North Delta hammers Oak Hill

By Brad Greer
The old cliche “a good defense is a good offense” never became so evident Friday as in North Delta¹s first round playoff game against Oak Hill Academy.
The Green Wave forced four first half turnovers, three in the first quarter alone, to jump to a 28-0 lead in route to a 42-14 victory over the Raiders.
North Delta (9-2) will now advance to the North AA State second round where they will host River Oaks, La. Friday night at 7 p.m. River Oaks, who eliminated the Wave from last year¹s playoffs, defeated Leake 46-39 Friday night.
“Our defense has been kind of shaky the past few games but we wanted to come out tonight and make a statement and create some turnovers and give our offense good field position to work with,” said senior defensive back Brett Harrington, who recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass on the night.
After forcing Oak Hill to three-and-out on the opening possession, the North Delta offense went to work starting on their own 24-yard line. Austin Hagstrom busted a 33-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. Three plays later, quarterback Tyler Pirtle scooted 25 yards on a 3rd-and 9 from the Raider 41 to keep the drive alive.
Pirtle later scored from one yard out to give North Delta a 7-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Harrington pounced on a fumble at the Raider 11 to set up Hagstrom¹s 11-yard run to increase the lead to 14-0 after William Dean added the point after.
The Green Wave defense yet again set up another score as Tyler Beard intercepted a Riley Pierce pass at midfield. After a 36-yard run by Pirtle moved the ball to the Raider nine, Taylor Morris blasted in from two yards out two plays later, making the score 21-0 with 3:22 left in the first quarter.
North Delta capped off the first barrage as Hagstrom raced 37 yards for his second touchdown of the night with 2:11 remaining for a 28-0 Wave lead. The drive was set up as Harrington recovered another fumbled kickoff by the Oak Hill special teams.
The Green Wave kept the pressure on in the second quarter with a pair of Pirtle touchdown passes to Hagstrom and Sam Copeland to close out the scoring.
“I felt like our team came out with a lot of energy tonight so therefore the bye week did not hurt us. We were upbeat and I just had a good feeling during warm ups just by looking into their eyes we were ready to play tonight,” said North Delta head coach Brandon Ciaramitaro. “Our defense set the tone early by forcing a couple of quick turnovers that led to a couple of quick scores. We made a couple of moves on that side of the ball that should help us later on,” said Ciaramitaro.
Oak Hill avoided the shutout with a pair of touchdown runs by Drew Riley in the third quarter.
The game was called with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter after Oak Hill¹s Jeb Stevens suffered a neck injury and was airlifted by helicopter to the hospital.
North Delta ended the game with 281 yards of total offense while holding the Raiders to 143 yards.
Hagstrom led all rushers with 89 yards on seven carries while catching one pass for 59 yards and a touchdown. Pirtle followed with 78 yards on four carries and 2-of-4 passing for 77 yards through the air and two touchdowns.
Morris pushed his season rushing total to 1,045 yards with four carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. Bailey Sullivant chipped in with two carries for nine yards. Freshman Baker West added two carries for minus four yards.
Morris also led the Green Wave defense with five tackles from his linebacker position. Tyler Hardin and Hunter Pitcher followed with four stops each. Neil Patel and Will Magee also chipped in with three tackles each.

Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Lamar quarterback Barrett Dudley is the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. The 6' 180 lb. senior led the Raiders to a 35-21 upset road win over previously top ranked and undefeated Centreville. Dudley went 12/21 for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for another in the win to help Lamar advance to the second round of the playoffs.

"He's done this all season," said Lamar head coach Mac Barnes. "Barrett is a great leader and a great kid and is very tough. He took a big shot in the second quarter against Centreville but got back up to lead our team and our team followed his leadership."

Dudley has passed for 2,131 yards on the season with 19 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions and has completed 112 of 205 attempts. Lamar (9-3) and ranked second in Class AA will travel to take on Brookhaven this Friday night. The last time Lamar faced Brookhaven was in the 2009 Class AA State Championship game.

Colonels shock Cougars in overtime thriller

By Watson Cook

The Indianola Colonels traveled to Raymond Friday night to take on Central Hinds in the first round of the AA playoffs. It was the Colonels' second trip to Raymond this season. Going in, the Colonels believed they had a shot at pulling the upset, but no one could have imagined how it would actually play out. The Colonels, the #1 wild card in the North, did indeed pull off the upset of District 3 #1 Central Hinds with a 34-28, 3OT shocker.

