HATTIESBURG — Friday afternoon was a shootout in the truest sense of the word.
One hundred and seven total points, 992 total yards of offense and about the wildest state championship game you can think of.
There had to be a winner at the end, and for Noxubee County and Raleigh, it came down to who made the final play and who made one crucial mistake.
Noxubee County, through constant offensive success, was that team after cutting the score to 47-46 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter following a 72-yard Martavius Wicks rushing touchdown.
A two-point conversion would have put the Tigers up, 48-47, heading into the fourth quarter, and having gone 5 for 5 in that department leading up to that touchdown, it seemed a near-certainty.
That certainty turned unfortunate as Noxubee County failed to convert, putting Raleigh in the driver’s seat. All the Lions (14-1) needed to do was hang on, and behind an incredible performance from running back Suntarine Perkins, they did, winning the MHSAA Class 3A state title, 55-52.
“We were proud of the guys,” Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young said. “They fought to the end. It was just one of those games where we didn’t make the last play.”
Noxubee County (10-5) was in control for a good chunk of Friday’s state championship game, holding a 32-31 lead into the half as quarterback KaMario Taylor showed off his arm, throwing for three touchdowns in the first half and five overall.
Taylor’s favorite target the entire season, Anthony Little Jr., caught four of those touchdown passes, leading Noxubee County receivers with seven receptions for 134 yards.
“All season, after practice, I work out every single day, catch 200 balls every single day,” Little Jr. said. “I come in, I’m locked in, I’m focused. I don’t care what the mission is. I gotta get it.”
Get it he did, but Little Jr. wasn’t the only one who had a big day on the receiving side of things as Jaylon King and Dequadrion Welch also had a receiving touchdown each for the Tigers.
The balanced, high-powered offense that came into Friday’s game averaging 36.5 points a game, put that on full display in all facets of offense: passing, receiving and rushing.
The running game wasn’t nearly as effective as the passing game for Noxubee County, but Wicks’ touchdown helped him cross over the 100-yard rushing mark in the loss, running for 112 yards.
Against a Lions defense that had given up 16.6 points per game to opponents, the Tigers left it all out on the field.
“We had some adversity throughout the season,” Young said. “The guys kept fighting, believing, got back together and we made a run at it. We just came up a little short.”
For all the offense Noxubee County was able to generate, the Tigers could do nothing to stop Perkins, who ran for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the win for the Lions. The four-star Ole Miss commit was a freight train, bulldozing over defenders and breaking off big runs the entire game.
Noxubee County missed a big opportunity to tack onto its lead late in the first half after recovering a fumble off a muffed punt, but an interception not even 10 seconds later killed momentum and kept the score at 32-31.
The shootout continued into the dying moments of the third quarter, where Noxubee County, down 47-40, pulled within a point on Wicks’ long run. But Lamar Stewart was stopped short on a go-ahead two-point try.
Raleigh kept that 47-46 lead as Perkins sealed the deal late in the fourth quarter with a key interception and a 16-yard rushing touchdown to make it a two-score game.
Taylor found Little again for his fourth receiving touchdown of the game with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
“I was just happy to see (KaMario) out there playing,” Young said. “He just came out there and played a great game. He showed the state what kind of player he can be.”
Noxubee County nearly recovered an onside kick in Raleigh territory, but the Lions beat the Tigers to the ball.
Perkins picked up a key first down on a third-and-6 play, letting Raleigh run out the clock.
For the third time in four seasons, the Tigers’ season ended with a loss in the state title game.
Raleigh 55, Noxubee County 52
Raleigh (14-1) 15 16 16 8 — 55
Noxubee County (10-5) 24 8 14 6 — 52
First quarter
R — Suntarine Perkins 74 run (Perkins kick), clock 10:55
NC — Jaylon King 53 pass from KaMario Taylor (Quanterious Harrington run), clock 9:52
R — Jay Owens 19 pass from Jacob Bowen (Hayden Bowen pass from Jacob Bowen), clock 7:33
NC — Anthony Little Jr. 36 pass from KaMario Taylor (Harrington run), clock 4:51
NC — Little 3 pass from Lamar Stewart (Little pass from Stewart), clock 2:41
Second quarter
R — Perkins 52 run (Perkins run), clock 9:23
NC — Little 34 pass from Taylor (Stewart run), clock 6:59
R — Javarious Walker 6 run (Kyvryn Moncrief run), clock 2:54
Third quarter
R — Moncrief 8 run (Perkins run), clock 9:08
NC — Dequadrion Welch 48 pass from Taylor (Stewart run), clock 6:24
R — Perkins 1 run (Perkins run), clock 1:06
NC — Martavius Wicks 72 run (run failed), clock 0:50
Fourth quarter
R — Perkins 16 run (Perkins run), clock 2:37
NC — Little 28 pass from Taylor (run failed), clock 2:03
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