Marshall takes North State in thriller

Southern Sports & Travel

If one hadn’t known any better last night’s Class AA North State Championship game between North Delta and Marshall could have been taken from a movie script and when it was all over the old cliché “you can’t make this stuff up” was fitting. Fourth ranked Marshall spotted second ranked North Delta a 21-0 lead in the first half but roared back with 23 straight points to claim a 23-21 white knuckler in Batesville.

Marshall senior Roy Billions kicked a 23 yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation to send the Patriots into next Friday’s Class AA State Championship game against Brookhaven.

The finish was extraordinary due to one amazing stat, this was Billions first field goal of the season.

“I told him to be ready on that last drive,” said Marshall head coach Bart Jenkins. “He looked nervous when I sent him out but he came through like I knew he would.”

Jenkins knew Billions would make the field goal because of a dream he had the night before. “I actually dreamed we would come down and kick a field goal to win it and we did,” said Jenkins as he shook his head following the game.

Jenkins’ prophetic dream was at risk of turning into a nightmare early in the game as North Delta looked to run away in the first half.

A low snap on a Marshall punt resulted in Aaron McAlexander scrambling to the Patriot 26 yard line, four yards short of a first down, giving North Delta advantageous field position with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter.

The Greenwaves wasted little time in cashing in on the Patriot miscue as quarterback Tyler Pirtle burst through the right side and raced 26 yards for the first score of the night with 2:44 left in the opening quarter. William Dean’s PAT gave North Delta a 7-0 lead.

Marshall only had possession of the football for three plays before a Dakota Dailey fumble was recovered by North Delta defensive lineman Hunter Pitcher at the Patriot 42 yard line.

North Delta cashed in on the turnover and would cap an eight play, 42 yard drive on the second play of the second quarter when Taylor Morris plowed in from two yards out at the 11:49 mark. Dean added the PAT as North Delta extended their lead to 14-0.

North Delta would score again on their very next possession and this time it looked to have taken the air out of the visiting Patriots.

Facing a third and 24 from the North Delta 10 yard line quarterback Tyler Pirtle connected with Austin Hagstrom for a 90 yard touchdown pass after Hagstrom managed to get behind a Marshall defender to haul in the football. William Dean added the PAT and with 4:17 remaining in the first half Marshall was looking at a 21-0 deficit but the Patriots would get a much needed boost on the ensuing possession.

After quarterback Dakota Dailey connected with wide-out Randy Love for a short 4 yard gain to the Marshall 35 yard line Dailey hit senior wide-out Aaron McAlexander for a 65 yard touchdown pass to get the Patriots on the board with 3:19 left until intermission.

Billions’ PAT went wide left and Marshall would head into halftime down by 15 points at 21-6.

Marshall would pull to within a touchdown of North Delta on the Patriots second possession of the third quarter.

Dailey would step up in the pocket and deliver a strike to Aaron McAlexander on a crossing pattern and the senior wide-out did the rest as he sprinted into the endzone to finish off a 39 yard touchdown pass with 1:29 left in the quarter. Dailey then went right on a 2-point attempt and bulled his way into the endzone to pull the Patriots to within a touchdown at 21-14.

North Delta would move into Marshall territory on their next possession but the Greenwaves would stall at the Patriot 49 yard line after a fourth down pass from Tyler Pirtle went incomplete with 10:40 left in regulation.

Eleven seconds later the Marshall faithful were in hysteria as sophomore tailback Devin McGreger broke through the North Delta line and out-raced everyone 51 yards to pay-dirt to pull Marshall to within one point at 21-20 but Billions’ PAT went low and was deflected leaving the Patriots trailing by a point.

North Delta looked to retrieve a bit of much needed momentum and after moving to the Marshall 32 yard line in 7 plays the Greenwaves looked primed to preserve a win but the drive fizzled as a 15 yard unsportsmanlike infraction would ultimately force a fourth and 10 from the Marshall 34 yard line two plays later. That fourth down would be one of the turning points of the night as Tyler Pirtle’s pass went incomplete giving Marshall the football at the Patriot 35 yard line with 5:28 remaining in regulation.

Marshall got the start they needed as they began the drive with a 15 yard pickup from tailback Devin McGreger out to midfield. Two plays later McGreger moved the Patriots into North Delta territory with a 4 yard dive to the Greenwaves 46 yard line. After a motion infraction pushed Marshall back to their own 49 yard line sophomore quarterback Dakota Dailey made a game saving scramble.

