MACON — The wry smile on Tyrone Shorter’s face means one thing: It is playoff time.
Regardless of the bumps and bruises and the ups and downs the Noxubee County High School football team suffers in the regular season the Tigers almost always find a way to put everything together for the postseason.
The final piece came last Thursday when Noxubee County rolled to a 48-0 victory against New Hope in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A, Region game.
The win helped Noxubee County (6-4, 4-0 Class 4A, Region 4) earn its fourth-straight victory and its 30th-straight in Region 4 play. The victory also secured the program’s sixth-straight region crown.
Armoni Clark threw four touchdown passes to help Noxubee County set a date against Amory (4-7) at 7 p.m. Friday in the first round of the MHSAA Class 4A playoffs at Tiger Stadium.
“Where we are offensively is where I thought we would be coming into the season,” Shorter said. “We had two new offensive coordinators, so it took a little longer than I expected, but like I told someone, I thought our schedule really, really helped us. We have been through everything, so now our offense can start to do what the coaches want the players to do.”
Clark has 13 touchdowns and one interception since Noxubee County lost to West Monroe (La.) 38-26 on Sept. 22. He connected with Rashad Eades on touchdown passes of 74 and 42 yards in the first half. Eades had a game-high 116 yards on three catches. Clark was 9-for-14 for 175 yards.
Shorter credits Clark for the success of the offense. He said the senior, who moved into the starting role midway through the season, is making good reads, is getting rid of the football quickly, and isn’t making mistakes. The move freed up junior Maliek Stallings to go to wide receiver and cornerback. Shorter feels the decision had paid off twice as nice because Stallings has helped stabilize the secondary, which has boosted the confidence of the defense so it can get back to its attacking ways.
“He is a laid-back guy,” Shorter said. “I can’t tell if he is mad, upset, or happy, but I thought his maturity would help him get to where he is now. He knocked all the rust off last year after sitting out a year.
“Clark isn’t going to talk much, but he is going to get the job done. He is not forcing the ball or making mistakes.”
The latest victory helped Noxubee County build depth, as Shorter pulled nearly all of his starters in the second half. The Tigers still added two touchdowns, a 90-yard scoop-and-score by Reggie Wilburn near the end of the fourth quarter and a 25-yard interception return by Malcomn Purtue.
Noxubee County limited New Hope to -9 yards rushing on 15 carries. The Trojans, who played without senior quarterback Kyree Fields and senior running back Tyran Reed, lost two of five fumbles, and had five first downs. New Hope coach Kris Pickle praised Noxubee County on Monday, saying the Tigers looked similar to some of the dominating teams he saw earlier in the decade when they won back-to-back state titles.
“I think Noxubee is the best team in the North in 4A just out of the teams we have played,” Pickle said. “I think they are playing the best football they have played all year.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Shorter believes the timing is critical because he feels the Tigers have the skill position players and have started to build depth on the defensive line and continuity on the offensive line. More importantly, Shorter said the Tigers are having fun again, which is plenty of reason to smile after a non-region schedule that saw humbling losses to Starkville and West Point and disappointing setbacks to Meridian and West Monroe (La.).
“It is starting to come together at the right time,” Shorter said. “I hope our last two ballgames carry over into the playoffs.”
Amory clinched the No. 4 seed out of Region 2 thanks to a 42-0 victory against Caledonia and a 45-0 victory against Mooreville. Amory went 11-3 last season and lost to eventual state champion Lafayette in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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