HATTIESBURG — For Noxubee County, the third time was not the charm.
Behind a stellar offensive attack, the Choctaw County Chargers were able to hold on to beat the Tigers 34-27 to claim the MHSAA Class 3A state championship at Southern Miss’ M.M. Roberts Stadium on Thursday night.
It’s Choctaw County’s first state title in school history, and Noxubee County’s third consecutive title game loss.
“It’s absolutely surreal. Our community has been starved for this moment and the kids have worked their tails, the coaches gave it everything they had and it all paid off tonight. This is a dream come true,” Choctaw County head coach Dillon Mitchell said. “It took a lot of guts and toughness. The kids were built for this moment and finished it tonight.”
The Chargers scored first to take a 7-0 with 5:36 left in the first quarter on a Statue of Liberty play as quarterback K.J. Cork faked a pass and handed the ball off to Tayshawn King who raced 22 yards to the end zone to give Choctaw County the lead.
Noxubee County tied the game at 7 with 3:57 left in the opening frame as Kamario Taylor fumbled at the 3-yard line but offensive lineman Kaden Phillips fell on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Choctaw retook the lead at 13-7 with 6:40 left in the second quarter on a Jeramiah Miller 3-yard touchdown run.
Noxubee responded to tie the game at 13 as Taylor found Michael Dancy on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 4:31 left before halftime.
The Chargers scored with seven seconds left in the second quarter on a flea-flicker as Cork found Chancen Mosley on a 16-yard touchdown pass to take a 20-13 lead.
The Tigers scored on the opening drive of the second half as Ladarion Mosley scored on a 4-yard run, but the extra point was missed, so Choctaw County held a 20-19 lead with 9:53 left in the third quarter.
Choctaw County answered on a fourth-down play as Cork found Ole Miss signee Caleb Cunningham on a 39-yard touchdown pass to give the Chargers a 27-19 lead with 7:39 left in the third quarter.
Chevez Sellers added a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:53 left in the fourth quarter to extend the Choctaw County lead to 34-19.
Noxubee quickly cut the lead to 34-27 on a Mosley 24-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion run by Taylor with 9:39 left in the fourth quarter.
After Noxubee’s Somijae Brandon intercepted a pass at the Tigers 16-yard line with 4:07 left, the Tigers marched down to the Choctaw County 15-yard line, but a Taylor pass over the middle fell incomplete on fourth down with 1:52 left in the game and Choctaw County ran out the clock to seal the win.
“Defense made a play when they had to make a play and offensively made conversion after conversion and play after play when we needed. You got to have bullets going into games like this and we executed plays,” Mitchell said. “It was a total team effort. Absolutely incredible night.”
Cork finished 17-of-25 passing for 172 yards with two touchdowns and added 70 yards rushing on 12 carries and was named the game’s most valuable player to lead Choctaw County (13-1).
“We came out and showed everyone who we were, and just thankful to be here and make history,” Cork said. “We figured out what to do and found ways to up points, made a feel for the game, and made plays to perfection in a big game.”
Taylor, a Mississippi State signee, finished with 151 yards passing with a touchdown, while Mosley had 144 yards rushing on 16 carries with two touchdowns for the Tigers (11-3). Noxubee County has now lost their last five appearances in the 3A state title games.
“Too many missed opportunities offensively and defensively we just couldn’t get off the field in key situations,” Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young said. “You have to be great in these types of games and we made too many mistakes. We’ve got to keep chopping, get over this hump and get back to this game and that’s the only way we’re going to win it.”
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