IA got off to a slow start as Central Hinds controlled the line of scrimmage for the better part of the first half. After playing to a scoreless first quarter, the Cougars got on the board by taking advantage of an Ashton Knight fumble. Central Hinds recovered at the IA 42 and found the endzone on the next play on Dallas Townsend's 42-yard run. Mason Sollie's PAT was good to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead with 9:30 to play in the second quarter. The lead held until :02 remaining in the quarter. On 4th and 10 from the Cougar 33, Colonel quarterback Jonathan Holland's desperation pass was hauled in by Wheeler Timbs at the 5 yard line. With a second and third effort, Timbs carried Cougar defenders into the endzone. Following Holland's 2-point pass to Knight, the Colonels took momentum and an 8-7 lead into halftime.

The Cougars took the ball to start the second half and drove inside the Colonel 30 before Trey Roberson came up with an interception to give the Colonels the ball at their own 24. IA, taking advantage of the turnover, drove 76 yards on 8 plays. Holland capped the drive with a QB keeper from 1 yard out. The 2-point pass fell incomplete leaving IA with a 14-7 lead with 5:30 to play in the third quarter. The Cougars answered on their next drive, setting the back-and-forth tone for the remainder of the game. Brian King's 31-yard touchdown run and Sollie's PAT tied the game at 14-14 with 3:01 left in the quarter. The Colonels took the ensuing kickoff and used a 10-play, 73-yard drive to re-take the lead on Knight's 6-yard touchdown run. Timbs added the 2-point run to put IA up 22-14 with 10:27 to play in the game. Once again, the Cougars answered. Skylar Price's 10-yard pass to Townsend pulled the Cougars within 2 and Price's 2-point pass to Gray Jordan tied the game at 22-22 with 6:40 to play. IA had a chance to win at the end of regulation but Roberson's halfback pass was intercepted as time expired.

Central Hinds won the coin toss and elected to play defense in the first overtime period. On 4th and goal from the 1, Knight appeared to cross the goal line for a touchdown. In fact, one official, then the head referee, signaled touchdown. As the Colonel offense was running off the field in celebration, another official ran in and claimed to have Knight marked down shy of the endzone. The officials discussed it and reversed the touchdown setting off a firestorm on the Colonel sideline. With the turnover on downs, the Cougars, blessed with the powerful leg of Sollie, tried to win it with a field goal on 3rd and goal. The 21-yard attempt was pushed wide left, giving the Colonels another life. They wouldn't waste it.

In the second overtime, each team found the endzone but could not convert the 2-point attempt. King's 3-yard run and Knight's 1-yard run left the game tied at 28-28 at the end of the second overtime period.

The Colonels caught a couple of breaks in the third overtime and made sure to take advantage. The Cougar offense took the field first and fumbled the snap on 1st down. While they were able to recover, the play resulted in a five yard loss. Then penalized for a false start on 2nd down, the Cougars were looking at 2nd and goal from the 20. The Colonel defense made stops on three consecutive passes to force a turnover on downs. With a golden opportunity to win the game, the IA offense took the field. On 3rd and goal from the 7, Holland dropped back with play-action and hit tight end Michael Sykes with a strike in the endzone for the 34-28 win, igniting a wild celebration among everyone wearing blue and white.

With the win, the Colonels advance to take on Marshall Academy on Friday, November 9. The Patriots won their opening round game at Canton Academy 20-7. The Colonels suffered a 28-6 loss to Marshall earlier in the season in Indianola. Kickoff from Holly Springs is set for 7:00.

Heritage advances in thriller at East Rankin

Southern Sports & Travel

On September 7^th the Heritage Patriots had just fallen to 1-3 after dropping a 37-10 home loss to MRA and would lose two of their next three games to see themselves glaring at a 2-5 record with hopes of making their first playoff appearance since 2005 slipping away rapidly but fate came calling on the Heritage football program as the Patriots closed the regular season with three straight wins and qualified for post season play.

On Friday night at Moody Davis Field in Pelahatchie, Heritage had watched all momentum shift to a home-standing East Rankin squad who had taken their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter but fate called again as seniors Cade Lott and Parker Dunaway hooked up on a 26 yard game winning touchdown pass with just over one minute remaining to propel Heritage to a 21-17 win and a chance to win their first state championship since 1986.

(Above) Heritage quarterback Cade Lott (#2) scrambles for yardage

Neither squad looked to be in sync in a first quarter that was dominated by defense and penalties but Heritage would capitalize on a big play in the second quarter to score first.

Hudson Bean connected with senior tight-end David Hardy for a 53 yard pass to the East Rankin 8 yard line and Bean would plow his way through the middle of the East Rankin defense on the next play to score the first points of the game.

Graham McCain added the PAT and with 6:48 remaining in the half Heritage had taken a 7-0 lead.

Heritage would take the momentum into halftime as the Patriots would score again just before the half had ended.

