MACON — Tyrone Shorter is excited again.
In July, the Noxubee County High School football coach was bubbling with anticipation about the 2018 season. With plenty of weapons on offense and a talented returning group on defense, Shorter talked confidently about his team’s chances to get back to the state title game and win the program’s sixth championship.
Injuries, a tough schedule, and inconsistent play did their best to test Shorter’s patience. Through all of the ups and downs, the veteran coach remained upbeat and positive. He continued to say he believed in his team and that it was just a matter of time before the Tigers were healthy and ready to show their true colors.
That time is finally here.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Noxubee County will play host to New Albany in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A playoffs at Tiger Stadium.
“The expectations were so high for this team at the beginning of the year because I knew we had talent,” Shorter said. “I know there is no other 4A school that has the talent that we put on the field on offense at one time. All four of our receivers, our backs, our quarterback, we have talent. All of those skill guys are going to be college football players. I was so excited about this season because we had big-play guys all around us. Now we have all of those guys back.”
The winner will advance to the second round to take on the winner of the game between Greenwood and Amory. If Noxubee County wins, it would have to go on the road to Greenwood.
Noxubee County (6-5) is coming off a 46-7 victory against New Hope in its regular-season finale. The Tigers are the No. 2 seed out of Region 4.
New Albany (7-4) secured the No. 3 seed out of Region 1 last week with a 20-13 victory against Ripley. The win knocked Ripley out of the playoffs. Senatobia and Corinth finished first and second in Region 1.
New Albany has lost to Itawamba Agricultural, Pontotoc, Senatobia, and Corinth.
Noxubee County saw its 30-game region winning streak end with a 27-26 loss to Louisville on Oct. 5. A last-second field goal caused the Tigers to lose their chance at having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Noxubee County enters the postseason with its most losses since 2006, when it finished 4-5 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. It finished 9-5 in 2016, but it hasn’t had more than five losses in a season since 2000, when it went 6-6 after a first-round loss to Florence in the Class 4A playoff. Shorter hopes a return to health in the last three weeks will help keep it that way. He said the Tigers have all of their skill position players back and are nearly 100 percent healthy, save for some aches and pains along the offensive line.
“The way we are right now with all of these skill guys and home-run hitters, that is the way it was supposed to have been the whole year,” Shorter said. “God has blessed us to get everybody back healthy at the right time. No matter what happened during the regular season, this is what counts. We just have to keep grinding.”
Shorter said his “message” hasn’t changed from previous seasons. The Tigers always have prided themselves for playing one of the state’s toughest non-region schedules. This year was no different, as losses to Starkville, Meridian, West Point, and West Monroe (La.) prepared the team for its annual postseason run.
“We just have to go out and play Noxubee County football,” Shorter said. “We have to play physical, smart, fast. That is what we do here. I want the guys to have fun in the playoffs.”
Shorter knows Noxubee County will have to go through Louisville again if it wants to get back to the Class 4A State title game. He also knows that there will be formidable opponents standing in his team’s way until the North State title game. That’s why he continues to stress the importance of focus and discipline. He said the Tigers have worked hard to eliminate the nagging penalties that continue to plague the squad.
This will be the Tigers’ last chance to win a title in Class 4A. On Wednesday, the MHSAA announced the regional assignments for the next two-year cycle. Noxubee County, which dropped down to Class 3A due to a decline in enrollment, will be paired with Aberdeen, Choctaw County, Hatley, and Houston in Region 4.
The opportunity to play for a final Class 4A crown — at least for the next two years — is another motivating factor Shorter hopes his players seize.
“The last two weeks is our first time to have everybody in there since week one,” Shorter said. “We have been trying not to score these last couple of weeks. Last week, I think about six or seven kids touched the ball and four players scored touchdowns. It is going to be hard to prepare for us.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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