1-6, Kameron Triplett 1-3.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