Parker Dunaway set Heritage up with prime field position following a punt return to the East Rankin 29 yard line with 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter and the Patriots executed a perfectly timed reverse option pass that saw quarterback Cade Lott line up as a receiver and take a reverse pitch from Hudson Bean, Lott then found Parker Dunaway who pulled in the 29 yard pass in the back of the endzone with 8 seconds left in the half to bring Heritage fans to a frenzy.

McCain’s PAT gave Heritage a 14-0 lead heading into intermission.

(Above) Heritage linebacker Aaron Studdard (#52) wraps up Jacob Weldon (#13) of East Rankin

East Rankin needed one play to take back momentum in the second half and they got it at the 5:51 mark of the third quarter.

Sophomore quarterback Hayes Roden connected with senior wide-out Colby Crotwell on a 1^st and 10 from the East Rankin 39 yard line and Crotwell sprinted into the endzone to give ERA their first points of the night.

J.D. Houston added the PAT to cut the Heritage advantage in half at 14-7.

The East Rankin defense would hold Heritage to just two 1^st downs in the third quarter and ERA pulled even with Heritage as they produced a 4 play, 62 yard drive that culminated when Hayes Roden and Colby Crotwell hooked up once again, this time from 33 yards out with 9:39 remaining in regulation.

J.D. Houston’s PAT tied the contest at 14-14.

East Rankin’s defense immediately forced the Heritage offense into a three and out and ERA posted what looked to be a game changing drive that entailed 9 plays and 30 yards in penalties on a Heritage defense that appeared to be crumbing but Heritage made a stand after ERA had advanced to the 2 yard line with a 1^st and goal and that stand would prove pivotal even though East Rankin would take their first lead of the night at 17-14 on a 22 yard field goal from J.D. Houston with 5:20 remaining.

Heritage mounted a drive on their ensuing possession highlighted by a Cade Lott 37 yard connection with wide-out Hudson Bean to the East Rankin 30 yard line but the drive would fizzle on a 4^th down pass interception in the endzone by East Rankin’s Hayes Roden with 2:49 left in the contest.

East Rankin would only manage 8 yards on their possession as Heritage utilized their remaining time-outs and the Patriots would get opportunistic field position at the ERA 46 yard line following a shanked punt and 1:45 remaining in regulation.

Following an incomplete pass on 1^st down, Cade Lott hit Miller Puckett with a screen pass and the senior tailback rumbled to the ERA 26 yard line. That set up the game winner as Lott dropped, pump faked and hit Parker Dunaway with a 26 yard touchdown pass in the back of the endzone.

Graham McCain’s PAT gave Heritage the lead with 1:20 remaining.

East Rankin would get possession at their own 40 yard line after the Heritage kick-off went out of bounds and following a Roden to Luke Yancey 12 yard pickup and an unsportsmanlike infraction on Heritage, East Rankin had advanced to the HA 32 yard line with just over one minute remaining but Roden would be picked off at the 1 yard line by Hudson Bean on the next play.

East Rankin would get one more opportunity with 37 seconds remaining but would fail on a 4^th and long from their own 40 yard line to end any hopes of a miracle finish.

“We’re excited to see all of our hard work pay off,” said senior quarterback Cade Lott (Photo right). “Most of us have been playing together at Heritage since fourth grade pee wee and this is a great way to finish our season with an opportunity to play for a state championship.”

On the game winning pass to Dunaway, “We ran that route all night and when I dropped and pump faked Parker did a great job of getting behind the defense and making a great catch,” said Lott.

Heritage improves to 6-5 after winning their fourth straight and will face a familiar opponent in next Friday’s Division II title game, Magnolia Heights (8-3). The Patriots fell to the Chiefs 14-13 in week seven in Senatobia.

“We’re looking for revenge next week and I’m confident we can win this thing,” said Lott.

On the night Lott passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and fellow senior Miller Puckett rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries.

Parker Dunaway piled up 168 yards on just 4 receptions, two of them touchdowns.

The Heritage defense held East Rankin’s Jacob Weldon in check on the night. The senior ranked third in the MAIS with 1,432 rushing yards coming into Friday night’s game but was held to 32 yards on 15 carries.

East Rankin senior wide-out Colby Crotwell had 114 receiving yards on 6 catches and two touchdowns.

East Rankin ends their season at 7-5.

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Post Game with Heritage Head Coach Barrett Donahoe

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Southern Sports & Travel

Bayou gets big win over Hillcrest

By Kristy Kitchings

The atmosphere at Bayou Academy was a little different Friday night from the last several home games.  The weather was crisp and in the upper 30’s, the visiting  team brought a marching band, it was senior night, the blue and white school colors were replaced with camoflauge and the Colt players wore purple wrap instead of pink in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness.   Caleb Pilgrim, Hunter Kovac, Seth Muzzi, Ty Holder and Mitchell McNeer stood at center field as captains and ready to redeem themselves after last Friday night’s home loss. It has been years since Bayou has played or hosted a AAA school in football and the Colts showed out getting the win 41-6.

