STARKVILLE — Timorrius Conner heard the talk all week.
The Noxubee County High School junior quarterback couldn’t avoid it. After all, St. Stanislaus, the opponent in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state title game, had scored 651 points and had eclipsed the 40-point mark 11 times. Sophomore quarterback Myles Brennan led the high-scoring attack with 5,502 passing yards and 61 touchdowns.
Conner shrugged all of those numbers off. Coming off a sophomore season in which he threw four touchdowns and had 12 interceptions, Conner never was one to dwell on numbers.
But Conner showed Saturday how much he has matured as a quarterback and as a leader who can put up numbers, too, throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns to lead Noxubee County to a 48-27 victory against St. Stanislaus at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium.
The victory helped Noxubee County (14-2) close the season on an 11-game winning streak and secure its third state title, and second in three years. The Tigers also won the Class 4A crown in 2008.
“I knew our defense was going to lock it down and we were going to have time in the pocket to complete the passes,” Conner said. “It looked like (Brennan) tried to battle with me, so I just had to outplay him and trust my receivers.”
Conner was 19 of 33 with only one interception for a season-high yardage total. His previous high was 279, which came in a 51-19 loss to Class 6A Starkville in the season opener. Conner threw three interceptions in that game. As much as he has progressed from last season, Conner also has made strides this season in his ability to read defense and to know when to tuck the ball and run and avoid making a mistake.
On a day when Noxubee County only rushed for 111 yards on 39 carries (2.8 yards per carry), Conner completed passes to six receivers. He threw touchdown passes of 65 yards to Daveon Ball, 17 yards to Jeffery Simmons, 11 yards to Kymbotric Mason, and 9 yards to Ladaveon Smith.
“Our offense was being looked over because I think we have the best offensive team in Class 4A in the state,” Conner said. “His offense is good, too, and his receivers made plays, and we had that made plays, too.”
Noxubee County’s defense had one of the biggest plays on the first series. After holding St. Stanislaus to -2 yards on four plays, Jeffery Simmons broke free and blocked a punt by Brennan. Simmons nearly collected the loose ball in the end zone, but he couldn’t fall on it. Kevorkian Brewer was right behind him and was able to gain possession for the score.
St. Stanislaus answered on its next possession as Brennan hit Chase Rhodes with a 4-yard pass that tied the score with 4 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter. But Noxubee County responded by scoring the next 27 points to blow the game open. Three of the scoring drives featured big plays on third down. The first was a quick slant to Ball, who slipped in between four defenders to make a play before he outran two players for the score. The second featured a third-down completion to Tamarcus Silvers on another quick-hitter to the left. Silvers extended the play by slipping through the tackles of two players for a 34-yard gain. The third play on third down was Conner’s quick strike to Mason, who stepped in front of a defender for the 11-yard touchdown pass that gave Noxubee County a 34-7 lead with 4:54 left before halftime.
“He is like night and day from when the season first started,” Noxubee County offensive coordinator James Patterson said. “He still has a lot of work to do. He still needs to work on his ball placement and his accuracy. Other than that, he has made wonderful progress since the beginning of the season. We are looking to be back here again next season.”
St. Stanislaus answered with a two-play, 19-second scoring drive. The Rock-a-Chaws then recovered an onside kick and needed only 1:37 and eight plays to go 50 yards to cut the deficit to 34-21.
St. Stanislaus had its chance early in the third quarter when it intercepted Conner on a third-down pass that went through the hands of Silvers into the arms of Austin Miller. But Noxubee County took the ball back three plays later on an interception by Wesley Bush. Brewer had the pressure on Brennan that helped force the turnover. The Tigers then went 11 plays for the back-breaking drive. Just like it had in the first half, Noxubee County converted when it needed to. On fourth-and-3 from the St. Stanislaus 37-yard line, Conner delivered a pass to Silvers just before he was hit. The pass was a little behind Silvers, but he went up in the air and reached back to grab it for a 19-yard gain. Simmons gained 1 yard for a first down on another third down on the drive that helped set up the 9-yard touchdown to Smith.
“I was taking advantage of their corners,” Conner said. “If they play outside, 10 yards off the ball, I am going to take advantage. I am going to trust my receivers because I know they can catch the ball.”
Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said earlier in the week that he didn’t want to get into a shootout with St. Stanislaus. He said the blocked punt for a score helped set the tone and gave his team the momentum. He said the defense did a great job to hold the Rock-a-Chaws to a season-low 27 points. As well as the defense played in making two interceptions, getting two sacks, breaking up five passes, and notching six quarterback hurries, Shorter praised the play of Conner for guiding the Tigers to one of their best offensive showings of the year in the season’s biggest game.
“It is just amazing how that kid has grown from a year,” Shorter said. “It is scary for other people because he is just a junior. I think the quarterback camps we sent him to this summer helped prepare him for this. He is a smart young man, and he read the defenses today. He read what they were giving him.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.