“No occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before, and perhaps often.”
— Mark Twain
ABERDEEN — Make no mistake, for the past five years the road to the Class 3A state championship game has run through Charleston.
For the fourth time in that span, much like Willie Nelson in his hit song, the Aberdeen High School football team will be “on the road again” today when it travels to Charleston for a 7 p.m. game to determine the North State champion and one of the participants in the state title game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Seeking its third championship game appearance since 2012 and looking to even its championship game resume at 2-2, Charleston (12-2) will try to win its fourth-straight game against Aberdeen.
Twain’s reflection might be gospel to the famed philosopher, but with all due respect, his opinion doesn’t hold much sway with Aberdeen coach Eric Spann.
“My players might, but I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to what’s happened in the past,” said Spann, who led the Bulldogs (11-3) to a Class 3A, Region 4 championship in his first season as head coach. “What’s taken place in the past, whether it’s three-straight losses to Charleston or the fact they will have played all four of their playoff games at home this year, doesn’t have any bearing on what we’re trying to accomplish this week — that being our first return trip to the championship game since 2010.”
To achieve that goal, Aberdeen will have to derail one of the state’s premier programs in Class 3A. Sporting a 64-12 record in the past five years and a state title in 2011, Charleston is playing in its fifth-consecutive North Half final. It lost to Collins (28-20) and to Hazelhurst (21-20) in the state championship game in 2014 and 2012, respectively. It lost to Louisville 35-0 in the North Half title game in 2013.
Since 2008, Charleston is 68-8 at home. That mark includes playoff victories against Aberdeen in 2011 (20-0), 2012 (49-22), and 2013 (56-41). Aberdeen also dropped a 20-12 decision to Charleston in the 2004 regular season, but claimed a 20-15 victory against the Tigers in the 2009 quarterfinals.
Aberdeen posted a 33-20 victory against Charleston in the first round of the 2008 playoffs at Charleston, but it lost to Louisville 41-21 in the North Half before making it to the finals in 2009 and 2010. Aberdeen lost to Tylertown 34-20 and Forest 10-8.
“This year’s Charleston team is a typical Charleston team,” Spann said. “They hang their hat on the running game, and they like to control the ball and not turn it over, but they can throw it when they need to.”
The Tigers have scored 70 touchdowns and 509 points (36.4 points per game). They have won eight-straight games since a 26-0 loss to Lafayette in week six. Forty-four of the touchdowns have come on the ground, 17 through the air, and one on a punt return. The defense has posted six interception returns for scores and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
Much like Aberdeen, Charleston’s top ground-gainers are senior quarterback Ahmad Alexander (721 yards) and junior running back Billy Kimble (769). Both are averaging more than 6.3 yards per carry and have four 100-plus games. Alexander also leads the team with 92 points, while Kimble is fourth with 66. They have combined to score 24 touchdowns.
“No. 14 (Kimble) isn’t that big, but he is a threat every time he touches the ball,” Spann said.
Senior Craig Buckley (582 yards rushing) has 68 points. He rushed for more than 100 yards in one game, and gives the Tigers a third solid running threat.
Again like Aberdeen, Charleston utilizes a two-quarterback system, with Alexander the primary running threat and junior Tre Truly the thrower. Truly has thrown for 851 yards. He has 171 yards rushing. Alexander has thrown for 423 yards.
Charleston’s top receiver is Travion Williams, a 155-pound senior, who Spann compares to Jerrick Orr, Aberdeen’s go-to receiver.
“He’s explosive,” Spann said.
Alexander (1,144) and Truly (1,022) have combined for almost 2,200 total yards. Williams (990), Kimble (802), and Buckley (793) are close behind.
Charleston is allowing 11.4 points per game and is a carbon copy of Aberdeen.
“They have a great defense, fast and physical,” Spann said. “They’re not as big as they typically are, but they play hard like we play hard.”
Senior defensive end Tyjour Jones leads the Tigers with 15 sacks for 90 yards in losses. Junior linebacker Johnathan Jones leads the team with 70 tackles (52 solo).