The Colts won the toss and elected to play defense the first half and on the Cougars first possession the Colts force a fumble and Andrew Rogers gets his first fumble recovery of the night.  Pilgrim would keep the ball on a quarterback keeper and take the ball in the end zone and Kovac would get the two-point conversion and Bayou would take the lead 8-0.  The Colt’s defense set the tone for the night and forces the Cougars to punt and Kovac would break out for a touchdown.  The PAT would be no good and the Colts put six more points on the board to take the lead 14-0. The Cougars have the ball on their own 5-yard line and the Colts defense forces a fumble in the end zone and extend their lead to 20-0.  On the Cougar’s next possession the miscue’s keep coming for the road team as another bad snap sends the ball sailing for Andrew Rogers to get his second fumble recovery of the night for the Colts but they can not capitalize and are forced to turn the ball over on downs.  Disaster struck for the Cougars again with a bad snap and Rogers comes up with his third fumble recovery of the night to end the first quarter 20-0 Bayou.

In the second quarter, Bayou would find the end zone twice as Kovac hits the right side line for a 15-yard touchdown and the two-point conversion from Pilgrim would be good and the Colts extend their lead 28-0 and Pilgrim would find the promise land on a 20-yard touchdown to give Bayou a 34-0 lead.  The Cougars would have one final chance before halftime to get points on the board but Weber Herbison would come up with the pass interception to end the half with the Colts ahead 34-0.

To start the second, the Colts would receive the ball and on the first play fumble the ball and give the ball back to the Cougars on the 25 yard line but Andrew Rogers gets a sack on the quarterback on first down and on second down recovers his fourth fumble recovery of the night. The Colts would get the ball back but could not get points on the board but Hillcrest would get their only touchdown of the night in the third quarter and Bayou’s William Hood would answer and the Colts extend their lead 41-6 and get the win after a scoreless fourth quarter.

Hunter Kovac led the offensive explosion on the ground with 17 carries for 161 yards for two touchdowns, followed by Caleb Pilgrim with seven carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns, William Hood with three carries for 46 yards and one touchdown, and Davis Dalton with eight carries for 66 yards.   

On the receiving end, Cole Hutchinson had one reception for 10 yards and Kovac with one catch for four yards.  Most of the Colts plays were on the ground with 374 yards of ground game.

On defense, Andrew Rogers led the defense with four fumble recoveries and a fifth fumble recovery for a touchdown and three quarterback sacks.  Hunter Kovac aided with nine tackles, William Hood with eight tackles, Dalton, Pilgrim, Christian Collins, Tyler Kitchings, David Marlow all with five tackles each.

“Our boys played with a lot of heart and played some good hard nose football.  Our seniors played ‘their’ game with character and heart,” added head coach Terry King.

King, a former coach and teacher at Hillcrest commented on playing his former school. “It was an emotional game and their team wanted to win as much as our team did.  I have a special relationship with the senior boys from Hillcrest and it was a very emotional game.”

“We showed a lot of heart playing a AAA team.  We showed our A conference is a tough conference and we play a different brand of football.  I don’t think they expected us to be that physical,” added King.

The results of Friday night’s actions have the Colts at No. 3 in the playoff system and a road game next Friday night at Benton Academy.  Game time is set for 7pm.

Colonels secure playoff spot

By Watson Cook

Needing a win to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Colonels hosted Carroll Academy on Senior Night. At the end of the night, the six seniors were celebrating a 44-8 win by dog piling on one another in the end zone. Evan Griffin, Nathan Harris, Trey Roberson, Samuel Rose, Brandon Spealman, and Hunt Steele all suited up in Colonel blue at Legion Field for the final time. IA used a 22-point 4^th quarter to put away the visiting Rebels and advance to the playoffs for the fifth time in seven years under head coach Tommy Nester.

