By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
MACON — Most teams that face Noxubee County defensive end Jeffrey Simmons usually make him a point of emphasis on every play.
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, the junior end and four-star recruit, can beat tackles with speed and power. He’s used to catching double teams and watching the ball go the opposite direction.
So against Cleveland High in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night, with the game tied at 7 in the second quarter, Simmons was surprised to come free off the edge on a punt. Simmons blocked the punt, Noxubee’s offense scored a play later, and the Tigers reeled off 35 unanswered points in a 42-14 win.
Up to that point, Noxubee’s offense had endured a 16-play scoring drive and dodged a pair of bullets after the Wildcats dropped a pair of wide-open passes that would have gone for scores. Prior to the block Cleveland’s gnarly double-wing offense gave the vaunted Tigers’ defense a variety of looks, and looked to have found its stride late in the first and early in the second quarter. But a blocked punt was all the Tigers needed to rebound from a sluggish start on defense.
“I was surprised — that’s my first time ever blocking a punt,” Simmons said. “That hyped me up and got me into the game.”
Simmons recorded three tackles for a loss, including a forced fumble that Terrian Dora turned into a touchdown. Overall, the Tigers recorded 14 tackles for a loss and forced three turnovers.”
“That’s our defense — we don’t like anyone score on us,” Simmons said. “It hit a nerve, and that made everybody turn up on our defense.”
The dominating effort propelled the Tigers to the 4A North State title game, where they’ll host Greenwood next Friday.
Noxubee’s offense experienced a lift after Simmons’ blocked punt, too, scoring on three of its first four drives. The offensive attack was balanced, as Shunnessy Sherrod finished the game with 60 yards on 11 carries and 47 yards on two catches. Quarterback Timorrius Conner completed 12-of-18 passes for 147 yards on four touchdowns, including a pair on third down.
“John Patterson couldn’t have called a better game tonight,” Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said. “Our script worked to perfection.
Shutting down the Cleveland wing offense looked easy at times, Simmons said, because of the Tigers’ relentless pursuit to the ball and disciplined approach to defending the three running options — wing backs Jatavis Scott and Andonte Maxie, and fullback Zach Linkous.
“It’s tough to prepare for, but we knew if we hit the fullback hard all game long and ran to the football, we’d be OK,” Simmons said.
“We only face this kind of offense one or two times a year, mainly when we play Koscisuko and West Lauderdale,” Shorter said. “We did a heck of a job tonight.”
Cleveland entered the game with just one loss, looking to add to the team’s best season in school history. Wildcats coach Kelly Causey lamented his team’s miscues, particularly in the passing game, where receivers dropped two wide-open passes that would have gone for scores. The Wildcats finished 1 of 9 for just 16 yards.
“We’re usually about 42 percent in touchdown-completion ratio, so we had no margin for error in the passing game against a really good team,” Causey said. “We didn’t execute.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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