CLEVELAND — The Aberdeen High School football team had a chip on its shoulder here Friday against the East Side Trojans at Leroy Byars Field.
Not being ranked in the top five in one statewide Class 3A poll and mired in the fourth spot for most of the past month or so in a local North Mississippi poll behind three teams that had lost to Aberdeen (Calhoun City) or, based on comparative scores, more than likely would have lost in a head-to-head matchup (Smithville and Kossuth), definitely left a bad taste in the Bulldogs’ mouths.
As such, Aberdeen had something to prove in its third-round Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A playoff matchup against East Side.
Aberdeen proved its case in convincing fashion, rolling to a 28-6 victory against the same team that eliminated Kossuth last week.
With the win, Aberdeen (11-3) will travel to Charleston (12-2) — last season’s state runner-up — at 7 p.m. Friday in the North State title game. The winner will play the winner of the Collins-West Marion game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.
Aberdeen has lost its last three meetings against Charleston in the Class 3A playoffs (56-41 in 2013, 49-22 in 2012, 20-0 in 2011). Aberdeen beat Charleston 22-15 in 2009 en route to the first of its back-to-back trips to the Class 3A state title game.
In what was billed as a game that was supposed to pit East Side’s ground-and-pound offense, which had rushed for more than 2,900 yards (224 per game), against Aberdeen’s quick-strike aerial attack, which had accounted for more than 3,100 yards (240 per game), the Bulldogs flipped the switch on the Trojans as they ran the ball almost at will and gained more yards rushing (194) than passing (153) — a figure that would have reached 238 yards if quarterback Tramonte Prather hadn’t been sacked five times for 44 yards in lost yardage.
“I thought we played well offensively,” Aberdeen coach Eric Spann said. “We had a good game plan going in, and we knew we had to run the ball to move on in the playoffs.”
If ground-and-pound can apply to defense, Aberdeen’s stifling defense was the only unit doing any grounding and-pounding. The Bulldogs limited the Trojans to 157 yards rushing, well below their average of 223.6. Facing three backs who had combined for more than 2,300 yards rushing with long runs of 89, 85, and 75 respectively, the Bulldogs gave up only four plays of 10 yards or more, three of which came on the Trojans’ scoring drive.
More impressively, the Bulldogs’ defenders gave up only two completions, both screen passes for -6 yards.
“My hat’s off to them (East Side). They’re a pretty good football team,” Spann said. “We knew coming in they could run the ball, but our defense stepped up to the challenge and responded in a big way.”
That became evident on the first play when Kemar Sims appeared to have recovered a fumble at the Trojans’ 26-yard line. But after peeling back the pileup, the ball was awarded to East Side.
After three-and-out possessions by both teams, a 43-yard Byron Butler punt pinned the Trojans at the 18. On a third-and-14 from the 24, a Ladarius Mayhall-to-Kamarian Williams pass completion to midfield was wiped out on a holding penalty to set up a fourth-down punt from the 7. The punt rolled dead at the Trojans’ 23.
Two Donte Carter plunges up the middle was sandwiched by a pair of Prather keepers, the second of which from 6 yards out gave the Bulldogs their first score. Prather then hit Jerrick Orr for the two-point conversion and an 8-0 lead with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, a nine-play, 75-yard Aberdeen drive stalled at the East Side 5, but Jamarques Whitfield caught quarterback Travion Craig in the end zone for a 5-yard loss and a safety one play later to push Aberdeen’s lead to 10-0.
A 17-yard kickoff return by Orr on the ensuing kickoff gave the Bulldogs a first down near midfield. Aberdeen ripped off gains of 11 yards on a pass reception by Dorian Fears, a 10-yard run by Carter, a 16-yard pickup by Prather, and a 15-yard touchdown plunge by Carter for a 16-0 lead. Wide receiver Isiah McMillian threw the key block to spring Carter.
Two possessions later, East Side mounted a seven-play drive that started on its 9-yard line. Aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties, the Trojans reached the Bulldogs’ 31. With a little more than a minute left in the first half, Orr snared Mayhall’s throw to Craig in the end zone.
Aberdeen made it 22-0 on its initial possession of the third quarter on a 4-yard Carter plunge. A 35-yard kickoff return by Orr helped set up the score. Orr ran back-and-forth from sideline to sideline to get the drive started. A 23-yard reception by Dorian Fears kept the drive moving.
East Side responded with its touchdown eight plays later on a 13-yard keeper by Craig, who gained 46 yards rushing on the drive.
Undaunted, the Bulldogs capped an 11-play, 62-yard march with a 21-yard Prather run to close the scoring with 2:30 left in the third period.
“We told them at the half we had to come out and score, and if we could do that we could control the game,” Spann said.
Carter rushed for a game-high 105 yards on 23 carries, while Prather had 68 yards on 14 carries to go along with 135 yards passing on an 11-for-20 effort. B.J. Williams paced the receivers with four catches for 61 yards, Fears had three for 42, Orr had four for 22, and McMillian two for 24.
“Carter got the tough yards inside with one of his better performances, and Prather also ran the ball well,” Spann said. “Prather did a good job of spreading the ball around to different receivers.”
Although Orr’s 22 receiving yards fell well below his 90-plus yards per game average, he finished with 52 return yards and played a key role on defense to help the Bulldogs limit the Trojans to two pass completions for -6 yards and 151 total yards.
“His interception was real big,” Spann said. “He made a play when we needed it.”
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