The Colonels got on the board early, taking the opening kickoff and driving 60 yards on 7 plays. Aided by two Carroll penalties on the drive, IA took the lead on Ashton Knight’s 13-yard touchdown run. Jonathan Holland connected with Hunter Vance for the 2-point conversion to give IA an 8-0 lead just three minutes into the game. After exchanging punts, Carroll drove inside the Colonel 10 before Wheeler Timbs intercepted a pass to end the Rebels’ threat. IA then marched 91 yards, using only 8 plays. Dalton Sykes stamped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run and following Holland’s 2-point pass to Timbs, the Colonels led 16-0. It appeared the rout was on after the Rebels fumbled the kickoff. The Colonels recovered at the Carroll 41 yard line but could not take advantage of the turnover. The Rebel defense forced a three and out and after the punt the Rebels took over at their own 26. They would cut the Colonel lead in half with an impressive 7-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard touchdown pass and catch and successful 2-point conversion. IA led 16-8 with only 0:25 to play in the first half. Knight however, would put an end to the Rebels’ momentum with an 85-yard kickoff return touchdown. The 2-point try failed and the Colonels took a 22-8 lead into halftime.

The third quarter passed with neither team being able to put points on the board. That would change in the fourth quarter as the Colonels used a 22-point outburst to blow the game open. Sykes added his second and third touchdown of the night in a two-minute span. Following a 1-yard touchdown run that put IA up 28-8 after a failed 2-point conversion, the Colonels recovered another loose ball on the kickoff. Five plays later, Sykes scampered 23 yards to the endzone. Trey Roberson added the 2-point run to give the Colonels a 36-8 lead with 8:55 to play in the game. IA would receive another gift from the Rebels on their next possession. Two plays into the drive, Hunt Steele recovered a fumble at the Carroll 47. Charles Downs would put the final points on the board for the Colonels with an 8-yard touchdown run. Downs also added the 2-point run to give IA the 44-8 win.

With the victory, the Colonels improved to 5-5 (2-2) on the season and wrapped up the #1 wild card spot in the North half of the AA playoffs. IA will travel to Raymond Friday, November 2 for a rematch with the Central Hinds Cougars who earned the #1 seed from District 3. The two teams met earlier in the season and the Cougars came out on top 13-8. The winner will advance to the second round to play the winner of Canton-Marshall. Kickoff from Raymond is set for 7:00.

Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

There are two Gateway Tire & Service Center Players of the Week for the final regular season round of games last Friday night, Randy Bell of Centreville Academy and Jacob Simmons from Lee Academy of Marianna, Arkansas.

Centreville tailback Randy Bell rushed for 200 yards on 28 carries and 3 touchdowns in a 35-14 win over district foe Silliman. The 5' 10" 170 lb. senior has rushed for 1,358 yards for the undefeated and top ranked Class AA Tigers and has 21 touchdowns on the season.

"Randy has really stepped up this year for us both offensively and defensively," said Centreville assistant head coach Brian Stutzman. "He is a very unselfish player, yet we know when we have to run the football he will give us his best effort. Randy has the ability to break one on any play. He is the true definition of leading by actions and not with words on the field, in class or in the locker room. He is a joy to coach."

Lee (AR) tailback Jacob Simmons rushed for a season high 306 yards on 22 carries and 3 touchdowns in the Cougar's 32-13 win on the road over Strider last Friday. The 5' 9" 165 lb. senior has amassed 1,401 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns and averaged 156 yards per game. Simmons has put together consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons and on defense the senior recorded 5 interceptions and over 100 tackles from the free safety position in 2012.

"Jacob is always the team leader and captain and never ever gives up and always works the hardest in practice and games," said Lee head coach Rusty Crump. "He also is a great student and athlete. Jacob reached the 1,000 yard mark in only 8 games behind a whole new offensive line this year."

Simpson storms back to take district title

Southern Sports & Travel

For nearly three full quarters of play the second ranked Lamar Raiders looked to be on their way to claiming a district championship and hosting a first round playoff game after keeping the defending Class AA champion Simpson Cougars in check but as most champions do a response was in order. Simpson, trailing 15-12 with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter, answered with three scores and in doing so claimed their fourth consecutive district title with a 28-15 win on a cool, blustery night in Mendenhall.

Simpson dialed up 335 yards rushing and had two pivotal long gains through the air in securing a first round home game against the Oak Forest Yellow Jackets next Friday night. Tailbacks Daniel Taylor and Chris Sullivan combined for 250 yards rushing and the Cougar defense held Lamar tailback Corey Skinner to 45 yards as Simpson beat Lamar for the fifth time in the past six meetings.

(Above) Simpson tailback Andrew Berry (#5) hits the opening for positive yardage

Lamar dodged a huge bullet early as the game opening kickoff was fumbled and gave Simpson the football at the Raider 27 yard line just 5 seconds into the contest but Lamar’s defense thwarted the Cougar threat when linebacker Dalton McHenry intercepted a Josh Hankins pass at the Raider 18 yard line.

Lamar’s offense would start clicking on the Raider’s third possession of the night as the Raiders moved 44 yards in 6 plays to the Simpson 8 yard line to close out a scoreless opening quarter.

Lamar tailback Lee Martin raced around the left side 8 yards on the first play of the second quarter for the first score of the night.

