Winona High School head coach Joey Tompkins found out several things about his team in last Friday’s jamboree against Senatobia High School, and one being that the Tigers have a chance to be a good team when it all comes together.
“We had three turnovers in two quarters, and we had one touchdown called back because of a penalty,” said Tompkins, who is in his eighth year at Winona. “The biggest plus was that we got in some game reps and game experience. We didn’t play our projected starting quarterback and running back, and our nose guard and one of our starting receivers didn’t play.
“I thought the defense played well. We gave up a 98-yard touchdown, and they scored when our two safeties ran into each other and their receiver caught the ball and scored. The things we saw are fixable. We’ve got a couple of positions that need to be shored up. We will put the best folks out there.”
The Tigers officially open their 2021 season Friday night at home against Choctaw County, which dropped down in classification from Class 3A to 2A. Winona and the Chargers have played six times during Tompkins’ tenure as the Tigers hold a 4-2 lead. They didn’t play last year’s game because of the pandemic.
“Our kids get ready for Choctaw because they know they are a quality opponent,” said Tompkins. “We’ve beat them the last two years, but they beat us in 2017 to make us 1-3. That was the year we made it to the state championship game.
”They have a good bit returning from last year. They have a big running back in Antonio Kennedy, one tall receiver and an aggressive defense. We’ve got our hands full. We need to execute better on offense. I don’t put much stock in practice games like last week. But, it did help show us things we need to work on to prepare for Choctaw County.”
The Tigers return their leading rusher from last season in Deriaun Townsend. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound senior rushed for 1,593 yards and 23 touchdowns on 212 carries as a junior. Townsend was at J.Z. George during his sophomore campaign. He gained 1,378 yards and scored 10 times on 168 carries.
“We want to try and get Deriaun at least 20 touches a game,” said Tompkins. “He is still nursing an ankle injury from last season, but he doesn’t let the injury stop him. He’s a good kid and good senior leader on this team.”
Senior Jekeyvion Burnley is expected to get the nod at quarterback. Last season, he was 51-of-71 for 604 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions. Sophomore Chase Richardson is the backup at quarterback. He will also play in the slot and at safety on defense.
Game time is 7 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
