TUPELO – You can’t keep an offense with as much talent as Tupelo’s down for long.
The Golden Wave shook off a slow start and dominated the second half of a 28-10 win over Starkville in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs on Friday. Tupelo shut out the Yellow Jackets 21-0 in the second half. Tupelo quarterback Braylen Williams had three total touchdowns, while running back J.J. Hill had 177 yards on the ground.
“We played to our standard,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “Decided to take over the game, decided to make some plays on defense. Our physicality in the run game eventually took over, and we put the ball in the right guy’s hands.”
Tupelo (11-1) couldn’t find much of a rhythm on offense in the first half. The Golden Wave looked like they had some life when Williams capped off a drive with a 30-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter. However, that was all Tupelo could muster in the first half, and Starkville (6-5) took a 10-7 lead into halftime after a Torian Knox touchdown run in the second quarter.
But it all changed in the second half. Tupelo drove down the field in the third quarter, and Williams picked up his second rushing touchdown of the night on a 12-yard scramble to put Tupelo back in front.
Williams made some plays with his legs, but he delivered with his arm when Tupelo needed a big play. On third down in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, he found Hill in the end zone to give Tupelo a two-possession lead.
“I saw the corner move to the side and I knew my wheel (route) was open,” Williams said. “I just threw it up. I got hit when I threw it, I didn’t even see him catch it.”
Tupelo chewed up clock in the fourth quarter and iced the game with another touchdown to put the Golden Wave on top 28-10 with 1:19 to go.
“You give that back and quarterback and running game more and more opportunities and you don’t execute and stay on the field, eventually they’re going to get their plays, they’re going to get their runs,” Starkville head coach John Carr said. “In the second half, they were able to do that because we weren’t able to capitalize on our opportunities.”
Extra Points
Turning Point: Williams fired a touchdown pass to Hill early in the fourth quarter to give Tupelo a 21-10 lead.
Point Man: Hill ran for 177 yards on 23 carries.
Talking Point: “We settled down. We were reacting first half, second half we kind of attacked them. I think that’s what happened. We were letting them dictate us instead of us dictating them.” – Hardin, on his defense in the second half
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