Danny Weisner’s PAT gave Lamar a 7-0 lead with 11:54 left in the half.

Simpson responded on the ensuing possession as the Cougars produced a 5 play, 65 yard scoring drive that was capped on a Chris Sullivan 8 yard jaunt at the 10:28 mark of the quarter.

Andrew Berry’s PAT attempt was blocked by Lamar’s Richard Covington to preserve the Raider lead at 7-6.

Lamar’s offense looked to have the Simpson defense on their heels once again as the Raiders moved from their own 20 yard line to the Cougar 29 in six plays but the drive died when junior linebacker Daniel Taylor picked off a Barrett Dudley pass at the 24 yard line with 8:04 remaining until the half.

Lamar would enter intermission holding on to the 7-6 lead.

The tide of the game took just 51 seconds to change to open the second half. After tailback Andrew Berry picked up a modest 2 yard gain on first down fellow tailback Chris Sullivan erupted off the right side and outraced the Lamar defense for a 78 yard touchdown.

Simpson’s 2-point conversion attempt failed but the Cougars had taken their first lead of the night at 12-7 with 11:09 left in the third quarter.

The Simpson ground game rushed for 335 yards on the night

Simpson was only allowed to enjoy their first lead of the night for less than three minutes as Lamar answered with a 6 play drive that consumed 58 yards and was finished off on a Barrett Dudley 31 yard quarterback keeper at the 8:54 mark.

Lamar then successfully converted on a 2-point conversion as Dudley connected with tailback Corey Skinner in the endzone to give the Raiders a 15-12 advantage.

Lamar looked to have all the momentum as the Raider defense forced a Simpson punt and gave the Raiders prime field position at their own 40 yard line but a critical game changing mistake would change the whole complexion of the game. Lamar quarterback Barrett Dudley connected with tailback Lee Martin who rumbled his way to the Simpson 1 yard line before being taken down but a block in the back infraction wiped out the 46 yard gain and ultimately resulted in the Simpson defense stopping Lamar on a 4th and 2 run that came up a foot shy of a first down at the Cougar 38 yard line with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter.

The defending state champions then used a play they had worked on in preparation for Lamar to retake the lead. Following a Christopher Sullivan 3 yard pick up to the 41 yard line quarterback Josh Hankins found a wide open Hayden Benton who had gotten behind the Lamar defenders in the middle of the field as the junior fullback capped the 62 yard completion to put Simpson on top for good at 19-15 with 1:29 left in the quarter.

(Above) Lamar quarterback Barrett Dudley (#10) rounds the edge for yardage

Simpson would increase their lead to 22-15 on an Andrew Berry 27 yard field goal at the 8:31 mark of the fourth quarter with a time consuming effort that burned five minutes off the game clock.

Following a Lamar punt Simpson took control with 5:30 left in the contest and moved from their own 40 yard line to the Raider 30 where they faced a fourth and 4 and less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Simpson effectively closed the door on the next play as tailback Chris Sullivan connected with wide-out Peyton Sullivan with a perfectly executed 30 yard halfback pass play for a touchdown that caught the Raider defense off guard.

Andrew Berry’s PAT was blocked but the Cougars had secured a 28-15 win and a home playoff date with Oak Forest.

“This was the biggest game and win of the season for us,” said senior Chris Sullivan. “We were down at halftime but we were confident we would turn things around in the second half and we did. We made big plays when we had to and it’s going to be exciting playing at home next week in the playoffs.”

With the win Simpson improved to 8-2 and 3-0 in District 4-AA and in clinching their fourth straight district title the Cougars have won 16 consecutive district games and 20 straight wins over Class AA opponents.

Lamar falls to 8-3 and 2-1 and will travel to top ranked Centreville in the opening round of the playoffs next Friday night.

Simpson was led by junior tailback Daniel Taylor who rushed for 126 yards on 19 carries. Senior tailback Chris Sullivan picked up 124 yards on 14 carries and had two touchdowns rushing and one passing and junior tailback Andrew Berry rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries.

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Post Game with Simpson Head Coach Billy Wayne Hankins

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Brookhaven tackles Trinity
Submitted to Southern Sports & Travel

With back to back district contest wins, the Brookhaven Academy Cougars had to take one more step to defend their District 5 AA title verses a talented Trinity Episcopal squad from Natchez.  Coach Tripp McCarty said prior to Friday night’s contest, “We know what challenges Trinity will bring to the table. “ “We have to play fundamentally sound football and stick to the basics of blocking and tackling to be successful.”    The Cougars got fundamentals and more as they subdued the Saints 34 – 14.