Facing a third and 11 Dailey dropped to pass and was immediately forced to elude two North Delta defenders who looked to have Dailey cornered in the backfield. Dailey broke away from a near sack and scrambled around the right side all the way to the North Delta 29 yard line.

Devin McGreger picked up 9 yards on a first down carry to the Greenwaves 20 yard line and Zack Pritchett rumbled another 9 yards to the North Delta 11 but the North Delta defense stiffened and would force a Marshall timeout with 18 seconds remaining in regulation and the Patriots facing a fourth and six from the Greenwaves 7 yard line.

Enter senior Roy Billions who split a 23 yard field goal through the uprights with 13 seconds left garnering a thunderous explosion from the Marshall crowd and pandemonium on the Patriot sidelines. 

“I knew it was going through,” said Billions. “I had to be ready when my number was called and I had to believe in myself and I came through for my team. We’re all brothers out on the field and we all believe in each other.”

Marshall improves to 11-2 and will face Brookhaven for the state championship on Friday at Millsaps College. Brookhaven defeated defending Class AA Champion Simpson 21-17 on Friday night.

Devin McGreger rushed for 121 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown for Marshall. Dakota Dailey passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns and senior wide-out Aaron McAlexander had 6 receptions for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Sophomore defensive back Von Watson led a Marshall defense that held North Delta quarterback Tyler Pirtle to 61 yards on 24 carries with 12 tackles. Linebacker Zack Pritchett had 10 tackles and the Patriot defense recorded 7 sacks on the night.

Marshall will be making their third state championship appearance and will be looking for the school’s first state title in football.

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Post Game with Marshall Head Coach Bart Jenkins

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Two MAIS Athletes Sign Scholarships to Play Golf

Haley Harrington, a senior at Silliman Institute, has signed a national letter of intent to play golf at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.

Harrington is a two-time MVP of the boys golf team at Silliman, leading them to a MAIS Class AA state runner-up finish last year. She is also a two-time member of the Baton Rouge area All-Metro team as selected by The Advocate newspaper, and was named The Advocate’s 2012 “Star of Stars” as the top player in the Baton Rouge Metro area for girls high school golf.

She is a two-time winner on the Arrowhead Junior Golf Tour and was the 2011-12 Arrowhead Tour points champion. She has been selected twice by Golf Connection Magazine to play in the Louisiana Junior Cup Matches and was a member of the 2012 Louisiana Women’s Golf Association Tri-State Junior Cup team.

Harrington is the daughter of Scott and Laurie Harrington of St. Francisville. She signed on Nov. 14, the first day of the NCAA early signing period for Division I golf.

Jacob Ross, a senior at Brookhaven Academy has signed to play golf at the University of Mississippi.

Ole Miss men’s golf head coach Ernest Ross announced the signing of the standout golfer to a national letter of intent on Wednesday. Ross will join the Rebels for the 2013-14 academic year.

A native of Brookhaven, Miss., Ross attended Brookhaven Academy, where he won the 2011 Mississippi State Junior Championship and is the four-time defending Mississippi Class 2A High School state champion.

“Jacob has been the top player in his class for many years,” said Ernest Ross. “He has an incredible desire to be the best and will play immediately at Ole Miss. I am really happy to have Jacob join our program. He works very hard on the course and in the classroom. He has above average distance and a great short game; he really knows how to score around the greens. I have been following Jacob’s golf career since he was about 12 years old and he impresses me every time he plays.”

A two-time Mississippi Junior Golfer of the Year, Ross is ranked the No. 1 golfer in Mississippi for the class of 2013 and owns a career-best round of 62. He also qualified for the 2012 USGA Junior Championship in New Hampshire, where he made the 64 player cut (out of 156 golfers) to advance to match play.

Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Brookhaven quarterback Gage Posey is the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. The 6' 3" 190 lb. senior directed an 88 yard drive to beat second ranked Lamar 33-28 on Friday night in the second round of the Class AA playoffs. Posey passed for 314 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 3 touchdowns as the senior southpaw helped Brookhaven improve to 9-4 and advance to take on defending state champion Simpson this Friday night in Mendenhall.

