Prep Roundup: Ridgeland runs away from Callaway

First-year Ridgeland coach David White thinks he's got a team can make some noise in the postseason, and they certainly looked the part Friday against Callaway.

The Chargers had no answer for the Titans' potent offense, which rolled to 529 yards of offense en route to a 48-30 win at home.

With the win, the Titans moved to 6-1 overall and remained tied for first place with a spotless 3-0 record in Region 2-5A.

Up next is a trip to the river for a matchup with Vicksburg (1-6, 0-3 in 2-5A), which suffered a 34-24 defeat at home against Cleveland Central for its fifth loss in a row.

The two teams couldn't be headed in more different direction, because Ridgeland is rolling.

Junior quarterback Zy McDonald lit Callaway up for 335 total yards, including 232 through the air and 103 on the ground. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more.

Senior tailback Markell Young did his part, rushing for 128 yards and one touchdown. He also caught five balls out of the backfield for 96 yards and another score.

Junior receiver Richard Mays caught the other touchdown pass.

Defensively, senior Kievon Bell came up with two interceptions. Pat Wilkerson led the Titans in tackles with nine stops, and Devin Chambers continued his splendid senior season with six tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.



Neshoba 56, Canton 34

Junior Jarquez Hunter did everything but sell popcorn at halftime as he helped lead the Neshoba Central Rockets to a 56-34 victory over Canton Thursday night in Philadelphia

Hunter rushed for 331 yards on 14 carries while scoring five touchdowns. He goes both ways for the Rockets and had seven tackles on defense.

On the third play of the Canton game, Hunter ran 53 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the Rockets led 7-0 with 10:26 left in first quarter.

Canton responded with a score of its own on a seven-yard TD pass. The extra point was blocked and the Rockets led 7-6 with 6:16 remaining in the first quarter.

Neshoba Central quickly responded when Austin Day caught a 41-yard TD pass from Eli Anderson .

Neshoba Central kicked off and Canton's Jaiden Burns returned the back 95 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-13.

Canton took a 20-14 lead late in the second quarter on a 23-yard pass completion, but it was short lived. On the first play after the kickoff, Hunter ran 66 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the Rockets led 21-20. That's how it stood at the half.

Canton took the second half kickoff and drove in for a touchdown. The score came on a 10-yard TD pass play. The kick was good and Canton led 27-21 with 7:33 left in the third quarter.

Easily recovered a fumble later in the third period. Three plays later, Hunter ran 62 yards for touchdown. The extra point was good and the Rockets led 28-27 with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Rockets. Canton scored its final points of the night when quarterback Jacobian Morgan ran in from two yards out. The kick was good and the Tigers led 34-28.

But two plays later, Hunter ran 64 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was good and the Rockets led 35-34.

The Rocket defense held Canton to four plays. Six plays after the punt, Day scored on a three-yard run. The kick was good and the Rockets led 42-34 with 5:54 remaining.

The Rockets' final two scores came on short fields following a turnover on downs and a fumble.

Canton dropped to 4-3 overall and 0-3 in the region.



Tri-County 35, Clinton Christian 0

Tri-County completed its march through district play with a 35-0 thumping of Clinton Christian on the road.

The Rebels (7-1, 3-0 in District 2-4A) held the Warriors (5-3, 1-1) to 169 yards of total offense and buried them with that potent TCA rushing attack.

With the win, Tri-County not only earned the district title, but has now assured itself as a top seed in the MAIS playoffs. The Rebels defeated their three district opponents by a combined score of 118-20.



South Panola 35,

Germantown 7

The first run through 2-6A has been rough for the Mavericks, and Thursday night's 35-7 loss to perennial state title contender South Panola was no exception.

The Mavericks (3-4, 0-3 in 2-6A) couldn't get the running game going against the fifth-ranked Tigers (7-1, 2-1 in 2-6A), and that limited what the offense could do all night.

As a team, Germantown rushed 26 times for 46 yards. Junior quarterback Colton Gardner completed 13 of his 30 passes for 108 yards and one interception.