The Cougars got the ball first and BA quarterback Gage Posey went to work with a 27 yard run on the first play from scrimmage.  Posey then hit wide-out Seth Rushing on a 35 yard strike pushing the ball down to the Trinity 6 yard line.  Posey would take it in from one yard out for the game’s first score.  Kevin Nettles added the PAT and gave the Cougars a 7 – 0 lead just 2:55 seconds into the opening quarter.

Trinity took possession and quickly moved into Cougar territory.  As quick as BA put points on the board, the Saints struck back with a 41 yard touchdown run by their super talented running back Tanner Cage.  Carter Smith would add the PAT and knot the game at 7 – 7 with 7:57 to play in the first quarter.

The teams would trade possessions and punts as the clock rolled into the second quarter of play.  After holding the Saints on a fourth down conversion attempt, the Cougars took over at their own 43 yard line.  A 17 yard run by Posey set the Cougars up in Trinity territory but solid defense by the Saints saw BA facing a fourth down and five yards to go at the TE 35 yard line.  McCarty called on a pair of his seniors as Posey dropped in the pocket and with great protection from his offensive line and hit Matthew Evans on a post pattern allowing Evans to do the rest taking it untouched into the south end zone for the score.  Nettles added the PAT and gave the Cougars a 14 – 7 lead with 2:48 left in the second quarter.

With little time to work with in the first half, Trinity started their next drive at their own 10 yard line.  Quarterback Garrett Vinson found slot back Peyton Young on an out pattern out of the backfield who turned a short gainer into a 71 yard catch and run.  Cage did the work from there on a 7 yard TD run.  Smith added the point after tying the game 14 – 14 sending the teams to the locker rooms at halftime.

Coach McCarty challenged his squad to come out with more intensity in the second half and the Cougars responded.  After forcing a Saint fumble and a 20 yard recovery and return from Matthew Evans, BA took possession on the Trinity 41 yard line.  Posey hit Landon Nettles on a 33 yard pass play setting the Cougars up at the Saint 5 yard line.  Nettles did the rest with a TD run from 1 yard out.  Kevin Nettles again added the PAT giving the Cougars a 21 – 14 lead with 7:47 to play in the third.

BA would hold the Saints on their next possessions and take over at the 50 yard line after a Trinity punt.  Two plays later, Landon Nettles would break into the open around left end and eventually bull his way over two Trinity defenders at the goal line for a 44 yard touchdown run.  Kevin Nettles added the PAT and set the score at 28 – 14 with :54 left to play in quarter number three.

Trinity was forced to go to the air to try to get back into the game and the Cougars would have none of that.  Matthew Evans picked off a Vinson pass and returned it 28 yards for the final score of the night and a convincing 34 – 14 Brookhaven Academy victory giving the Cougars their seventh consecutive district title.

A very pleased McCarty said after the game, “I am really proud of our team, our coaches, our students and our fans.”  “We stuck together this year and reached our first goal of winning our district.”  McCarty continued, “Now it’s time to focus in the playoffs and take all the things we are doing real good right now on both sides of the ball and keep the momentum going.”

Offensively the Cougars were led by Landon Nettles who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns.  Gage Posey had 189 passing yards and 1 touchdown as well as 94 yards and one score on the ground.  Seth Rushing led the Cougar receiving corps with 5 catches for 67 yards, Caleb Brown had 4 catches for 40 yards and Matthew Evans has 2 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively the Cougars were led by Junior Garrett Pace who had 12.5 tackles and a pass deflection, Preston Rawls added 9 stops for BA and Colby Culbertson chipped in 7 tackles on the night.  Matthew Evans had an interception and a fumble recovery and Caleb Brown also intercepted a pass for the Cougars.  Tanner Parvin had a great night punting for the Cougars, pinning the Saints deep in their territory on multiple occasions, averaging 51 yards per kick with longs of 64 and 50 yards.

Brookhaven Academy will host the Columbia Academy Cougars in the first round of the Class AA South Division playoffs next Friday night on R. M. “Red” Stuard Field.

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Brookhaven shines at MAIS Spirit Competition

Brookhaven Academy
2012 Spirit Competition Class AA Champions
Valerie Oglesby - Sponsor

From the notebook..................................

**While a handful of teams have already locked down playoff spots the final week of the regular season has a bevy of district matchups with high stakes and playoff implications in play. Perhaps the biggest and most talked about is in Class AA where second ranked Lamar (8-2 & 2-0) visits third ranked Simpson (7-2 & 2-0) to decide the District 4-AA title and a guarantee of hosting a round one playoff game against the top seeded wildcard team from the south.  Simpson has won 4 of the past 5 meetings between the two. In 2009 Lamar beat Simpson 42-28 in Mendenhall to capture the North AA State title.