"We wouldn't trade Gage for any quarterback in the state," said Brookhaven head coach Tripp McCarty. "He does a tremendous job of taking what the defense gives. He is a good athlete and has all the tools you look for in a quarterback."

Posey has passed for 2,732 yards this season to go along with 22 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. The senior has completed 61% of his passes and has a 109 quarterback rating. Add in his rushing touchdowns total of 14 and Posey leads the MAIS with 36 touchdowns.

North Delta overwhelms River Oaks

By Brad Greer

As the River Oaks football team loaded onto a pair of yellow school buses for the long four-hour trek back to Monroe, La. the thoughts of what green freight train had hit them some two hours earlier must went through their minds.

Unlike last year's 29-27 victory by the Mustangs over North Delta, Friday night's MAIS North AA semi-final contest was basically over before it got started as the host Green Wave scored on all six possessions in the first half on their way to a 41-7 thrashing of River Oaks to advance to the North State championship game where they will host district foe Marshall in a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Marshall punched their ticket to its second straight North State title game with a 20-15 win over Indianola in the other semi-final round matchup.

How dominant was North Delta's performance? Consider the fact River Oaks crossed midfield only four times during the game, one of which came as the Mustangs recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Green Wave 40-yard line. North Delta out gained River Oaks 295-87 in total yardage in the first half and punted only twice the entire co.

The outcome of the victory surprised even one Green Wave player.

"We knew River Oaks had a good ball team so we were preparing for a battle out there but we did not think it would be this easy. We have been practicing hard all week and it paid off tonight," said senior linebacker Will Magee." Just like last week, the defense set the tone early and forced some turnovers that set up our offense in good field position. Everybody wants to be playing their best football of the year and I feel like we have hit our stride as a team and if we come out and play ball the way we have the past two weeks, we are going to be tough to beat," said Magee, who registered three tackles including a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the same play.

After holding River Oaks to three-and-out on the opening possession, the Green Wave offensive unit went to work as Austin Hagstrom capped off a five-play; 51-yard drive with a six-yard scoring run to give North Delta a 7-0 lead as William Dean added the point after.

Things went downhill from for River Oaks as Alex Biedenharn coughed up the following kickoff at the Mustang 17-yard line. North Delta took advantage of the mistake as Tyler Pirtle scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns on a seven-yard run for a 14-0 Green Wave lead following Dean's successful PAT.

Pirtle (Photo right), who 175-yard rushing performance pushed the senior quarterback over the 1,000 yard barrier for the second straight year, made the score 21-0 on the next series with an 84-yard scamper.

North Delta (10-2) poured it on in the second quarter by scoring three more touchdowns to take a 41-0 into the locker room. Hagstrom added his second touchdown run of the night with a four-yard run to cap off a 85-yard drive that took 3:30 off the clock. Taylor Morris' 50-yard sprint to the Mustang 20 keyed the series.

Following Brett Herrington's fumble recovery at the Mustang 29, the Green Wave drove to the five-yard line where Pirtle hit Chase Coker on a quick slant pattern a touchdown. A botched hold on the point after resulted in a failed attempt leaving the score 34-0 with 5:01 remaining in the half.

Morris put the finishing touches on the game with a 10-yard scamper with 58 seconds left in the half. Morris ended the night with 75 yards on eight carries. River Oaks threatened to put their first points on the board in the closing seconds of the first half by driving to the Green Wave 15 only to have Dean break up a pass in the end zone.

The Mustangs avoided the shutout with 2:46 left in the game as Brendan MacGregor connected with Trace Houston on a two-yard touchdown pass with Jordan Sutton tacking on the PAT.

"First of all I want to give credit to their coaching staff, they do a fine job and they have got some fine football players," said North Delta head coach Brandon Ciaramitaro. "But when a team has a chip on their shoulders like our guys did and they are relentless and have a will to win in the worse way it’s easy for a coaching staff to get guys ready to play. Our guys are doing that and that is where we need to be," said Ciaramitaro.

North Delta rolled up 405 of total offense while holding River Oaks to 195 yards. The Green Wave chewed up 305 rushing on the night as Hagstrom followed Pirtle and Morris with nine carries for 32 yards but led the Wave in receiving with three catches for 61 yards. Coker also reeled in three receptions for 31 yards while Sam Copeland had one catch for 11 yards. Pirtle ended the night with 7-of-10 passing for 103 yards.

