MACON — Noxubee County has built a state championship tradition based on its defense.
Through its first three games of the season, coach Tyrone Shorter pleaded with his Tigers to show that type of defensive prowess.
The mission was finally accomplished Friday night as Noxubee County shut out Aberdeen 29-0.
“We really wanted the shutout badly,” Noxubee County junior defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons said. “We thought we could get one each of the last two weeks but we didn’t. So really we came here to make a statement. There were a lot of smiles when we got that done.
Noxubee County is considered by many a contender for the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state championship. After all, the Tigers rode a monster defensive unit to the 2012 state championship. A year ago, Noxubee County won nine games while only allowing slightly more than 10 points per game. This year’s Tigers have been looking for a similar identity.
“We really did good on defense tonight,” Noxubee County senior cornerback Wesley Bush said. “We want to be one of the best teams in 4A. To do that, we know we have to be really good on defense. We are hoping to develop and keep getting better.”
Knowing the pedigree for defense, many were surprised when Noxubee County allowed 51 points in a season-opening loss to top-ranked Starkville. The Tigers then allowed seven points in a win over Columbus and 14 points in a win over Louisville.
“Everybody came out really working harder in practice that Monday (after the Starkville game),” Bush said. “We knew that we were never wanted to be done again the way we were done in that Starkville game. We felt like we could have beaten Starkville. But after that loss, we knew we had to be a whole lot better if we wanted to win a state championship.”
Noxubee County was a whole lot better Friday night. The Tigers held the Bulldogs to 71 yards of total offense, including -17 yards in the game’s final half. Aberdeen quarterback Josh Williams was sacked nine times by a Noxubee County front four which totally dominated the proceedings.
“We knew their quarterback liked to run,” Simmons said. “That was their offense. So we just focused totally in on him and got a whole lot of pressure. I think we really dominated in the backfield there and really made it hard for them to get anything going.”
Aberdeen (2-2) had two different golden scoring opportunities. The Bulldogs drove to the 1-yard line in the late stages of the first quarter but a critical personal foul penalty snuffed that threat. Aberdeen managed another goal-to-go situation inside the Noxubee County 10-yard line. This time, Simmons had a big sack, Qendarrion Barnett had a huge tackle for loss and Bush had a critical pass deflection in the end zone.
Senior linebacker Darrell Brandon also had a phenomenal game but drew the ire of his coach postgame for personal foul penalty late in the game.
“Honestly, the last couple of weeks we have gotten back to playing Noxubee County football on defense,” Shorter said. “We have played the physical, smash-mouth type of ball that we like to play around here. We have played the style we need to play. Offensively, we are fine. We are going to score around 30 points per game and that is enough if you play the type of defense that we are capable of playing.”
Noxubee County senior quarterback Timorrius Conner threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another. While the Tigers had a pedestrian output of 329 total yards, the contest was never in doubt. The Tigers scored on three of the game’s first four possessions.
“I really like this team a whole lot,” Shorter said. “They have grown and matured since the first week of the season. We have always played hard. Now, we are playing a little smarter. It’s a good combination. I like where we are now and I like our capabilities.”
Noxubee County won its third straight against one of the state’s toughest non-region schedules. Traditional powers West Point and Charleston are up next before region play.
Thoughts were not that far ahead Friday night. Instead, they focused on the zero on the scoreboard. For the Tigers, the zero had been a long time coming. Noxubee County posted two shutouts last season and five in 2012.
Simmons said the whole team was energized after the second goal-line stand.
“Everybody was all smiles and so happy,” Simmons said. “When the horn sounded and we finally had the shutout, everybody was happy again.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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