NOXAPATER — An inability to slow down homestanding Noxapater’s high-powered offense in the first half put the East Oktibbeha County High School football team in a hole it couldn’t climb out of Friday night in a 41-18 loss in a battle of the undefeated in Class 1A, Region 3.
“I think the week off really hurt us,” East Oktibbeha coach Randy Brooks said of the bye week his team had last week. “It kind of broke the momentum. The kids were saying today it seemed like it’s a been a month since they played. There is nothing like being in game condition, and there were times in the first half when we looked out of sorts.”
Noxapater’s backfield duo of quarterback Ethan Hamilton and running back Trey Baber may have had a little to do with that, as they combined for five touchdowns to help the Tigers — who led 28-6 lead at halftime — move to 4-3 and 4-0 in league play with their fourth consecutive win. Noxapater is tied with Nanih Waiya at the top of the 1A-3 standings.
East Oktibbeha has to regroup as it prepares for its Homecoming next week against Pelahatchie at 5-2 and 3-1 in the league.
Despite Friday night’s disappointing loss, Brooks said his Titans could still have big things in their future.
“We still control our destiny,” he said. “If we are going to make history we have to win the rest of our games. If we are going to be the first (East Oktibbeha) team to host a playoff game we know what we have to do.”
After hosting Pelahatchie next week, East Oktibbeha is set to visit county rival West Oktibbeha on Oct. 21, to play host to 1A-3 favorite Nanih Waiya on Oct. 28, and to close the regular season at Weir on Nov. 3.
East Oktibbeha couldn’t stop Noxapater from scoring on all four of its possessions in the first half.
“I was really disappointed overall in my defense,” Brooks said. “Some of those guys have been with me for four years, and tonight there were times we acted like we couldn’t tackle, and we work on tackling and fundamentals all the time.”
Noxapater marched 74 yards on 12 plays on its first possession to score on a 2-yard run by Katorris Coburn. It was 14-0 early in the second quarter after Hamilton hit a tightly covered Gregory McBeath with a beautiful 37-yard scoring strike down the left sideline. He added the two-point conversion run.
The Titans came to life offensively, moving the ball 69 yards on 12 plays to score on a 6-yard touchdown reception by a triple-covered Chris Harris on a pass from Davalyn Bell with 8 minutes, 18 seconds left to play in the half.
That momentum didn’t last long, however, as Baber scored on a 10-yard run with 5:18 left in the half. Two minutes later, Hamilton hit a wide open McBeath in the end zone from 6 yards out to make it 28-6.
Baber (18 carries, 118 rushing yards) scored on runs of 17 and 4 yards in the fourth quarter to close the scoring for Noxapater.
East Oktibbeha’s second-half touchdowns came on runs of 1 and 21 yards by James Brown. He led the Titans with 83 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Bell was 12 of 24 for 136 yards.
Terrance Rice had three catches for 85 yards for the Titans, while Jamal Halbert had three for 42.
“I’m really disappointed because we didn’t take care of what we were supposed to,” Bell said. “We are still fighting with the idea of building winners. Some of the kids still have that loser’s mentality and once things start going bad, they are quick to drop their heads.
“Pelahatchie is coming in and it’s Homecoming, and we are just going to have to go practice Monday and get after it.”
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