MACON — When the Noxubee County and Amory high school football teams last met in 2011, the Tigers’ championship hopes ended in a one-point loss to the Panthers in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A playoffs.
Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter remembers that game well. That’s why the veteran coach has evoked the memory of that game often this season to inspire another group of Tigers.
“(The loss in 2011) came up every day in practice,” Shorter said. “We expressed to our kids that anybody can be beaten any given Friday during the playoffs because (every opponent) is a good team.”
The rematch wasn’t as close.
Thanks to a 286-yard rushing performance that netted five touchdowns, the reigning Class 4A state champions opened their bid to repeat Thursday night with a 41-10 victory against Amory in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.
The win, Noxubee County’s sixth in a row, set up a second-round date against the winner of the Gentry-Lafayette County game, which will be tonight. If Gentry wins, Noxubee County will travel to Indianola. If Lafayette County wins, the Tigers will play host to the Commodores.
Noxubee County (8-4) scored on its opening possession thanks to the running of Ladaveon Smith, Javarcus Walker and Timorrius Conner, who capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
Amory (5-7) drove to Noxubee County’s 26-yard line on its first possession, but it had to settled for a 43-yard field goal by Caleb Shelly.
Noxubee County responded by driving 80 yards in 10 plays. Junior running back Ty’quintin Ramsey delivered the first of his three scores with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
From that point, the Tigers kept the Panthers from getting anything going.
Following a three and out by Amory, Noxubee County quarterback Timorrius Conner threw an interception that was returned to the Tigers’ 10. However, Noxubee County held and forced a field goal attempt. A mishandled snap gave the Tigers the ball back.
“We had (opportunities to score),” Amory coach Ben Ashley said. “There was the muffed punt that we got a field goal on. We had the interception that we could have gotten (a touchdown) on. That’s a tribute to (Noxubee County’s) defense, though. They clamped down on us.”
Ramsey’s second score — a 5-yard run — capped a 73-yard drive that was a part of a 20-point second quarter that broke the game open.
“Our offensive line just kept giving me good blocks and I kept hitting the holes hard,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey added a 25-yard touchdown run and Conner connected with Ladaveon Smith for a 31-yard touchdown that made it 34-3. Conner completed three passes on the drive.
“I just put the pick behind me and kept making plays,” said Conner, who was 8 of 11 for 153 yards and one touchdown.
In the second half, a sack by senior defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons forced a fumble that the Panthers recovered, but they were forced to punt.
“We wanted to start fast and we did that,” Simmons said. “Everybody was swarming to the ball and communicating.”
Senior Anzarius Taylor capped the Tigers’ scoring with a 3-yard run in the third quarter.
Shorter knows that his team will face a tougher opponent each week in the playoffs, but he also believes the Tigers are at their best in the playoffs.
“No matter who we play, they will be good,” Shorter said. “One thing about our kids is that when we are in the playoffs, they turn it up a notch because they don’t want to go home.”
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