MACON — Tyrone Shorter issued the challenge in the spring: The Noxubee County High School football team was going to run the football.
The Tigers had experience up front and a talented group of running backs to tote the football, but still KeShun Smith and Tommy Lane weren”t sure how the offensive line was going to take on that challenge.
It wasn”t that the Tigers didn”t believe they could do it. It”s just that they considered themselves better pass blockers than run blockers. That wasn”t surprising considering Noxubee County had earned a reputation under coach M.C. Miller for throwing the football all over the field.
But Shorter, who took over for Miller, opted for a different approach, and his offensive linemen were left to figure out how to make do.
With the help of assistant coach Mike Ashford Jr., the offensive linemen have matured and helped the Tigers rush for 2,600 yards this season.
“Coach told us we were going to have step up and be big this year,” said Lane, who is 5-foot-10, 220 pounds. “We were committed to it all summer and we worked hard. We have more than 2,000 yards rushing, so all of our hard work paid off.”
That ground game will be on display at 7 tonight when Noxubee County plays host to Lafayette (14-0) in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State title game.
The winner will advance to Jackson to take on the winner of the South State championship game between Mendenhall and North Pike at 3 p.m. Dec. 4 at Mississippi Memorial Stadium.
Smith, Lane, Ryald and Keahnte Mitchell, Javodkis Tate, Martize Mitchell, Demarcus Barnett, Demarcus Wilborn, Ivan Goodwin, Justin Clemmon, Jonathan Orr, Marcus Jackson, and Jared Farmer have formed a unit that has the Tigers one step away from playing in their third state title game in four years. Noxubee County lost in the 2007 championship game before it defeated D”Iberville in 2008 for its first football state crown.
Darrell Robinson (1,211 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Ladarrell Hunt (737, nine) have been the mainstays in a rushing attack that averages more than 185 yards per game. The Tigers can still throw the ball with quarterbacks Deangelo Ballard and Jared Johnson, but a young group of receivers has had to share the stage this season with a more experienced offensive line and a deep group of running backs.
“They bought into what I wanted to do,” Shorter said. “(The offensive linemen) saw we had good running backs, too. I knew with the running backs that we had and they were the strength of our team. I knew if we would be able to run the ball effectively we would be able to pass it.”
Shorter had coached with Ashford at Noxubee County High and knew his presence on the staff would bolster the running game. He said Ashford, a high-energy coach, has helped get the offensive linemen to work better together and has honed their technique. He said it is the first time in his 12 years at the school he can remember the program having more than 2,000 rushing yards.
“He really gets after the kids,” Shorter said. “Sometimes I go down and watch the drills he has them do. He has all of the big guys working hard. I think this is the best shape our offensive line has been in in a long time. These guys believe they can open up holes for the running back to run in.”
Smith, who is 6-3, 280 pounds, said it was a big responsibility the offensive linemen had to take on to improve. He said pass blocking is easier than run blocking, where offensive linemen have to read defenses and shift from defender to defender to open holes.
“We did a lot of tire pulling and a lot of low walking drills,” Smith said. “(Coach Ashford) taught us how to break stuff down and to read things. He broke it down easy for us.”
Shorter also wanted the Tigers to develop a running game to help protect themselves against cold and wet conditions, like what the teams will face tonight.
Shorter said a potent running game could be effective tonight against a dangerous opponent. Quarterback Jeremy Liggins (961 yards, 14 touchdowns) and running back Demarkus Dennis (2,075, 26) form a lethal combination that has helped the Commodores win their three playoff games against North Pontotoc, Louisville, and New Albany by an average of more than 36 points.
Lafayette”s closest games of the season came early in the year. The Commodores won at Oxford 21-14 on Sept. 3 and beat Itawamba Agricultural 28-6 on Sept. 10 before opening Region 2 play with a 42-24 victory against Center Hill on Sept. 17.
“We know we are facing a very good football team,” Shorter said, “but it is like people don”t even realize we are here. There are only a few people giving us a chance to win this football game. I told the kids the one good thing about it is Lafayette has never beaten us here at home, and I think that really has the kids pumped up.”
Noxubee County defeated Lafayette 22-20 on Nov. 11, 2005, in the teams” last playoff meeting. The Tigers also beat the Commodores in the playoffs in 2001.
Noxubee County edged Center Hill 12-6 last week to advance to the North State title game.
Shorter said the offensive line has overcome injuries to become a force. He said the development of Orr has surprised him, as has the play of Martize Mitchell. He said the ability of younger players to step in erased any concerns he had when the seniors went out with injuries.
“It seemed like we didn”t miss a beat when those three or four guys were out,” Shorter said.
Lane said the proof is in the numbers. He said some people might be surprised the Tigers have fared so well running the ball, but he knew the offensive line could do the job.
“We just block for the running backs and tell them to run hard,” Lane said. “We”re trying to get to Jackson. That is our goal. If they sell out to it, there is no reason we shouldn”t be there.”
NOTE: Shorter said Wednesday he wasn”t sure if quarterback Jared Johnson would be available for tonight”s game. Johnson was apparently injured in an automobile accident earlier in the week. Shorter and several of the Tigers visited Johnson in the hospital, but Shorter said he didn”t know if Johnson would be released from the hospital and be cleared to play tonight.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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