MACON — Ball don’t lie.
The saying was true for Noxubee County in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s MHSAA Class 3A quarterfinal game against Jefferson Davis County.
What looked to be a turnover on downs for the Jaguars with just over eight minutes left to play ended up in a reversed first down following a second measurement after the refereeing crew had originally given possession to Noxubee.
The Jags got it back, but proceeded to turn the ball over on downs soon after.
Then, it was the one-two punch of Tigers quarterback Kamario Taylor and wide receiver Dequadrion Welch who turned the game on its head with a 65-yard touchdown pass that gave Noxubee a 29-22 lead, one it would keep as the Tigers advanced to the state semifinals.
“We dealt with a lot of adversity tonight,” Welch said. “I got a little sick in the morning, so I had to fight through it. Once we picked things up, it was time to play football. … [Taylor] is perfect. He’s great.”
Taylor’s perfectly thrown pass hit Welch in stride as he sprinted down the sideline for the eventual game-winning score.
But with 5:30 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars, who had been dominant on the ground the entire game, orchestrating several long touchdown drives, had plenty of time to do the same.
By that point, Noxubee (9-4) had figured out the Jags’ run game and for the first time all game, they stopped them in their tracks, forcing quarterback Eli Viniard to throw.
“Like I told them, we’re a team,” head coach Teddy Young said. “Defense made some big plays for us in the second half. Our offense, we struggled a little bit, but our defense made plays, kept on fighting, and that’s all we do. My guys, they fight until the end.”
When the team needed them most, the defense came up big time, icing the game with yet another turnover on downs with just under two minutes left.
All Taylor had to do from there was kneel it out to secure Noxubee’s fifth semifinal appearance in the last seven years.
The Taylor-to-Welch connection was good for two touchdowns on the night, and the Mississippi State commit ended up throwing for four in the win and converting a key two-point conversion on the ground to make it 29-22 late.
“Hands down, that’s the best duo in the state,” Young said. “I got the best quarterback. I got the best receiver, hands down.”
Like they have seemingly so many times, the Tigers pulled out a signature win to sit just one game away from playing for a state title.
“We’re very excited,” Welch said. “We felt like it was our point on making it to states, so this was the best game I’ve probably ever played in throughout my whole career.”
Noxubee County 29, Jefferson Davis County 22
Jefferson Davis County (10-3) 6 8 8 0 — 22
Noxubee County (9-4) 14 7 0 8 — 29
First quarter
NC — Ladareoun Mosley 10 pass from Kamario Taylor (Jayden Caravantes kick), clock 9:26
JDC — Damyrion Darby 12 run (kick failed), clock 6:06
NC — Jadquist Clark 65 pass from Taylor (Caravantes kick), clock 5:19
Second quarter
JDC — Wilbert Oatis 1 run (Darby two-point conversion), clock 1:44
NC — Dequadrion Welch 10 pass from Taylor (Caravantes kick, clock 0:34
Third quarter
JDC — Kameron Brown 8 run (Brown two-point conversion), clock 3:55
Fourth quarter
NC — Welch 65 pass from Taylor (Taylor two-point conversion), clock 8:08
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