Baker West chipped in with three carries for 14 yards while Bailey Sullivant had two carries for two yards.

Bradley Booth and Dean led the North Delta defensive charge with five tackles each. Booth also recorded a fumble recovery and a quarterback sack. Hunter Pitcher added four tackles while Magee and Parker Jones contributed with three stops.

Biedenharn led River Oaks in rushing with 111 yards on 19 carries.

Brookhaven advances following epic comeback

Southern Sports & Travel

Great players in any sport always have that never lose competitive spirit in the pit of their bellies and with that spirit comes a higher gear that many athletes don’t possess. As Brookhaven glared at a 28-27 deficit with less than four minutes remaining in their round two playoff battle with second ranked Lamar the deficit wasn’t the only impediment glaring back at the Cougars, the other was 88 yards after a Lamar punt had pinned Brookhaven at their own 12 yard line.

Eleven plays and just over three minutes later Brookhaven quarterback Gage Posey had just capped a masterful 88 yard game winning drive with a 2 yard touchdown run in which the senior broke one tackle in the backfield and was then met by two Lamar defenders at the line of scrimmage. Posey would not be denied as the quarterback overpowered both defenders and a third just as he stretched out just enough to get the nose of the football over the goal line with 33 seconds left in the contest to lead the Cougars to a 33-28 win at R.M. Red Stuard Field in Brookhaven.

“I knew I was getting into the end-zone before the play was even called,” said Posey. “I was not going to let my team down.”

Brookhaven got the start they wanted as the Cougars hit pay-dirt on their second possession of the night as Landon Nettles went off the left side and sprinted 52 yards to cap an 87 yard scoring drive that took less than a minute and four plays.

Kevin Nettles added the PAT and with 7:50 remaining in the opening quarter Brookhaven had taken a 7-0 lead.

Lamar’s following two possessions were disaster as the Raiders fumbled away the football on both. The second was costly as Brookhaven cashed in quickly.

After Brookhaven defensive lineman Travis Thornton recovered a Raider fumble at the Lamar 43 yard line it took just one play for the Cougars to double their lead. Gage Posey hit senior wide-out Matthew Evans with a 43 yard touchdown pass and Kevin Nettles added the PAT to give the Cougars a 14-0 advantage with 5:36 still left in the quarter.

Lamar would get on the board on their first possession of the second quarter. Senior tailback Corey Skinner took an option pitch and rumbled 35 yards and Danny Weisner added the PAT to cut the deficit in half at 14-7 with 9:06 left in the half.

Brookhaven responded on the ensuing possession as the Cougars produced a 13 play, 65 yard drive that chewed up nearly six minutes and was capped on a Gage Posey 2 yard plunge at the 3:24 mark of the second quarter. Nettles’ PAT extended the Cougar lead to 21-7.

Lamar grabbed some much needed momentum to close the half. The Raiders drove 60 yards in 12 plays and scored when quarterback Barrett Dudley hit Chase Davis for 11 yards on a perfectly executed slant pattern in the end-zone. Weisner’s PAT attempt was blocked but the Raiders pulled to within striking distance to end the half down 21-13.

Lamar’s momentum carried over into the third quarter. On the Raider’s first possession a Barrett Dudley screen pass to Lee Martin covered 42 yards and a score less than two minutes into the quarter but after a 2-point conversion attempt failed Brookhaven still clung to a 21-19 lead.

Lamar took their first lead of the night at 22-21 when Danny Weisner connected on a 24 yard field goal with 3:25 remaining in the third quarter but the Raider’s first lead of the night lasted less than two minutes.

Gage Posey hit a wide open Ross Foreman for a 62 yard gain down to the Raider 12 yard line and then connected with senior wide-out Seth Rushing for a an 11 yard pickup to the Lamar 1 yard line. Posey completed the three play scoring drive with a 1 yard plunge with 2:15 left in the quarter. Brookhaven’s 2 point attempt failed but the Cougars had regained the lead at 27-22.

Lamar would retake the lead in the fourth quarter. Corey Skinner darted 9 yards with 8:24 remaining in regulation to finish off an 11 play, 72 yard drive. Lamar failed on a 2-point conversion but held a thin 28-27 advantage.

Brookhaven committed what looked to be a fatal error when Lamar linebacker Dalton McHenry recovered a Cougar fumble at the Raider 47 yard line with 5:22 remaining in the contest but Lamar couldn’t take advantage as the Brookhaven defense forced a three and out.

