CRAWFORD — When East Oktibbeha County High School football coach Randy Brooks felt his team need a lift, he asked senior Kortland Petty to carry the load.
Two weeks ago, Petty was shifted to running back at halftime of the Titans’ Class 1A, Region 3 opener against Sebastopol. Petty responded with two second-half touchdowns as EOCHS rallied to a 20-9 victory. Petty followed that up Friday with 138 rushing yards and two more scores in a 46-14 region win at Ethel.
For those efforts, Petty is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“I was real happy when I found out I would be touching the ball more,” Petty said. “Whatever this team needs is what I want to try to provide. We have a really good offensive line. That makes the job easy. It is real exciting to score touchdowns.”
There is plenty of excitement in Crawford this season. EOCHS, which is No. 5 in Class 1A in this week’s Associated Press prep rankings, enters its region showdown against West Lowndes at 7:30 Friday night at 4-1 and 2-0 in region play.
“We are doing something that hasn’t been done here in a while,” Brooks said. “Before the year we set individual goals and team goals. The first team goal was to host a playoff game, since that has never been done here before.”
To qualify for the postseason, the Titans must finish in the top four of the nine-team region standings. To host a first-round playoff game, the Titans must finish in the top two. Petty began the year with a simpler goal.
“Our plan was to be better than 4-7 (last’s year record),” Petty said. “We were real disappointed how we finished the year last year. This year is a new year. We are a better team. We are working hard and listening to our coaches more. Everybody is really focused and trying their best. I thought we would be a better team this year.”
Still, even good teams need a spark. EOCHS opened with two easy wins. The Titans then lost to Class 4A North Pontotoc 55-0. A week later, they trailed Sebastopol 2-0 at halftime of their region opener, which is when Petty received the call.
“We had been shut out for six straight quarters, so we needed to do just a little something different,” Brooks said. “We shifted him to running back at halftime and he really took off with it. Kortland had a couple of big runs to turn that game around.
“Against Ethel, we had a really solid team effort. Both he and James Brown ran the ball hard and very effectively. We found a weakness in their defense and exploited it. The key was the offensive line. They did a tremendous job blocking. That allowed us to execute our game plan to perfection.”
The success hasn’t been surprising for Petty and his teammates.
“We lifted weights hard during the offseason,” Petty said. “You could tell this team was going to have a different attitude this year. We knew the schedule was tough, but we were looking forward to playing those games. We knew it would make us a better team going into region play.
“It is all about the playoffs. We practice hard and we know what we have to do on Friday nights to get the win. Now it is all about execution.”
Petty is happy to be a bigger part of that game plan. As a senior, he was already relishing the leadership role. The 6-foot, 150-pounder also plays strong safety.
“I really like offense more,” Petty said. “You can really be involved in a game-changing play on every snap of the ball. It is exciting when you score points for your team. I am real happy that coach gave me this opportunity.”
As the Titans approach the midway mark of their region schedule, there is something else that would make Petty very happy.
“We haven’t beaten West Lowndes since I have been here,” Petty said, “so this game is personal. West Lowndes is always real good, but it is about time we beat them. I want this one badly.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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