It was another big night in Mississippi prep football Friday night. Oxford got a taste of how difficult the road can be in 6A, losing to South Panola 14-0. Biloxi knocked off Harrison Central 21-7, and Brookhaven beat Laurel in a thriller.
You can see all state scores below, but here is a rundown on that Brookhaven/Laurel thriller, thanks to the Daily Leader.
Big play, after big play, after big play. The Region 3-5A heavyweight showdown between Laurel (3-3) and Brookhaven (5-1) lived up to all the hype Friday night on King Field. The Panthers jumped to a big halftime lead and then held off a Golden Tornado charge in the second half to complete a 42-35 victory.
The fans in the packed home bleachers were on their feet as the halftime horn sounded and the Panthers took a 28-7 lead into the break. The Panthers grabbed that advantage with a litany of dynamic scores. The first Panther touchdown, a 3-yard Damarrell Leggett run, was set up by a 74-yard interception return by Jaleel Mitchel. Leggett scored again the next time he touched the ball, this time on a 71-yard run that put Brookhaven up 14-7. Sophomore running back Jaquarius Edwards would put Brookhaven ahead 21-7 with 5:28 remaining in the first half when he rumbled through the Golden Tornado defensive line for a 21-yard touchdown run.
As good as things were in the first half for Brookhaven, they were just as bad for the Panthers in the second half. Laurel, the defending 5A South State champions, rode the strong legs of junior running back Zias Perryman to get back into the game. Perryman scored three rushing touchdowns in the second half, including a 68-yarder and a 3-yard run that tied the game at 35 with 11:56 remaining in the game.
The game was won with a drive and a defensive stand by Brookhaven in the fourth quarter. The game-winning drive by the Brookhaven offense saw the Panthers use a jumbo-package to convert a huge 4th-and-2 at midfield. Quinn would cap the drive with a 10-yard scoring pass to Hilbert with 4:42 remaining in the game. Panther kicker Tyler Mixon would finish a perfect 6-of-6 on PAT kicks. Laurel would then move their final possession down to inside the Panther 10-yard line, but on 4th-and-goal from the 8-yard line the Panther defense would stop a reverse by Laurel and seal their victory.
“I’m proud of our defense for standing tall inside the 10-yard line on their last drive,” said Clopton. “I’m proud of all of our guys, this was a team win.”
The win was the first for Brookhaven over the Golden Tornados since moving into a region with Laurel in 2013.
Mississippi PREP FOOTBALL Scores 9/29/2017
Aberdeen 50, Nettleton 7
Adams Christian 20, Silliman, La. 0
Alcorn Central 38, Mantachie 12
Amite County 34, West Lincoln 26
Amite School 36, Sylva-Bay Aca. 7
Baldwyn 7, Strayhorn 6
Bayou Aca. 42, Winona Christian 14
Biloxi 21, Harrison Central 7
Brookhaven 42, Laurel 35
Canton Aca. 42, Winston Aca. 39
Carroll Aca. 51, Strider Aca. 0
Central Hinds Aca. 45, Cathedral 10
Central Holmes 44, DeSoto, Ark. 13
Centreville Aca. 57, Brookhaven Aca. 35
Charleston 40, Amanda Elzy 8
Choctaw County 13, Houston 12
Christian Collegiate 36, Franklin Academy 16
Clarksdale 40, Yazoo City 6
Cleveland 45, Ridgeland 21
Clinton 43, Provine 6
Clinton Christian Academy 36, Hillcrest Christian 8
Collins 19, Heidelberg 16
Columbia 47, Wesson 27
Corinth 34, Byhalia 15
Crystal Springs 28, Raleigh 27
D’Iberville 42, Ocean Springs 35
Deer Creek School 52, Benton Academy 14
East Central 56, Moss Point 12
East Union 49, Bruce 30
Enterprise Clarke 46, Clarkdale 24