The Mavs' lone touchdown came on junior John Lewis' fumble return, which was a rare highlight on a night that South Panola dominated.

Germantown punter Dylan Wasson had another big game, averaging 45.7 yards on seven punts, including one 65-yarder. He pinned the Tigers inside their own 20-yard line four times.

That forced South Panola to drive the field over and over, which they did, over and over.

The Mavs have four more shots at picking up that elusive first win in 2-6A, starting with this week's home game against Clinton (3-4, 1-2 in 2-6A).

The Arrows defeated Murrah 30-0 last week.



Velma Jackson 35,

St. Andrew's 0

Velma Jackson may have taken on the chin a few times in non-region play, but the Falcons have turned it on the past couple of weeks.

The latest team to fall victim to the Falcons' resurgence is St. Andrew's, which got blown away 35-0 Thursday night.

Velma Jackson (4-3, 2-0 in Region 6-3A) controlled the game from start to finish.

Senior quarterback Diallo Thompson threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and the Falcon offensive line paved the way for eight different runners to amass 253 yards on the ground. Kinte Murry led the way with 77 yards and a touchdown, but sophomore Terrance Mack and junior Davontez Lynn both scored as well.

Jordan Harvey and Cortez Simpson both caught touchdown passes from Thompson.

St. Andrew's fans hoping their team had picked up some momentum with the win over McLaurin two weeks ago were sorely disappointed.

The Saints (2-6, 1-1 in 6-3A) managed just 158 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Trey Hebert completed 12 of his 22 passes for 116 yards with two interceptions, and senior tailback Lleyton Carr averaged just 2.5 yards on 17 carries.

The win kept Velma undefeated through two games in region play. With Yazoo County's 31-14 win over Raleigh, they moved into sole possession of first place.

The Falcons face another big test this week against Crystal Springs (6-1, 1-1 in 6-3A). St. Andrew's will hit the road to face Yazoo County (6-2, 1-1 in 6-3A).



Pisgah 33, St. Joe 7

In a game that was every bit as ugly as it sounds, St. Joe fell to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in Region 4-2A with a 33-7 loss to Pisgah.

The Dragons (7-1, 1-0 in 4-2A) threw only two passes and ran the ball 48 times for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Dillon Usry and sophomore Kyshaun Gates did most of the damage, rushing for 103 and 102 yards respectively, with one touchdown apiece.

Logan Moore caught a 30-yard touchdown pass.

St. Joe returns to action this week against Pelahatchie (6-2, 2-0 in 4-2A), which just beat South Delta 63-34..



Jackson Prep 56,

Washington 21

Prep rolled again behind junior running back Matt Jones and that potent Patriot rushing attack, beating the breaks off of Washington 56-21 in Greenville.

The Patriots (7-1, 2-0 in District 1-6A) rattled off their seventh win in a row in convincing fashion, with all eight of their touchdowns coming in the first three quarters.

Jones went for 125 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and caught one 15-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Riley Maddox, who chipped in 46 yards on the ground with one TD and returned an interception 38 yards for another score on defense.

Senior J.T. Mardis and junior Braedon Mabry scored the other touchdowns for Jackson Prep.

The win set the Patriots up for a huge showdown this week against MRA.



Jackson Academy 41, East Rankin 12

After a disappointing loss to Prep two weeks ago, Jackson Academy stepped out of district play and returned to form with a 41-12 home win over East Rankin Academy.

The Raiders (4-4, 1-2 in 1-6A) got a splendid performance out of its offensive line, which paved the way for 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Sophomore Marcus Harris made the most of his nine carries, racking up 126 yards and three scores. Dillan Wade carried it 11 times for 55 yards and another score.

Junior quarterback Andrew Holmes completed 6 of 8 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown, a 44-yard pass-and-catch to junior Drew Antici.

This week, the Raiders will travel to Hattiesburg to play Presbyterian Christian School (5-3, 1-1 in 1-6A).