MACON — Tyrone Shorter isn’t ready to say everything is fine in his world.

But shutouts have a way of making coaches feel a little bit better about their situations.

That is the position the Noxubee County veteran coach is in after a 30-0 shutout of Kosciusko last week in his team’s Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A-Region 4 opener. The victory ended a three-game losing streak and helped the two-time reigning Class 4A State champions restore a semblance of normalcy to their program.

Noxubee County (3-4, 1-0 region) will look to extend its region winning streak to 23 games at 7 tonight when it plays host to Leake Central (3-4, 0-1).

Senior running back Javarcus Walker rushed for more than 100 yards to earn The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week honors. Shorter said the Tigers hope to get the football to Walker more because he is “quick as a cat.” Walker backed up Shorter’s confidence by running like he wanted to score every time he touched the ball.

Shorter wants to see all of the Tigers play with that kind of urgency. He said the players showed signs of doing that against Kosciusko by playing faster. Shorter helped make that happen by simplifying the defense and taking on the play calls so his players can react and fly to the football like the great Noxubee County defenses of the past.

On offense, Shorter hopes the Tigers can continue to jell so they can realize their potential and become the team he envisions that scores 30-40 points every week.

“Everybody has to take their game up a notch,” Shorter said. “We have to watch more film than before if we are going to make this run again. I told my coaches I know we have a team to make another run. We have played a schedule that has prepared us for this run. All we have to do is get back healthy, coach our tails off, scout these teams out, find out their weaknesses, put good game plans together, and figure out a way to make this thing work with all of this talent we have.”

Shorter credited his offensive coaches for having a great game plan against Kosciusko. The Tigers pounded the ball for a season-high 422 yards on 44 carries (9.6 yards per carry). Sophomore Maliek Stallings and junior Armoni Clark combined to throw for 187 yards.

Shorter said the team still needs to correct mistakes, especially the silly ones that continue to happen, but he likes where his team is as closes in on the postseason.

Noxubee County showed it already has turned its focus to winning a third-straight state title by breaking down a huddle with “nine more” following the Kosciusko game. Shorter hopes his players will remain focused and the execution will be improved to make the season last into December.

“They played fast (on defense),” Shorter said. “I eliminated a lot of subbing for them and I made it simple. I was doing their thinking for them. They really responded and played the way I wanted them to play.

“We are heading in the right direction to make another run at it. Our running backs are running really hard, and our linemen are blocking really well. We can be balanced. Everybody is on the same page. That is what I like about it. The kids had fun Friday. It reminded me of some of the other championship runs because the kids are playing hard and having fun and enjoying each other.”

A victory tonight would secure a playoff spot for the Tigers.

Next week, Noxubee County will take on Louisville on Thursday night in Winston County.

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.