As the Tigers sideline celebrated, head coach Teddy Young had to hold his team back from claiming the Toothpick Bowl before he could join in the fun.
“Tell them to hold on!” Young shouted mid-interview with The Dispatch after his Noxubee County team defeated Louisville 28-13.
Young is a Noxubee County man through and through, winning a state championship both as an offensive coordinator for Tyrone Shorter, now Louisville head coach, and as a player for MC Miller, the legendary title-winning coach with both the Tigers and Wildcats.
Miller was there with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth to present the trophy named in his honor.
It was a moment that demonstrated what playing under the Friday night lights is all about. Miller’s legacy at both schools could not be more alive. Both teams are led by head coaches and staff who worked or played under him, and both programs are aiming to return to the state championship game this year to add another banner.
The game itself was a showcase of some of the best talent in Mississippi, led by two of the brightest minds in the game and watched by one of the best to ever do it.
— Colin Damms
Starkville’s grit carries the day after challenging week
It would have been easy to let the emotions and stakes heading into the rivalry game against Oxford intrude on Starkville’s focus.
In not-so-desirable conditions via the remnants of Hurricane Helene, the Yellow Jackets brought the fight to the Chargers. Arguably, the most impressive factor in the 14-9 win over Oxford was quarterback Jaylen Ruffin’s athletic ability and leadership on the gridiron.
Ruffin’s usage of his accurate arm and his flashy ability to maneuver around the pocket and find space to make defenders miss has electrified Starkville’s offense this season.
The tall task of replacing former Yellow Jackets signal-caller and now Illinois quarterback Trey Petty has not shaken Ruffin. In fact, it seems to have done the exact opposite, which is nothing but good news for a Starkville offense that is looking for a spark after losing a plethora of production heading into the 2024 season.
Filling in for head coach Chris Jones after the announcement of his suspension earlier in the week, assistant coach William Stewart stepped up and guided his quarterback during the rainy game in Oxford on Friday night.
“None of that surprises me with Jaylen Ruffin,” Stewart said. “The only problem with Jaylen Ruffin was Trey Petty being here so long. We knew what Ruffin can do (and) what he’s been doing for us. And again, I’m going to stick with what Chris Jones said. He believes in getting kids ready. He talks about player development and that is huge all season. That is a picture-perfect example of player development by Chris Jones. You look at the lineage of quarterbacks since he’s been here, he’s done a great job with him.”
-– Dylan Flippo
Early mistakes snap Patriots’ streak
They say the team that makes the least amount of mistakes will win the game.
That was exactly the case on Friday night for Heritage Academy.
The Patriots came into their game against Lamar School – a key MAIS Class 5A non-division contest – with a ton of momentum and riding a five-game winning streak.
That momentum was gone in a flash as the Patriots fumbled on their first two offensive plays of the game and found themselves trailing 21-0 eight minutes into the contest. Heritage fought back but fell to the Raiders, 42-20, on their homecoming.
“This game was huge for us because it was a learning experience against a team that hopefully we will see again in the playoffs,” Heritage Academy coach Tobias Smith said. “We’ve got three big district games left after the bye week and two are at home, so we don’t need to come out and start the game like we did tonight.”
— Brandon Shields
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