MACON — It was a state championship game for the books, but a game that Noxubee County football would rather forget.
Just a few mistakes, namely several costly turnovers, made the difference in a 55-52 shootout loss against Raleigh in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A championship game in Hattiesburg last season.
Beginning in the preseason, the Tigers’ mindset was to finish the job by any means possible.
On Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Noxubee will be 48 minutes away from doing so.
“This is what we strive for every year, to put ourselves in a position to play for a state championship,” head coach Teddy Young said. “To be able to play for a fourth state championship since I’ve been coaching, it’s a very exciting time.”
Noxubee County (10-4) had some weapons last season, highlighted by the likes of Martavius Wicks, Kamario Taylor, Anthony Little Jr. and Dequadrion Welch, among others.
All but one of the players mentioned above returned this season, especially Taylor, who came into 2023 bigger, stronger and faster than ever before.
His body transformation in the offseason turned him into one of the best quarterbacks in Mississippi and garnered the interest of numerous Division I programs, including Mississippi State, where the junior verbally committed earlier this season.
Taylor’s leadership and success has trickled down through the rest of the team, through players like Welch and Wicks, two incredibly important offensive pieces for the Tigers and two senior leaders.
Welch, a Division I prospect himself, has solidified himself as an elite wideout within the Magnolia State, forming a 1-2 punch with Taylor that only a select few have been able to match.
“These kids, they just kept believing in what we were saying about that championship mindset,” Young said. “We’ve had a great group of seniors leading the way. This team has continued to improve the entire year.”
While the offense has shined, the defense, one that’s gone under-the-radar, has propelled Noxubee County to its fourth state championship game appearance in five years.
When it was needed most, the Tigers’ defense came up big, most notably in their quarterfinal matchup against Jefferson Davis County, making key stops in the fourth quarter to force several turnovers on downs, securing a 29-22 win.
The combination of a stout defense and explosive offense now sees Noxubee County within striking distance of a sixth state title in program history, the first since 2017.
However, in the Tigers’ way stands a team that denied them a title two years ago: Winona.
Noxubee was dismantled in the second round of the 3A playoffs by Winona, 36-8, as their record against a fellow Tigers program fell to 2-2 overall.
Winona is itself a team of destiny, coming into Saturday’s state championship game a perfect 14-0 without a state title to its name, but after how last season’s end felt, Noxubee’s expectation is simple: state champions.
“They’re very motivated to finish the job this season,” Young said. “This senior class has been involved in two state championship games that we lost. A lot of them played in the state championship game last season as juniors. That’s all they’ve been thinking about. … We’re happy to be here, but we know the job is not done.”
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