Eupora 39, East Webster 16
Falkner 20, Benton County 18
Florence 52, Richland 25
Forest 56, Choctaw Central 0
French Camp 38, West Lowndes 16
Glenbrook, La. 29, Union Aca. 20
Greenwood 38, Gentry 0
Grenada 32, Lake Cormorant 15
Gulfport 25, Pascagoula 6
Hamilton 42, Ethel 0
Hancock 49, St. Martin 24
Harding Academy, Tenn. 40, Northpoint Christian 17
Hartfield Academy 27, Copiah Aca. 17
Hattiesburg 62, Stone 27
Heritage Aca. 37, Leake Aca. 6
Holmes County Central 22, Canton 19
Horn Lake 43, DeSoto Central 14
Humphreys Aca. 54, Calhoun Aca. 14
Indianola Aca. 42, Washington School 7
Itawamba AHS 41, Amory 24
J.F. Kennedy 36, Coffeeville 12
Jackson Prep 37, Jackson Aca. 7
Jefferson Davis County 43, Tylertown 14
Kemper Aca. 42, Unity Christian 24
Kossuth 36, Booneville 7
Lafayette 45, Saltillo 14
Lake 34, Union 0
Lamar School 47, East Rankin Aca. 14
Lanier 27, Raymond 12
LeFlore 56, Winona 42
Lee Academy-Clarksdale 25, Macon Road Baptist, Tenn. 13
Long Beach 48, Gautier 28
Louisville 48, New Hope 7
Loyd Star 42, Bogue Chitto 20
Lumberton 38, East Marion 34
Manchester Aca. 35, St. Aloysius 7
Marshall Aca. 35, Magnolia Heights 0
McAdams 42, Durant 0
Mendenhall 40, Newton County 7
Mize 38, Enterprise Lincoln 8
Morton 21, Kemper County 20
Mount Olive 40, Salem 16
Nanih Waiya 56, Leake County 14
North Delta 28, Kirk Aca. 26
North Forrest 42, St. Patrick 7
North Panola 60, Independence 9
North Pike 28, Wingfield 12
North Pontotoc 29, Belmont 7
Northeast Lauderdale 39, Northeast Jones 36
Noxapater 32, Sebastopol 6
Oak Hill Aca. 55, Columbus Christian 0
Okolona 33, Smithville 20
Olive Branch 34, Lewisburg 7
Palmer 20, Coahoma AHS 0
Parklane Aca. 47, Madison-Ridgeland Aca. 28
Pass Christian 34, Bay 28
Pearl 34, Meridian 12
Perry Central 63, Richton 6
Petal 41, Oak Grove 37
Philadelphia 59, Southeast Lauderdale 23
Picayune 56, West Harrison 14
Pickens Academy, Ala. 20, Newton Co. Aca. 6
Pisgah 49, Puckett 20
Pontotoc 48, Mooreville 0
Poplarville 54, Greene County 36
Port Gibson 20, Jefferson County 16
Porter’s Chapel Aca. 13, Claiborne, La. 9
Prairie View, La. 22, Trinity Episcopal 20
Prentiss Christian 45, Rebul Aca. 0
Presbyterian Christian 42, Oak Forest, La. 28
Purvis 35, Sumrall 28
Ray Brooks 70, Montgomery County 0
Ripley 40, Tishomingo County 14
Riverfield, La. 38, Park Place Christian Academy 21
Scott Central 35, Newton 12
Senatobia 33, New Albany 0
Shannon 64, Caledonia 6
Sharkey-Issaquena Aca. 20, Delta Aca. 14
Simmons 44, Shaw 6
Simpson Aca. 32, Columbia Aca. 26
South Delta 44, Riverside 14
South Jones 52, Forest Hill 36
South Panola 14, Oxford 0
South Pike 18, McComb 14
South Pontotoc 21, Hatley 7
Southaven 13, Hernando 10
St. Andrew’s 41, McLaurin 0
St. Joseph-Greenville 44, River Oaks, La. 14
St. Joseph-Madison 45, Pelahatchie 28
St. Stanislaus 47, Vancleave 0
Starkville 38, Northwest Rankin 14
Starkville Aca. 32, Pillow Aca. 10
Stringer 45, Resurrection Catholic 39
Thrasher 28, Biggersville 26
Tri-County Aca. 49, Greenville Christian 13
Tunica Academy 42, Delta Streets 0
Tupelo 44, Columbus 0
Velma Jackson 26, Magee 3
Vicksburg 23, Neshoba Central 0
Warren Central 41, Greenville 8
Water Valley 48, Holly Springs 0
Wayne Aca. 36, Ben’s Ford, La. 26
Wayne County 28, Pearl River Central 14
Wayne County 28, Pearl River, La. 14
West Jones 46, Natchez 15
West Lauderdale 35, Quitman 13
West Marion 24, Seminary 21
West Memphis Christian, Ark. 48, Potts Camp 14
West Point 56, Center Hill 0
West Tallahatchie 28, West Bolivar 7
Wilkinson County 15, Franklin Co. 13
Yazoo County 48, Humphreys 14