OXFORD — Starkville High School sophomore Andreus Swanigan knew his teammates needed him.
With leading rusher Avery Brown slowed by injury, Swanigan felt the onus of the rushing game falling squarely on his shoulders.
Swanigan did not disappoint.
He ran for a career-high 161 yards and three touchdowns as Starkville beat Petal 27-7 to win the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state championship Friday night.
“You just have to believe in yourself,” Swanigan said. “You just have to be ready when your number is called.”
Starkville (14-1) won its second state title in four seasons and finished the season with 14 straight wins. For first-year coach Ricky Woods, it was his seventh MHSAA title and eighth state championship overall.
The contest was over early as Starkville built a 21-0 second-quarter lead. By then, the Yellow Jackets were well on their way to their first title in Class 6A and sixth overall.
Senior wide receiver A..J. Brown was dominant with 10 receptions for 117 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass from Montario Montgomery. Brown finished the season with a school-record 83 receptions.
Noxubee Co. wins another title
Noxubee County High School brought home another title as it beat St. Stanislaus, 44-23, on Saturday to win the Class 4A championship.
The Tigers (12-4) won their third title in four seasons and fourth overall. They did it by beating the Rock-a-chaws in the title match for a second straight season.
“This team was determined to become the first in our school’s history to repeat as state champions,” Noxubee County fifth-year coach Tyrone Shorter said. “Even when we faced adversity, the kids never lost sight of our goal. They kept playing hard and kept doing the things you need to do win a championship.”
Noxubee County won its final 10 games after a stunning four-game losing streak earlier in the season. Ironically, Noxubee County beat Starkville 26-20 in double overtime in each team’s season opener.
Noxubee County busted out of the gate strong, rolling to a 25-0 advantage.
Senior quarterback Timorrius Conner threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Kymbotric Mason caught two touchdown passes, while Ladaveon Smith and Daveon Ball had the others.
In the final game of his standout career, Jeffrey Simmons had 3.5 quarterback sacks to lead the Noxubee County defense.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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