Winona High School got off to the start it needed in Region 3-3A play with a 36-14 victory over Yazoo County High School last week.
The Tigers (3-4 overall, 1-0 in region) put the Panthers away with a 14-point outburst in the fourth quarter.
“It was a very tight game up until the fourth quarter,” said WHS coach Joey Tompkins. “Yazoo County has a talented team, and they have one very good defensive lineman. We were able to have some success late. I wouldn’t say we put it all together because we did a bunch of things good teams don’t do. We lost yardage on plays, and we didn’t convert on fourth-down plays.
“It felt good to get the win. It’s been a while for this team, so the boys were pretty excited. We have to put that behind us and be prepared for another good team this week in Humphreys County.”
The Tigers snapped a three-game skid with the win. Their last win was on Sept. 13, a 24-20 victory over Kosciusko.
Winona got a breakout game from senior running back Zaishun Nash, who ran for 200 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
“This was his best game of the season,” said Tompkins. “I could see it coming last week in practice. He was running the ball hard. We were real pleased with his effort.
“We were also happy with the way the defense played after the previous week. They bent but didn’t break. They stood their ground and held Yazoo County when they had to.”
The Tigers held Yazoo County to 272 total yards (88 rushing, 184 passing) and prevented them from scoring in the first and fourth quarters. The Panthers were also 1-of-7 on third-down conversions.
Winona got going in the first frame with a 15-yard touchdown run by Nash. Hammond Austin booted the extra point. In the second period, Yazoo County scored to pull within 7-6, but Landon Crawford found Troylando Eden for a 15-yard touchdown strike. Austin’s PAT made it 14-6 at the half.
In the third quarter, Crawford called his own number as he scored from 12 yards out, and Eden ran in for the 2-point conversion. The Panthers also scored to trail 22-14 headed to the fourth. Winona’s first TD in the period was a 90-yard interception return by Yoshawn Hudson. The second score came on an 84-yard burst by Nash. Austin kicked both extra points.
Crawford finished 9-of-15 for 81 yards passing and ran for 71 yards on 16 carries. Eden had two catches for 19 yards, and Demarion Hudson had three grabs for 16 yards.
A’jerrian Garrett led the defense with four solo stops and 11 assists. Zarion Woods had three solos and 11 assists, and Tyler Lockhart had four solos and three assists. Tommarion Brown finished with two solos and five assists, and Hudson had three solos, three assists, an interception and a fumble recovery.
This week’s game
The Tigers are on the road Friday as they visit the Cowboys in a key Region 3 contest.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Belzoni.
“They are a very good and talented team,” Tompkins said. “They do something you don’t see very often. They switch quarterbacks on almost every play, and they run from the wing-T and the power-I formations. A lot of it is old school compared to what’s being run nowadays. They are also very fast on defense. They fly to the football.
“They have won every game they’ve played this season running their system. We are going to their place, so it’s not going to be an easy task. We will need to bring our A game to pull this one out. We’re not the same team we were the last few years. We’re not as explosive on offense. We need to move the chains and eliminate the negative plays and penalties.”
Humphreys County is 7-0 overall and 2-0 in region play. The Cowboys beat Ruleville 16-12 last week and knocked off Yazoo County 34-28 in overtime two weeks ago.
