MACON — Noxubee County continued its dominance against Class 3A competition into the opening round of the playoffs on Friday, taking down St. Stanislaus (the school, not the Polish priest) 42-3.
The Tigers (8-2) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, with Jaiden Taylor taking an interception to the house on the opening drive. It wasn’t long before he was scoring a touchdown on offense, catching a pass from his brother, quarterback KaMario Taylor, in the back of the endzone for Noxubee County’s fourth touchdown in the opening quarter.
“It’s amazing, for real,” Taylor said after the game. “We’ve been doing this since we were just little kids, and he ain’t but a year older than me. We’re just having fun.”
By halftime, Noxubee County was in control 42-0 and the clock was running.
The Taylor brothers were already dancing with their teammates in the second half, but the party was going non-stop in the stands and in the tailgate outside the fence. The public address announcer had to ask the tailgate DJ to turn his music off at one point, and Tigers head coach Teddy Young went over to repeat the request at the first quarter break.
The DJ listened to Young.
“I had to tell them to turn it off until halftime,” he said with a laugh. “They were having a good time, it was a good environment. It’s great that they come out and it’s a great atmosphere for the kids to play off of. They enjoy it and to have the support is great, it’s good to be home.”
There was reason to celebrate. The Tigers rolled to their seventh consecutive win and scored at least 40 points for a fourth consecutive game. After losing two of their opening three games to start the season, the Tigers are a force to be reckoned with and aiming to ride it all the way to Hattiesburg in December.
“Our goal was to get better every week and we’re really playing some good football,” Young said. “The guys grew up a lot over the season, led by KaMario and the offensive line. They’re making the plays we need them to make.”
Another cause for celebration was KaMario Taylor’s recognition as Mr. Football for Mississippi Class 3A.
“It feels great, but it’s like I told my teammates,” he said. “I couldn’t get this far without them.”
The quarterback has a remarkable 39 total touchdowns after his performance on Friday, but he’s had plenty of those in his career as well as individual accolades. What he really wants is a ring, for himself and his teammates who have come so close in each of the last two seasons.
“The mentality is kill or be killed,” Taylor said. “It’s my last ride, I approached it differently this year, me and my fellow seniors. We turned it up a notch and we’re coming for it.”
The Tigers will play Jefferson Davis County next week, a team they beat 29-22 in the third round of last year’s playoffs. Despite the comprehensive performances, the team recognizes what time of year it is. For Taylor, each win means one more week with his team, and he’s embracing whatever comes with it.
“I live in the moment,” he said. “I tell my teammates it’s the present for a reason, it’s a gift. Don’t live too fast or too slow, live in the moment that God has given you and everything will fall into place. We’re trying to have fun and cherish these moments because in the blink of an eye it’ll all be over real quick.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
