MACON — Three down, two to go.
After battling a monstrous non-region schedule and overcoming a fair share of injuries, Tyrone Shorter’s Noxubee County High School football team is playing its best football at the right time of the year.
Shorter, who has used words like “focus” and “approach” and “discipline” when talking about the keys to season, isn’t going to change his tune now that Noxubee County is two wins away from its third state title.
To realize that goal, Noxubee County (12-2) will have to beat Greenwood (11-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State title game in Macon. The winner will play the winner of the St. Stanislaus-Purvis game at 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.
“Greenwood has a very good football team,” Shorter said. “They are very athletic and have a lot of speed. We watched film of their game against Cleveland (won by Greenwood 41-40) and I thought it could have gone either way. Cleveland had their opportunities to beat them. They missed a field goal and had a field goal locked and gave up some big plays. The difference in the game was special teams and big plays. That is what hurt Cleveland.”
Noxubee County hopes those same problems don’t become a problem after playing one of its best games of the season in a 42-14 victory against Cleveland. Junior quarterback Timorrius Conner was 12 of 18 for 147 yards and four touchdowns. Shorter said his team could have scored more points last week if it had done a better job early against Cleveland’s ground game. He said the defensive coaches made some key adjustments in the second half, which allowed the Tigers to pull away.
Greenwood is coming off a 30-23 victory against Kosciusko in which Shorter said big plays were a key component. He also said Greenwood capitalized on four turnovers to deny the two Region 4 rivals from meeting a second time this season.
“Watching the film, it was like, ‘Oh my God. They couldn’t stop Kosciusko,'” Shorter said. “Kosciusko was stopping themselves. That is what we can’t do. We can’t stop ourselves and turn the ball over. We also have to play good special teams because they can hurt you on special teams.”
Shorter said another key is denying Greenwood the big plays. He said athlete Booker T. Chambers is the engine that drives Greenwood. According to MaxPreps.com, Chambers has thrown for 2,494 yards and 28 touchdowns (five interceptions). He also is second on the team with 700 yard rushing and is tied for the team lead with nine rushing scores.
Greenwood also has depth at its skill positions. The team has five receivers who have 20 or more catches. Tyler Glass leads the team with 38 catches for 586 yards and eight touchdowns.
Johnderrick Smith has a team-high 814 rushing yards and is tied with Chambers for the team lead with nine rushing scores.
“They are a home run team,” Shorter said. “They make big plays by the pass and the run.”
Shorter said three of Greenwood’s touchdowns went for more than 50 yards, including a kick return to start the second half. He hopes a season’s worth of work at special teams will have prepared his players for their North State title game.
“I really think to win games — any games, especially playoff games — you can’t give up big plays, you can’t turn the football over, and you have got to play disciplined football. If we do that, I think our chances are as good as any.
“We are playing a good football tea. At this point, both teams are really good. We’re going to have a great game plan against them.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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