The Columbus High School football team lived up to the Homecoming festivities.
The Falcons also made a point to impress their well-known guests.
With Mississippi State University coach Dan Mullen and offensive line coach John Hevesy on hand, Columbus beat DeSoto Central 14-0 on Friday night for an important Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 1 victory.
The victory allowed Columbus to move to 5-3 and 2-2 in the region. It controls its destiny in its quest to earn a playoff berth with a top-four finish in the region.
Columbus earned the victory in part because of its defense (Donsha Walker had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown) and the play of tailback Christion Petty. Filling in for the injured Kendrick Conner (concussion) and Quan Latham (thumb) in an already depleted backfield, Petty had 42 yards on nine carries. His 2-yard touchdown run was the game’s only offensive score.
“Petty had a great game,” Columbus coach Tony Stanford said. “We lost our top two tailbacks to injuries from the South Panola game. We were down and out in our running back positions. Petty is not a starter and he normally plays fullback. He had to make the move to tailback and we are very proud of the way he played.”
For Petty, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound sophomore, the road to starting at tailback was filled with work in practice and possible divine intervention.
“I was nervous all week long,” Petty said. “I prayed really hard every night. I just kept praying and praying. I kept messing up in practice and coach Stanford just told me what to do. I also talked to Kendrick and Quan and they gave me some good advice. I messed up some at the beginning of the game and (Stanford) took me aside and just talked to me. It motivated me to not be nervous and to do better. I was just trying to run hard and not stop.”
Petty’s key play came late in the second quarter when he took a handoff from quarterback Tyson Lee and scored. A two-point conversion gave Columbus a 14-0 victory at halftime.
Petty also helped manage the clock in the fourth quarter after interception by Jimmy Cockrell gave the Falcons the ball at midfield. The Falcons then were able to run out the clock thanks to a 20-yard run by Petty.
“Christion did really well in this game,” Lee said. “He really stepped up when we needed him. He made some good plays. He balanced the ball when he needed to and he pounded it when we needed him. He ran the ball really well.”
Petty said the blocking of his teammates was a key reason why he was able to have success.
“The offensive line did a great job,” Petty said. “The made some great blocks that allowed me to find places to run.”
Stanford and his team will spend the week preparing for a Friday trip to Horn Lake (2-6, 0-4) for more division play.
“This division is very even this year,” Stanford said. “Anybody can beat anybody.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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