State Championship weekend highlighted by Louisville’s 11th title
A final play field goal in 4A and a shootout in 3A highlighted the six MHSAA state championship football games played at M.M Roberts Stadium on the USM campus in Hattiesburg.
Ceidrick Hunt booted a 27-yard field goal as time expired to give Louisville a 17-14 victory over Mendenhall for the 4A title. It was the 11th championship for the Wildcats, tying them with South Panola and West Point for the most.
Louisville finishes 14-1, the only loss coming 21-20 against 6A champion Starkville, and the Wildcats had victories over 5A runner-up West Point and 3A runner-up Noxubee County.
CLASS 3A
Raleigh and Noxubee County each scored seven touchdowns, but the Lions outscored Noxubee13-10 on conversions for a 55-52 victory that established a championship game record 107 points. Raleigh kicked one PAT and was six for six on two-pointers. Noxubee made five of seven two-point tries.
Ole Miss signee Suntarine Perkins ran for 331 yards, four TDs and four two-point conversions for Raleigh. Kamario Taylor passed for 282 yards and five TDs and Anthony Little caught seven passes for 134 yards and four TDs for Noxubee.
CLASS 6A
Starkville lost its first three Region 2-6A games, but finished the season with eight straight wins, capped off with a 48-32 victory over Brandon for the Yellowjackets seventh championship.
Quarterback Trey Petty totaled 256 yards and five touchdowns running and passing. Brandon outgained Starkville 508 to 444. Landon Varnes passed for 297 yards and two TDs and Nate Blount ran for 18 yards.
CLASS 5A
Picayune repeated as champion with a 31-21 victory over West Point to finish as the only undefeated MHSAA team with a 15-0 record and a 26-game winning streak.
Oregon commit Dante Dowdell carried 28 times for 190 yards and three TDs and teammate Chris Davis added 16 carries for 104 yards for Picayune. West Point led 14-3 in the first half on TD passes of 41 and 86 yards from Que Tillman-Evans to Ahmari Cox.
CLASS 2A
A 42-14 victory over Charleston gave Scott Central a second straight championship. The Rebels scored 114 points in the two title games.
Quez Goss completed 9 of 14 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns and ran for a TD for Scott Central. The Rebel defense held Charleston to 97 yards of offense.
CLASS 1A
Bay Springs blanked McEvans 22-0 to repeat as champion. The Bulldogs finished 14-1, the lone loss coming against Raleigh in the opening game of the season.
Mississippi State signee Ty Jones ran for two Bay Springs TDs and the other score came when Malaki Page blocked a punt and ran it into the end zone on the opening possession of the game
Over the last five games, Bay Springs outscored the opponents 230-6.