OXFORD — Timorrius Conner knew from the first possession it was going to be his night.
For his sake, though, please forget his run that went for a 7-yard loss on the first play.
According to Conner, he was dropped for the loss going to his right due to a miscommunication on the offensive line.
As it turned out, the St. Stanislaus High School football team’s best hope Saturday was for Noxubee County’s signals to get crossed up so it would stop itself. Thanks to Conner, the Tigers instead delivered one of their best offensive showings of the season.
Conner was 18 of 26 for 365 yards and four touchdowns to lead Noxubee County to a 44-23 victory against St. Stanislaus in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A State title game at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The victory helped Noxubee County (12-4) finish the season on a 10-game winning streak and enabled the program to win its first back-to-back state titles, and its fourth championship in school history.
“I knew they were going to try to respect our passing game like we were going to try to respect theirs,” Conner said. “I just had to pick them apart and make good reads and make big plays.”
The Tigers made history thanks to a dominating defensive effort and an offense that outgained St. Stanislaus 479-221. That total was even more than last season, when the Tigers had 451 yards to the Rock-a-Chaws’ 282 in a 48-27 victory at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium.
Conner was one of the standouts in 2014, too, throwing for 340 yards and four scores. His effort Saturday marked the second-consecutive year he outperformed Myles Brennan, who entered the game with more than 4,900 yards and 51 touchdown passes.
“Our offense felt like they were disrespected,” Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said. “Leading up to this ballgame, no one talked about our offense. Everything was about St. Stanislaus’ offense and what they did through the course of the season, but Timorrius Conner has been having these type of games all his career. We knew we had an advantage coming in offensively.”
Shorter said as much leading up to the game. In fact, he provided what could have been bulletin board material by saying the Tigers didn’t think the Rock-a-Chaws would be able to stop their offense.
Noxubee County’s defense did its part by sacking Brennan seven times, making 10 tackles for loss, breaking up six passes, and getting five quarterback hurries.
Conner was just as lethal on offense. He set the tone by going 5 of 7 for 67 yards on the first drive. Four of the passes went to senior Ladaveon Smith, who had nine catches for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Smith said the Rock-a-Chaws used a similar defensive scheme as last season that gave the Tigers’ receivers plenty of space and room to maneuver underneath. With plenty of time to throw, Conner capitalized by picking the Rock-a-Chaws apart.
“They did it again and we made them pay for it,” Smith said. “Before the championship, they really weren’t giving our offense credit like they were supposed to. They were talking about our defense all the time, like last year.
“Tank (Conner) threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns last year. It was the same thing this year. They really didn’t think we were going to do it again.”
Kymbotric Mason also got in on the aerial antics, catching five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Deveon Ball had three catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Mason was a key player on the Tigers’ second scoring drive. He snuck behind the defense on second down to catch a 54-yard touch pass from Conner that floated over the head of a defender in the middle of the field. On fourth-and-3 from the St. Stanislaus 14, Conner showcased even better touch, lofting the ball over the hand of a defender to Mason going to the left for a touchdown.
“Our receivers coach just told us to concentrate on the ball and make big plays when the time comes,” said Mason, who also went up high to snare a pass from Conner on fourth down that led to a 31-yard touchdown in the third quarter. “Coach said take the underneath routes because that’s what they were going to give us and make big plays.”
An offensive line anchored by center Bobby May also overcame what appeared to be a knee injury to Laterience Dora and gave Conner time to throw all night. The Rock-a-Chaws had one sack and no hurries.
“We took it personally that no one was acknowledging us,” May said. “We knew we were going to come out and try to better than we did last year. We kind of struggled at first, but we just calmed down and let everything come to us and played our game.”
Leading 25-7 in the third quarter, Conner had perhaps his best series of the night. Faced with a second-and-14 on the 48, Conner stood his ground but felt the pocket collapsing. Instead of scrambling, Conner went through his progressions and found Ball to the right side of the field. The check-down pass enabled Ball to skate down the skate the St. Stanislaus sideline for a 48-yard touchdown that erased the Rock-a-Chaws’ momentum from their first score.
It was a fitting ending for Conner and the seven other returning starters on offense. Coming off a 14-7 victory against Greenwood last week in which the offense had little go right for it after the first quarter, Conner made sure he and his classmates scripted an ending that was worthy of the history books.
“It was the same game plan,” Conner said. “We really didn’t change anything (from last year). Coach just told me to be patient and sit in the pocket and wait and see somebody open.
“My receivers, they can go get it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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