KOSCIUSKO – Winona has beaten 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A schools this year after the Tigers finished the regular season 11-0 with a 53-13 victory over 4A Kosciusko. The Tigers have a home game Friday with Tylertown in the opening round of the MHSAA 3A playoffs.
“We have a long way to go, but we’re doing what we have to do,” said Coach Joey Tompkins. “We’re undefeated.”
Winona ran for 501 yards against Kosciusko, led by junior quarterback An’darius Coffey with 18 carries for 288 yards and five touchdowns. He also completed seven passes for 56 yards.
Tompkins said he didn't know if Coffey’s rushing yardage is a school record. “I’m not a numbers guy,” he said.
Blake Cooper had six carries for 84 yards, Jay Lofton eight carries for 71 yards and Zaevion Ward two carries for 52 yards. As a team, the Tigers averaged 13.5 yards on 37 carries.
Cooper returned to the lineup after sitting out against Choctaw Central with an ankle sprain. “I would say he was about 80 percent,” Tompkins said. “He did a really good job. He had some good runs.”
Tylertown took a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard run by Javonte Walker, but Winona scored the next seven touchdowns. “After that first drive, we pretty much shut them down,” Tompkins said.
Coffey had TD runs of 26, 82, 5, 31 and 13 yards, all on designed runs. Jalen Campbell, the Tigers’ short yard specialist, had a two-yard scoring run, Lofton a five-yard run and Ward a 52-yard run.
“We did really well up front,” Tompkins said. He singled out right tackle Jakob Welch for praise.
Kosciusko scored the game’s final TD on a 98-yard kickoff return by Walker.
Campbell again led the defense with six solo tackles, including two sacks, giving him a team-high 89 tackles this season, 19 for losses. Tay’shaun Pointer also had six tackles. The Tiger defense forced five turnovers — interceptions by Malcolm Gholston and Adavion Hargrove and fumble recoveries by Ward, Jadarius Thomas and La’Christian Forrest.
Tompkins said the secondary played especially well, holding Kosciusko to one completion.
Coffey has more than 1,000 yards running and passing for the season. He has completed 74 of 146 passes for 1,108 yards and 12 touchdowns and has 149 carries for 1,092 yards and 15 TDs. Lofton and Cooper have almost identical rushing statistics, Lofton with 75 carries for 676 yards and 15 touchdowns, Cooper with 75 carries for 675 yards and 11 TDs. Lofton is the team leader in receptions with 31 for 502 yards and six TDs and in all-purpose yards with 1,401.
As a team, the Tigers are averaging 368 yards per game with 2,898 on the ground and 1,152 through the air. Winona defeated every opponent except Water Valley by double digits, outscoring the opposition 405-123. Winona edged Water Valley, a 9-2 team, 21-20.
Kosciusko ends the regular season 3-7, but 2-2 in 4-4A, good enough to qualify for the playoffs as the third-place team in the region. The Whippets play at Corinth Friday.
As 5-3A champion, Winona hosts Tylertown, the fourth place team from Region 8. Tylertown is 5-6, but that record is deceiving. The Chiefs’ losses were to the top three teams in a very strong Region 5 – Seminary, Columbia and defending state champion Jefferson County -- 6A schools, D’Iberville and St. Martin, and Franklinton of Louisiana. The losses to Seminary and Jefferson Davis County were both by one touchdown.
Tompkins said Tylertown is the most athletic team the Tigers have played. “If we’re not successful running the ball, they will beat up 100.”
Tylertown qualified for the playoffs with a solid 31-14 win over West Marion. The Chiefs are led by dual-threat quarterback Jashon Baker.
Looking ahead – something coaches are loathe to do – if Winona defeats Tylertown, the next opponent will be either Magee, second place in Region 6, or Hazlehurst, the third place team from Region 7. It will take four victories to reach the championship game at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Winona was state runner-up last year as a 2A school, but moved up to 3A after the consolidation with Montgomery County.
