Offensive, defense, special teams – they all played a role in Winona’s 27-12 victory over Magee in the second round of the 3A playoffs.
The unbeaten Tigers (13-0) will be on the road Friday for a quarterfinals game with Seminary.
“Offensively, we did what we wanted to do in the second half,” Coach Joey Tompkins told his players after the game. “Defensively, we did what we were supposed to do pretty much the entire night. Special teams did a really good job.”
The biggest play came on special teams. Ahmad Robinson fielded the second half kickoff at the Tiger 15, bounced off one tackler, then cut to the left sideline. A defender seemed to have an angle on Robinson, but he used his speed to get past, barely staying in bounds, and raced into the end zone to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead.
Robinson wasn’t sure if he would be able to stay in bounds. “I had to make a move, and I did.”
It was Robinson’s first kickoff return for a TD and the team’s first for the season.
“We work on that less than anything else,” Tompkins said. “I have always heard that if you’re good at kickoff returns it’s probably because you’re getting beat pretty bad. They kicked it to one of our fastest guys, and he did a good job.”
The defense came up with a big stop early in the game. Magee was inside the Tiger 10 in the first quarter, but had to settle for a field goal attempt that sailed wide.
“That was huge,” Tompkins said.
Magee entered the game averaging 345 yards and had averaged 45 points in winning its previous five games. Winona held the Trojans to 144 yards.
“We kind of had a key on what they were doing from watching film,” Tompkins said.
The defense did an excellent job of neutralizing Magee’s two major offensive threats, quarterback Javo Thurman and running back Ross McInnis. Thurman was averaging 197 yards through the air, but was held to nine completions for 71 yards. McInnis, averaging 105 yards on the ground, carried 21 times for 45 yards. For both, it was the least productive game of the season, Winona put together a 67-yard scoring drive in the second quarter on six plays, all runs, scoring on a 6-yard run by Jay Lofton for a 7-0 halftime lead.
After Robinson’s kickoff return, Magee scored on a 6-yard run by McInnis in the third period. The touchdown was set up when the ball was hiked over the head of Winona quarterback An’darius Coffey and Magee recovered at the Tiger 29.
The teams traded fourth quarter touchdowns – an 8-yard run by Lofton and a 3-yard run by McInnis – before Winona put the game away with a 60-yard drive that culminated in another 6-yard TD run by Lofton with four and a half minutes remaining for the final 15-point margin.
Magee’s final possession ended with an interception by Davandre Bays, his seventh of the season.
The Tigers finished with 308 yards of offense, with 279 coming on the ground. Coffey had 16 carries for 86 yards, Blake Cooper 11 for 86, Lofton 12 for 82 and Jalen Campbell four for 25. Coffey completed six passes for 29 yards, including two receptions each for Robinson and Lofton.
Much of the Tigers’ offense came in the fourth quarter. “We have a habit of doing that, playing well in the fourth quarter,” Tompkins said. “We didn’t play as well offensively as we have been playing. A lot of that had to do with the field conditions,” Rain during the week left the field wet and muddy in areas.
Campbell led the defense with nine tackles, two for losses. Dorian Curry had eight tackles, his season high, one behind the line, from his linebacker spot. “We expect a lot out of him every game,” Tompkins said.
Winona used a quick kick by Garrett Ables in the second quarter to pin the Trojans at the 12. “They had a dangerous return man. Anytime you can punt the ball without having a returner back there, that’s pretty big,” Tompkins said.
Magee finishes 9-4. The Trojans were second in Region 6-3A and defeated Hazlehurst 50-24 in the opening round.
Seminary will pose a strong challenge for Winona. “They play so hard offensively and defensively. They’re good at pretty much everything,” Tompkins said. “It’s going to be a tall task, The Bulldogs are 11-3, including 5-0 in Region 8-3A. In the playoffs, Seminary has defeated Southeast Lauderdale 53-27 and Raleigh 22-6 after trailing 6-0 at the half. The one common opponent is Southeast Lauderdale, beaten 42-12 by Winona.
The Bulldogs’ best player is Nathan Pickering, a 6-4, 295-pound defensive end who has committed to Mississippi State. He is a 4-star recruit rated by 247 Sports as the third best recruit in the state and 57th nationally, The winner will play defending 3A champion Jefferson Davis County or Columbia in the South State final.
The 3A championship game will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30 at the University of Southern Mississippi.
