MACON — Tyrone Shorter knew it would come to this.
The only thing the Noxubee County High School football coach didn’t know is when hit team would have to face Lafayette County.
If many of the “experts” in the state had their way, the matchup would come in two weeks for the Mississippi High School Activities Class 4A North State title.
But Senatobia’s 20-19 victory against Lafayette County on Oct. 23 helped it win the Region 2 title and dropped Lafayette County to the No. 2 seed in that region.
As a result, the anticipated meeting between Lafayette County (10-2) and reigning Class 4A state champion Noxubee County (8-4) will come in the second round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Stadium.
If Shorter had his way, he would have played the game Tuesday because that is how ready the veteran coach feels his team is for a matchup of two of the North State heavyweights.
“I was expecting to play them later on in the playoffs,” Shorter said. “In watching the film, I thought Senatobia had a good football team, but Lafayette made too many mistakes in that game and it cost them.
“They are a good football team, but our kids are ready to go. In the last eight years, it seems like it has been Noxubee County or Lafayette from the North playing in the state championship, so we were eventually going to have to play them. It might be a blessing for us to play them early because the weather is going to be nice and we are going to play them here.”
History shows the Noxubee County-Lafayette County game has been a regular occurrence at this time of the year. In 2011, Lafayette County beat Noxubee County 20-0 in the North State title game. The following season, Noxubee County earned a 14-0 victory on the way to a 16-0 finish and a Class 4A state title.
In 2013, Lafayette County earned a 9-0 victory at home in a game that Shorter remembers well. He said the Tigers committed too many mistakes and felt they were the better team. He said he has used that game to stress the importance of execution and focus this week.
Shorter said he was happy to hear several of his players remember what happened in the 2013 game against Lafayette. He said some of the Tigers recalled a high snap that went over the punter’s head and a missed block that led to a fumble at the 5-yard line. Those were only some of the mistakes that sent the Tigers home early.
If things had worked out differently, Noxubee County could be in a position this season when it is playing for its fourth-straight state title.
“We have talked about how we gave them an early Christmas gift that year,” Shorter said. “We are stressing that if you are not ready to play at this time of the year, there is no next time. We are stressing to them you have to bring your ‘A’ game and play every game like it is a state championship game because if you don’t, you’re going to lose.”
Noxubee County enters the game riding a six-game winning streak thanks to a 41-10 victory against Amory on Thursday. The Tigers bear little resemblance to the team that was mired in a four-game losing streak at the end of non-conference play. A return to health has fueled Noxubee County’s rise. Shorter also said the emergence of the team’s running game has provided balance to an offense that relied too much on senior quarterback Timorrius Conner in the first part of the season.
Noxubee County has outscored opponents 205-34 in its last five games. After not scoring 30 or more points in its first seven games, the Tigers have scored 33 or more in their last five games.
Lafayette enters the game following a 48-7 victory against Indianola Gentry on Friday. Senior Tyrell Price leads the Commodores with 224 carries for 1,993 yards, an average of 166.1 per game. The 5-foot-11, 216-pounder has 10 games of 100-plus yards this season, and 31 of the team’s 46 rushing touchdowns.
Shorter hopes the Tigers will be able to counter Price with a strong running game. He said Ty’Quntin Ramsey, Shaunessy Sherrod, Anzarius Taylor, Jakerrius Oliver, and Jaylon Hodges give Noxubee County plenty of depth so it keep players fresh and give defenses different looks. He said the team’s offensive coaches purposely have tried to keep all of the players involved because they all have worked hard.
The only thing that troubles Shorter is a batch of the flu that recently hit three starters and has him wondering whether those players will be able to go Friday.
In this rivalry, Shorter knows the Tigers will need everyone to contribute, even if it is the second round and a Class 4A North State title game in name only.
“My confidence in these kids is up there because it is like they are carrying themselves differently and practicing differently,” Shorter said. “In film watching, everyone is tuned in and focused and watching their opponent. I wish we could play now because that is how focused they are.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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