A Chase Davis 38 yard punt pinned Brookhaven at their own 12 yard line with 3:41 remaining in regulation and the Raider’s defense needed one more stop to advance to next week’s Class AA South Final but Gage Posey had other plans.

Posey, playing without starting tailback Landon Nettles, calmly went to work as if he knew the outcome was inevitable.

Posey immediately connected for a quick 18 yard hook up with wide-out Ross Foreman to the Cougar 30 yard line and two plays later hit sophomore wide-out Caleb Brown for another 24 yards to the Lamar 43 yard line.

After two straight incompletions Posey hit Seth Rushing (Photo right) for 16 yards to the Lamar 27 yard line and followed with a 6 yard gainer to Matthew Evans at the Raider 21 yard line. Posey then scrambled for a gain of 9 yards to Lamar’s 12 with 1:10 remaining in regulation but would be sacked by Lamar linebacker Peyt Mosley for an 8 yard loss back to the Raider 20 yard line to force a 2nd and 18 for Brookhaven with 58 seconds remaining.

Posey answered with an 18 yard connection to a wide open Seth Rushing in the middle of the Lamar defense and Rushing pushed to his way to the Raider 2 yard line to set up the winning score. Posey then capped the 11 play, 88 yard drive with a 2 yard run that will be etched in the memories of Cougar fans for years to come.

“I saw the post routes opening up on that final drive and our receivers did a great job in finding openings,” said Posey.

Brookhaven’s 2-point attempt failed but it didn’t matter as the Cougars had roared back to grab a 33-28 lead with just 33 seconds remaining.

Before anyone could catch their breath Lamar was sitting at the Brookhaven 23 yard line with 18 seconds remaining after Barrett Dudley connected with Lee Martin for a long gainer but Brookhaven defensive back Seth Rushing sealed the deal as the senior picked off a Dudley pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve the 33-28 win.

The game was delayed at the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter when an injured Landon Nettles was carted off the sidelines and into a waiting ambulance following what was believed to be a concussion. “We knew when Landon went down we would have to start passing more, he’s a big part of our offense,” said Gage Posey.

Posey (Photo left) would finish the night going 18/37 for 314 yards and a touchdown. On the ground the senior rushed for 61 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nettles picked up 83 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown before suffering the injury.

Brookhaven’s wide-outs have proven to be the best group in Class AA. Matthew Evans (Photo right) had 7 receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown and fellow senior Seth Rushing had 6 catches for 70 yards. Ross Foreman, a junior, had 82 yards on just 2 grabs.

On defense Brookhaven senior linebacker Preston Rawls recorded 9 tackles.

Corey Skinner led Lamar (9-4) as the senior tailback rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries and 2 touchdowns.

Brookhaven (9-4) advances to face a familiar opponent, the top ranked and defending Class AA State Champions, Simpson.

Simpson narrowly defeated Brookhaven 17-13 back in week three in Mendenhall.

“We’re looking forward to playing Simpson again. They beat us earlier in the season and last year in the playoffs so we’ll be excited to face them one more time.”

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Post Game with Brookhaven Defensive Coordinator Johnny Lane Ball

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**Receiver photos courtesy of Sherylyn Evans
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Russell Christian captures 8-Man Championship

The Russell Christian Academy Warriors captured the 2012 MAIS 8-Man title on Friday morning with a 29-28 win over Calhoun. Russell finishes the 2012 season with a perfect 13-0 record.

Prep takes Class AAA Division I Crown

The Jackson Prep Patriots won the Class AAA Division I State Championship on Friday night by defeating Jackson Academy 34-10. The win snapped Jackson Academy's string of three straight state titles. Jackson Prep won their first state title since 2008 and the school's 19th overall. The Patriots close out a perfect 2012 season with a 13-0 mark.

Heritage claims Class AAA Division II Title

The Heritage Academy Patriots won the Class AAA Division II State Championship on Friday by defeating fifth ranked Magnolia Heights 10-3. Heritage, under first year head coach Barrett Donahoe, finished the 2012 season with five straight wins after a 3-4 start and closed the season with a 7-5 record and their first state championship since 1986. Friday's win over Magnolia Heights revenged a week seven 14-13 loss to the Chiefs and marked the Patriot's first playoff appearance since 2005.

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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