A heartbreaking loss to Class 6A Starkville was a tough pill to swallow for Louisville but the Wildcats couldn’t let that loss come back to get them again on Friday night against Noxubee County.
Tyrone Shorter’s previous school has been a longtime rival of the Wildcats and two seasons ago handed Shorter his first loss as a Wildcat coach in his first game there. With the rivalry aspect in mind and the ultimate goals still ahead, the Wildcats had a business-like approach against the Tigers.
LHS controlled the game on both sides of the ball from the very beginning and ran away with a road win in blowout fashion, 42-6.
“They came out and they really played well. I thought my coaches did a great job putting the game plan together and I was pleased with how they responded from last week going into the game,” Shorter said of his team. “We were clicking in all three phases of the game and that’s where you want to be at this point in the season. I’m pleased with where we’re at.”
It was one of the more explosive offensive performances by a Wildcat team in quite some time as LHS put up nearly 600 yards. The rushing attack was dominant as Emory James rushed 23 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns and Jace Hudspeth had nine carries for 96 yards and two scores.
Hudspeth also was an efficient 14-of-20 passing for 229 yards and two scores. Gabriel Moore had five of those catches for 72 yards and Jaden Triplett four for 70 yards.
It was apparent from very early in the game that the Wildcats were going to be moving the ball consistently. Hudspeth threw a touchdown pass to Swahili Earby from 30 yards away just a couple of minutes into the game.
Hudspeth did it with his legs on the next drive as he raced 50 yards down the field. He then threw a 20-yard pass to Triplett that set them up deep inside the red zone. Hudspeth would finish off the drive by running it in from a yard away and it was 14-0.
With a 21-0 lead at the half, the Wildcats were in full control. Emory James would add to it in the second half with his 50-yard touchdown and Jarvis Rush touchdown reception in the fourth quarter capped off the scoring.
With a team that had a lot of new faces after its Class 4A state championship, the Wildcats continue to grow up and take a step each week. Shorter has been impressed with how they’re handling the season to this point and are off to a 4-1 start.
“The game experience is very important to get them in the fire. We knew coming in that offensively we were going to be fine because we had the most experience there, but defense we were very young. These first give non-division games helped prepare us for the challenge that we have in front of us in division,” Shorter said. “Every week I watch these young guys grow up and they’ve gotten better every week. The mistakes they were making in week one, they’re not making those. The only thing we can do as coaches is continue to coach them up and get them better.”
It was a very successful first part of the schedule for the Wildcats. LHS’ only blemish on the record to this point is to a top 10 team in the state and 6A foe in Starkville by five points and they’ve handled the rest of their schedule.
Now, the Wildcats put the Class 4A, Region 4 title on the line. First up on the docket is a Northeast Lauderdale team on the road that is off to a 1-5 start, but the Trojans have been competitive most of the year.
“My message to our guys is not to let this be a trap game. They’re big and they’re in just about every ball game they just can’t finish them. We can’t afford for this to be a let down game so it’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Shorter said. “They’re old school. They can run the football and they’re going to have a full back. They remind of what it was like when I was in high school. We’ve got our work cut out right there.”
