In July, we asked several questions prior to the prep football season.
Twenty weeks have passed and we are set for Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) State championship weekend.
Starkville, West Point, and Noxubee County will compete for state titles this weekend. Two weeks ago, Starkville Academy bagged a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) State title.
Today, we will come full circle with a final set of questions.
Will Starkville be able to control the turnovers?
It’s no secret Starkville hasn’t been the best state-championship contender at holding on to the ball. Interceptions and fumbles have plagued the team, even in recent victories.
To defeat Pearl (15-0) on Friday night in the Class 6A title game, Starkville will have to play clean.
Starkville (13-2) will need balance on offense. On defense, we already know what we will be get from Chris Jones’ team.
While this recent penalty problem needs to go away, turnovers will be the main concern.
Will West Point play well in a tight game?
The smallest margin of victory for undefeated West Point (14-0) has been 19 points.
In a 32-13 playoff victory against Grenada, West Point scored an offensive touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the first four minutes and was never really threatened.
Hattiesburg (14-0) will be the opponent in the Class 5A title game Saturday night. The Tigers have won by a touchdown or less three times. Even last week’s South State championship victory against Laurel was in doubt late.
If Hattiesburg can challenge West Point, this will be new territory for the Green Wave.
Don’t think that means the West Point coaching staff will have the panic button handy. However, it would still be interesting to see how the reigning champions respond.
Who will be the West Point unsung hero?
It’s a safe bet running backs Marcus Murphy and Chris Calvert will do major damage Saturday night. The Tigers haven’t faced a one-two punch like Murphy and Calvert.
However, it might take more than that for West Point to scale the mountaintop for a second-straight season.
You could easily see senior wide receiver Jason Brownlee work his way to MVP honors. Brownlee should top 1,000 yards receiving for the season against Hattiesburg.
On defense, few players have been hotter than junior defensive back Tyler Rupert, who has been known to make a game-changing interception. On the line, senior Terence Cherry and his mates will be responsible for disrupting Hattiesburg’s passing game. Cherry will take that challenge seriously.
West Point has been less than stellar in special teams play this season. However, a large margin of victory on a regular basis has masked that. A game-winning field goal would be an interesting way to end this one.
Is there a better big-game coach than Noxubee County’s Tyrone Shorter?
If there are any, it’s a very short list.
Shorter’s squad will play for another title Saturday afternoon against East Central (13-0) in the Class 4A championship.
Noxubee County (10-4) is back in the championship after winning titles in 2012, 2014, and 2015. The bigger the stage, the better the Tigers play.
Noxubee County has its air-raid offense going at a fever pitch. The Tigers have ironed out issues on defense through hard work and coming together.
It’s hard to imagine any state championship weekend without Noxubee County. It’s even harder to imagine such a weekend without the Tigers winning the championship.
Any other thoughts as we hit the final 96 hours of the season?
Ole Miss did a masterful job as host of the 2015 state championship weekend. Memo to the Rebels, do everything the same way and we will be good.
Our coverage area was blessed with some remarkable coaches and players this season. Sometimes, talking to members of the media is the last thing they want do on a Friday night or on a Saturday. However, everybody always was warm and inviting. We have enjoyed working with you.
To the players, keep sending those links to your Hudl highlights. It is the pleasure to send those out. Anything to get more Golden Triangle area kids good exposure is a good thing.
Finally, to Starkville, West Point, and Noxubee County — don’t overthink this thing. You are really good. You are here for a reason. Believe in yourself and your teammates.
Do what you do best one more time and everything will work out just fine.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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