Winona Christian football coach Junior Graham coached Dicenzo Miller at Weir and saw the former Mississippi State running back have some impressive performances.
Graham said Blake Cooper’s game against Oak Hill on Friday night reminded him a lot of Miller.
Cooper had a career night as he rushed for 278 yards on 12 carries and scored six touchdowns in a 61-30 win over the Raiders.
The Stars finish the regular season with an 8-2 record and will host Amite School on Friday night in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.
“It’s the first time since I have been here that we met every offensive goal on our board,” Graham said. “I told our coaches that Blake’s performance was a ‘Dicenzo Miller’ kind of night. And he did it against an eight-man box. We executed up front but the difference is when Blake got to the second level, he just outran them.”
The scoring was fast and furious to begin the game as the two teams traded scores for the first quarter and a half. Winona opened up the scoring as Cooper scored on a 76-yard run. Steele Mims booted the PAT and Winona led 7-0.
Oak Hill answered with a 25-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 and Cooper found the end zone again on the ensuing possession with a 45-yard touchdown run. Mims’ PAT was good and WCS led 14-7.
It didn’t take Oak Hill long to answer as they struck on a 63-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14-14.
The Stars struck right back as Cooper scored on a 45-yard run and Mims hit the PAT to give Winona a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Oak Hill then scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass and converted the two-point to take a 22-21 lead early in the second quarter.
“Honestly, I was pleased with our defense,” Graham said. “We knew going over there that we weren’t going to shut them out. They have had their quarterback for three games and he has thrown for over 1,000 yards in those three games. He’s a dang good player. But once we got the momentum and got clicking on defense, we were able to get some pressure on them. I thought Coach [Shannon] Self did a good job of adjusting on the sideline to what they were doing.”
The Stars took the lead for good as Cooper scored on a 27-yard run. The try for two failed and Winona led 27-22.
The Stars then got an interception from Lane Beckwith and Cooper followed with a 26-yard touchdown run. The PAT failed and Winona led 33-22.
The Stars got another stop and added two more touchdowns in the first half as John White hit Dalton Wiggins on a 22-yard touchdown pass to make the score 40-22.
Winona added one more first-half score as Cooper scored on a 12-yard run and Mims hit the PAT and the Stars led 47-22 at the half.
“I think everything changed on defense when we went small in the defensive box,” Graham said. “We put Steele Mims, Jacob Mann and Austin Winters in and they really frustrated the quarterback by putting a lot of pressure on him. Steele isn’t big but he is a strong kid and quick and tough, all the things you look for in a defensive lineman. His perseverance really paid off for us.”
The Stars got the ball to start the second half and got a 15-yard touchdown run from White. Mims hit the PAT and Winona led 54-22. On the ensuing possession, the Stars got a 55-yard interception return from Wiggins to lead 61-22 to start the clock running in the second half.
Oak Hill added an 8-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for its final score.
On the night, the Stars had 557 yards of total offense with 372 yards rushing. John White was 9-of-14 passing for 185 yards. Cooper had 278 yards rushing and six TDs on 12 carries. Wiggins had 107 yards receiving on six catches while Scott Walters had 76 yards receiving on two catches.
On defense, Hayden Self led the Stars with seven tackles while Bradley Pinkard had six tackles. Wiggins and Beckwith each had interceptions for the Stars.
The Stars are the No. 6 overall seed in the Class 3A playoffs and will host Amite School on Friday.
Amite is 3-7 overall. They have two on-the-field wins with a 38-6 win over Hillcrest and a 19-6 win over Newton. They have losses to Brookhaven (57-0), Bowling Green (50-0), Centreville (38-22), Glenbrook (56-18), Parklane (44-0), Cathedral (48-0) and Sylva Bay (33-0).
“They are an option team and the first one we have faced this season,” Graham said. “They run the speed option and option under center. Any time you play an option team, you have to be disciplined on defense. They blitz a good bit on defense so we have to be prepared for that as well.”
