David Herrington rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns, and Travis Beam added another rushing score Friday night to help the Magnolia Heights football team beat Heritage Academy 47-13 to clinch the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA, District 1, Division II title at C.L. Mitchell Field in Columbus.
Herrington’s 64-yard run opened the scoring on a night in which the Chiefs (8-2, 5-2) rushed 41 times for 379 yards. Beam added a 4-yard touchdown run and 65 yards to a ground attack that helped the team earn its fourth-straight victory and secured a home game in the semifinal round of the playoffs.
The 47 points scored against Heritage Academy was the most the program has allowed since a 49-12 loss to Lamar School on Sept. 11, 2009. The total is the second-highest in a game this season for the Chiefs, who have scored 339 points.
Heritage Academy (8-3, 3-3) needs a victory next week at MRA to secure the second seed out of District 1. Washington School’s 28-14 victory against Pillow Academy (4-6, 2-4) helped Heritage Academy remain in control of its destiny. A loss by Heritage Academy next week would mean Starkville Academy would have to beat Pillow Academy in Starkville to give Heritage Academy a chance to defend its Class AAA, Division II title.
n Tuscaloosa Christian 20, Victory Christian 14: At Cottondale, Ala., the Eagles’ championship aspirations fell short Friday night in a loss to their archrival Warriors in the Christian Football Association title game.
Victory Christian rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to tie the game up late in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hang on in final minutes.
The loss enabled Tuscaloosa Christian to sweep all three games against Victory Christian this season.
Victory Christian’s Anthony Sharp, who returned from an injury that kept him out of last week’s CFA playoff semifinal victory against Tabernacle, had two interceptions and a touchdown run.
With less than three minutes to play, Tuscaloosa Christian’s Hunter Sample broke off a 58-yard touchdown run that proved to be the difference.
Victory Christian had one last chance to respond, but it couldn’t get the equalizer.
n Warren Central 12, Starkville 9: At Vicksburg, Jade Pollack’s 27-yard field goal with six seconds remaining helped the Vikings knock the Yellow Jackets out of the top spot in Class 6A, Region 2.
Warren Central (7-3, 5-1) clamped down on Starkville (7-3, 5-1) and allowed its offense to finish the job with an 84-yard drive that Pollack capped with his winning kick.
Warren Central had to beat Starkville by 12 to win the region title, or at least by five to lock up the second seed. Despite the loss, Starkville will earn the second seed with one game to play next week at home against Clinton. It will play host to a first-round playoff game. Madison Central, which beat Northwest Rankin 52-24 on Friday night, will earn the top seed. Starkville beat Madison Central 45-42 in a disputed finish on Oct. 18 in Starkville.
n Hamilton 13, Smithville 12: At Hamilton, the Lions sent off their seniors off in dramatic fashion Friday night by edging their Monroe County rivals in a Class 1A, Region 1 victory.
The victory helped the Lions (8-2, 6-1 region) move a step closer to securing a home playoff game in the first round. It will face Coffeeville (7-3, 7-0) next week for a chance to win the region title. The loser would finish second in the region and also earn the right to play host to a first-round playoff game.
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