A pair of local teams locked up top seeds and region championships last Friday evening, as Strayhorn scored a 47-21 victory against Potts Camp, while Magnolia Heights earned a 23-21 win at Starkville Academy.
For the Mustangs, the win over Potts Camp sealed the Region 3-1A title, marking Strayhorn’s first football region championship since the 2016 season. The Mustangs also improved to 3-6 overall and finished 2-0 in region competition.
Meanwhile, Magnolia Heights ran its winning streak to eight games, improving to 9-2 overall and 4-0 in District 1-5A of the MAIS.
Strayhorn was carried by the eye-popping performance of Noah “C.J.” Johnson, who scored a whopping six touchdowns on 312 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards. Additionally, he also had four tackles and a tackle-for-loss.
After an early touchdown from Johnson made it an 8-0 lead in the first quarter, Strayhorn would give it to him again on a direct snap from the 28-yard line. Johnson proceeded to take it to the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 10:50 left in the second quarter.
Although Potts Camp closed the gap with a touchdown of its own on the ensuing possession, Johnson took a 30-yard handoff to the house, pushing the Mustangs’ lead to 21-7 with 6:37 remaining in the first half.
Strayhorn would score one more time before the halftime break, as Johnson reached the end zone for his fourth score with 41 seconds left. The additional touchdown allowed the Mustangs to go into the locker room with a 28-7 advantage.
Potts Camp would score twice in the second half, but the Cardinals had no response for Johnson and the Mustangs, as Strayhorn closed out the regular season with the win in front of the home crowd.
Defensively, the Mustangs also got an added boost from Elton Moore, who was credited with 12 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a sack.
As for Magnolia Heights, the Chiefs trailed 3-0 entering the second quarter at Starkville Academy, where Cole Prosek got his team on the scoreboard with a 71-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Burford. Cash Jackson followed with the extra-point kick, giving MHS a 7-3 lead with 6:38 remaining.
However, the Vols responded just before the halftime break, as Miller Shy’s nine-yard score made it a 10-7 lead for Starkville Academy.
Nathan Miller got the scoring started for the Vols in the second half with a 38-yard field goal, pushing the Chiefs into a 13-7 deficit midway through the third quarter. With 1:10 left in the quarter, MHS finally answered with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Prosek to Burford, giving the Chiefs a narrow 14-13 advantage entering the fourth.
Though neither team was able to reach the end zone early in the fourth quarter, Starkville Academy hit paydirt with 4:58 left, as Luke Johnson’s 17-yard carry put the Vols back on top. A two-point conversion from Luke McKenzie was successful as well, making it a 21-14 lead for the home team.
Needing a quick response, the Chiefs marched downfield on a drive that ended with Prosek’s 28-yard completion to Trace Hartzog. However, MHS was unable to convert the two-point attempt, which left Starkville Academy ahead 21-20 with 1:04 left to go.
As MHS attempted an onside kick, the Vols recovered and chose to throw the ball on their opening play of the next possession. That proved to be a mistake, as McKenzie’s pass was intercepted, setting up a game-winning drive for the Chiefs.
With all three timeouts left to work with, Magnolia Heights marched downfield and a long 42-yard completion from Prosek to Hayden Jones put the Chiefs in field goal range. Jackson succeeded on the 20-yard field goal attempt with three seconds remaining, giving MHS the 23-21 victory.
Both Strayhorn and Magnolia Heights are off next week in preparation for the postseason. The teams will know their first-round opponents after this week’s round of regular season finales.
In other action:
Senatobia 35, Aberdeen 6
A strong first half helped Senatobia cruise to a 35-6 non-region victory against Aberdeen last Friday night at Varner Field.
Senatobia led 21-6 at the halftime break and the Warriors’ defense shut out the Bulldogs over the next two quarters.
Julien Tabor scored two of Senatobia’s first three touchdowns, as the Warriors earned a 21-0 lead. Although Aberdeen scored right before the end of the first half, Tabor added another score in the third quarter, making it a 27-6 lead for SHS.
With the win, Senatobia improved to 7-3 on the season, as Aberdeen dropped to 2-7 overall. At 2-1 in Region 2-4A, the Warriors will face North Pontotoc on Halloween night at 7 P.M. The Vikings (3-1, 1-2 Region 2-4A) are coming off last Friday’s 46-12 victory against Byhalia
