Winona High School head coach Joey Tompkins has discovered if there is enough time on the clock and his team is down, they usually find a way to win a game.
Last Friday night at Tiger Stadium, they did just that as sophomore quarterback Landon Crawford scored from eight yards out in the fourth period with just under a minute to play. Hammond Austin booted the extra point to give the Tigers a 24-20 victory over Kosciusko High School.
The defending Class 3A state champions improved to 2-1 on the season and head to Ackerman to face the Choctaw County Chargers at 7 p.m. Friday. The Tigers lead the all-time series 7-3 against Choctaw and have won the last five meetings.
“We didn’t play well last week, and we are facing the best 3A team in the state this week,” said Tompkins. “Choctaw has the most explosive player in the state at wide receiver (Caleb Cunningham, an Alabama commit), and the quarterback is a three-year starter. Their offensive and defensive lines are really good.
“We will have to play really well to be able to compete with them. It’s a rivalry game. We know them, and they know us. They gave us a good game last year a (42-35 Winona win). They do a good job running the ball, and of course, they like to get the ball to Cunningham.”
Choctaw County is 2-1 after opening the season with a 22-21 loss to Parklane Academy. They rebounded with a 45-20 victory over New Hope and knocked off Ripley High School 29-3 last week.
In last Friday’s game, the Tigers raced out to a 17-0 lead only to have the Whippets battle back and take a 20-17 lead with three minutes to go in the contest. That’s when Winona received the kickoff and was able to march down the field and punch the ball in the end zone.
“We were up 17-0 and gave up a touchdown late in the first half,” said Tompkins. “They got the ball to start the third, and we were able to force a punt. They had a bad snap and we got the ball at their 30, but we weren’t able to score. They got the ball and had to punt again. There was a series of punts by both teams, and they got the ball in the fourth after we failed to convert on a fourth-down play. That’s when they drove 70 yards to score and take the lead. We had to go 80 or so yards to score.
“We did not execute well on offense or on punt returns. Those two phases of the game will need to improve by Friday night. We found a way to win last week, which is something this team has shown it has the ability to do over the years. I don’t think the game should have been close because we were the better team, but we didn’t play like it,” Tompkins added.
“We are fixing to play a string of three teams who will embarrass us if we don’t play well. We have to get better. I don’t feel like we have developed an identity on offense. Hopefully, we get it all fixed in practice this week. We really haven’t got better, though, since Week 1.”
Winona’s first score was a safety by junior Zaire Woods. Crawford then scored from 16 yards out and a 2-point run by Troylando Eden made it 10-0. In the second quarter, Zaishun Nash got in from nine yards out. Austin’s PAT made it 17-0. The Whippets scored on a 53-yard pass right before the half ended.
Kosciusko scored on another pass play in the third to trail 17-12 headed to the fourth period. They scored from a yard out and got the 2-point conversion to lead 20-17.
Winona, which outgained the Whippets 333-186, had 208 yards rushing. Nash finished with 139 yards on 25 carries, and Crawford ran 23 times for 66 yards. He was 11-of-19 for 125 yards. Demarion Hudson had six catches for 45 yards, and Nash had one catch for 43 yards. Eden had two grabs for 26 yards.
Tommarion Brown led the defense with eight solo stops and nine assists. A’jerrian Garrett had two solos and eight assists, and Tyler Lockhart had four solos and four assists. Miles Bailey had two solos and seven assists, and Tez Davis had one solo and eight assists. Woods finished with a solo tackle and five assists.
