MACON — You’ll have to excuse the Noxubee County High School football team for having Lafayette on the brain last week.
When you have played a team three out of the past four years in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State playoffs, there is bound to be a sense of anticipation that the Tigers and Commodores will meet for a chance to advance to play for a state title.
The Cleveland High football team (12-1) scripted a different ending to that story last week when it defeated Lafayette 14-6 to set up a meeting against Noxubee County (11-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the third round of the Class 4A North State playoffs.
Shorter said some of his players were surprised when they learned Cleveland beat Lafayette. Noxubee County advanced thanks to a 34-7 victory against Yazoo County. The Tigers had 360 yards rushing and 556 yards of total offense en route to their eighth-straight win. Shorter hopes to extend that streak by working to eliminate the turnovers that have plagued his team in the first two weeks of the playoffs.
“We just have to execute,” Shorter said. “I think it is just mental. It is just being careless with the football. One of the turnovers was a running back-to-quarterback handoff. Another was a snap from the center who thought the quarterback was in the shotgun. We can clean that up.”
Shannessy Sherrod paced the ground attack with 20 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Timorrius Conner balanced the running game by going 11-for-15 for 196 yards. Receivers Daveon Ball and Ladaveon Smith had touchdown catches.
Shorter said his team had a great practice to start the week. He said he hasn’t sensed his players will have a problem getting up for a Cleveland team that has lost only to Greenwood (41-40).
Shorter also said this is the first time in his 17 years at the school that Noxubee County has faced Cleveland in football.
“Our kids know they are going to have to play ball because they are 12-1 and their record is going to speak for itself,” Shorter said. “They have a good football team. They have seen them in the ranking all year. I don’t think there is going to be a problem about the guys preparing to play.”
Shorter has stressed to his players the importance of discipline this week. He said Cleveland isn’t going to beat itself and is going to execute its style of play. That is doubly important considering the Tigers have had nine turnovers in their two playoff games.
Thankfully, Shorter said the turnovers didn’t hurt the Tigers, but he knows the possibility is there for those mistakes to harm the team.
“We have to play one of our best games this year to come out of here with a win,” Shorter said. “Defensively, they are very good and sound up front. I think we are going to have to try to do confuse them and do a lot in our passing game. I think our passing game really has to be on point this week.”
On defense, Shorter said the Tigers will have to focus on senior quarterback Vaughnte Dorsey in Cleveland’s Wing-T.
“They are not going to formation you to death,” Shorter said. “They are just good in what they do. They kind of remind me of a West Point. You know what they are going to do. You just have to stop it. The quarterback makes them go. If we don’t stop the quarterback, we are going to be in for a long night.”
Shorter said the Tigers could have an advantage in that they have seen variations of the Wing-T this season, so he likes his defense’s chances in a “grind-out” game at home.
“We have to be disciplined, too,” Shorter said. “Stopping the kind of offense they run, you have to be in the right position. You have to be disciplined. Everybody is going to have a job to do, and you have to be sound with it to stop this offense.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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