Junior defensive back A.J. Reed, one of 12 defenders with at least one interception, leads the way with four interceptions. As a team, the Tigers have 21 interceptions.
“No. 22 (Tyjour Jones) is a super player who will give us a lot of trouble,” Spann said. “As a whole, their defense is their strong point. With so many good athletes over there, they make it hard on your offense.”
Based on individual offensive statistics, Aberdeen has the upper hand on paper, but Spann admits games aren’t won on paper.
Aberdeen’s top two rushers are senior running back Donte Carter and quarterback Tramonte Prather. Carter gets the tough yards, 851 thus far for a 5.2 yards per carry average and 11 touchdowns, while Prather has run for 673 yards and 12 scores.
While Charleston has thrown for 1,436 yards, Aberdeen has thrown for 3,274. Seniors Tramonte Prather (2,328) and backup Byron Butler (773) have accounted for 3,101 yards and completed 199 passes. Prather’s total is fifth best in 3A.
Running and passing, Prather’s 3,001 total yards is fifth in Class 3A.
Memphis commit Jerrick Orr leads a deep receiving corps with 72 receptions for 1,211 yards and 16 touchdowns, third best in 3A. Isiah McMillian has 39 catches for 706 yards, B.J. Williams has 39 for 556, and Dorian Fears has 33 for 507.
The Bulldogs have scored 489 points, an average of 34.9 points per game.
“For us to win, we have to run the ball effectively and take the big plays when we can,” Spann said. “But we’re not going to go out there with guns a-blazing because if the passing game is clicking like it should then it’s three-and-out on offense and then your defense gets worn out down the stretch.”
On the defense, seniors Tay Carothers and C.J. Williams lead a group that has allowed 220 points, an average of 15.7 per outing.
Carothers tops the tackle chart with 129 stops (81 solo), while Williams has 125 tackles (74). Those marks are seventh and ninth in Class 3A.
Malik Holiday (99), Shavez McMillian (95), and Prather (65) all rank in the top 100 of Class 3A.
Carothers also has 15 sacks for 113 yards in losses, the second best mark in 3A. McMillian (six) and Holiday (five) also ranked in the top 50.
B.J. Williams and Orr lead the team with four interceptions.
“Everybody’s feet are in the same boat,” Spann said. “We’ve got to play a well-rounded game on both sides of the ball. On offense we’ll look for the opportunity to make the big play and if it’s there we’ll throw deep. Defensively, we have to be aggressive and get after them.
“It will be a game of attrition and we’ll try to outlast them.”
Aberdeen’s seniors, some of whom started when Charleston notched a 56-41 victory against Aberdeen in the second round of the 2013 playoffs, know what it’s going to take to win.
“We’ve got to be able to run the ball, and if they give us the run, we’ve got to take it,” said Prather, who saw action for one play as a sophomore in the 2013 game. “I came in for Josh (Williams) and ran a quarterback sweep. A linebacker came up and hit me in the mouth, and I had never been hit like that before.”
Said Orr, “We have to keep going hard on every play and play to the end on both sides of the ball.”
B.J. Williams and Carothers said execution and tackling will determine which team will play for the state championship.
Fellow defensive starter C.J. Williams also said execution will be a key.
“We have to play mistake-free football, Aberdeen football with great intensity,” Williams said. “We need to play hard, fast and physical, and have to wrap up on tackles.”
Charleston and Aberdeen have faced two common opponents: Water Valley and North Pontotoc. Charleston defeated Water Valley 29-14 in the regular season and crushed North Pontotoc 49-15 in the first round of the playoffs. Aberdeen slipped past North Pontotoc 33-28 in the regular season and routed Water Valley 42-13 in the second round of the playoffs.
“What’s happened in the past, who plays where and all the statistics aren’t as important as focusing on the game at hand,” Spann said. “That will be the key to (today’s) game, and the team that plays the hardest with the fewest mistakes will advance to play for the state championship.”
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