**Another huge Class AA battle to decide a district championship will be sixth ranked Trinity (7-3 & 2-0) at ninth ranked Brookhaven (6-4 & 2-0) for the District 5-AA crown. The winner of that matchup will host the second seeded wildcard team from the south.

**Want more drama if you’re a Class AA fan? How about top ranked Centreville (10-0 & 3-0) at eighth ranked Silliman (6-3 & 3-0) for the District 6-AA championship with the winner hosting the loser of the Lamar/Simpson game in a round one slobber-knocker?

**In Class A the scenarios have been easier to decipher with Deer Creek locking down District 1-A last week and Newton already securing the top seed from District 4-A. Top ranked and undefeated Tri-County has the upper hand on any tie-breaker should the unimaginable happen and they get upset by Greenville Christian this Friday night in the District 3-A finale. The best matchup of the night will be second ranked WCCA (8-1 & 6-0) hosting one of the hottest squads in Class A, the third ranked Cenla Lions (7-3 & 5-1) who have won seven straight after dropping their first three games of the season. This game will pit one of the top defenses (WCCA 8.6 papg) against one of the top offenses (Cenla 35.2 ppg) in Class A and a Cenla win would create, in all likelihood, a three way tie at the top of District 3-A with Riverfield.

**In Class AAA the fourth ranked Presbyterian Bobcats can earn their third straight trip to the playoffs if Jackson Prep defeats Parklane. For an ever improving Heritage football squad a win at Pillow and a Washington win over Magnolia Heights would clinch a number one seed for the Patriots. A win by Magnolia Heights and a win by Heritage would give the Patriots the number two seed. The game of the week in Class AAA obviously is third ranked MRA (9-1 & 5-0) at second ranked Jackson Academy (9-1 & 5-0). MRA has reeled off nine straight wins since a week one loss to top ranked Jackson Prep while JA’s only loss of the season was a week eight three point overtime loss to Prep. Jackson Academy has won nine straight over MRA, they last lost to the Patriots in 2004 at MRA 22-21.

**Staying on the subject of football enough cannot be said about the many sponsors and supporters of Southern Sports & Travel who make the whole endeavor possible. One new sponsor in particular has been a blessing and has helped enable some much needed improvements to be made in promoting the website. Gateway Tire & Service Center deserves much credit in helping to promote MAIS athletics by sponsoring a weekly “Player of the Week” during football season.  To date twelve “Player of the Week” plaques have been sent to schools during the course of the season who had an athlete named “Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week” and the recognition to these players has been received with much appreciation.

**Injuries have hit a handful of teams hard this season in all three classes. Simpson tailback Michael Layton was lost for the season early on after suffering a knee injury. Layton had led the defending Class AA state champions with 160 yards and 2 touchdowns in a week one hammering of Leake. Prentiss tailback Carter Bridges suffered a broken tibia a few weeks ago and was lost for the remainder of the season. Bridges finished with 1,207 rushing yards and at the time of his injury was amongst the MAIS leaders in that category.

River Oaks tailback Alex Biedenharn suffered what was thought to be a season ending knee injury but the senior has battled back and in limited playing time rushed for 117 yards in a loss to Central Hinds this past week.

Presbyterian sophomore tailback Fate Eiland went down with a torn mcl against Parklane two weeks ago but is expected to play this Friday night in the Bobcat’s game at Starkville. Eiland has rushed for 1,221 yards on the season.

**I’ve enjoyed the weekly travels to cover “The Southern Sports & Travel Game of the Week” and I truly put forth much effort in providing balance in covering all three classes during the course of the season. The playoffs offer up larger challenges but no less energy will be spent in attempting to provide data that otherwise would be nowhere to be found. If the growth of Southern Sports & Travel continues so too will the huge staff of two people that get little sleep on week-ends. I feel that we are truly a few generous sponsors away from adding to our capabilities in that area.

**Problems with the live Twitter feeds that post scores on Southern Sports & Travel on Friday nights have been an ongoing issue the past two weeks and much attention is being paid in getting that resolved before this Friday’s games. It is a Twitter issue and hope is that things will be back to normal in a day or so.

**Basketball season is officially in progress with girls action starting on a limited basis this week, the Southern Sports & Travel 2012 basketball rankings will be posted in a few weeks. Player ads will be available in two weeks for those wishing to offer up encouragement and support for a particular player or team. A sample ad has been posted on the site but many designs are available.

**As most everyone knows by now the new MAIS athletic realignment has been posted for the 2012/13 seasons. A district by district breakdown is expected to be announced in early December.

**Please buckle up when traveling to football games this week-end and as a parent or a friend stress to others to do the same!
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God is great,
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See ya somewhere………………..