Head Coach Dillon Mitchell said early on that he wanted his team to be tested, and so far, it’s remained true. The Chargers have had test of physicality, speed and agility early on in their schedule. And Winona was no different. If you ask many who attended, the game Friday could be a foreshadowing of the North Half – with a better outcome for the Chargers of course.
Either way, Friday won’t be the last meeting of the two.
After a game filled with penalties on both sides and a little chippiness, the Chargers fought until the end against Winona Tigers but came up just short. The Tigers defeated the Chargers by a touchdown, 42-35, in a game that came down to the wire.
“I was proud of our kids. Two really good teams played Friday night, it was a great test for our program and now we’ve got one more tune up game before division,” Mitchell said.
The Chargers struck first out the gate with a really strong drive, pushing Winona’s defense up the field. Winona attempted to put Choctaw County in trouble – and they put themselves in a little trouble with penalities -- putting the Chargers on a 3rd and 2 at the 18 yard line. But, quarterback KJ Cork found Zabaius Miller for the touchdown, putting the Chargers on the board. However, a bad hold on the PAT attempt by Jae’Din Thames was no good.
But, it wasn’t long before Winona returned fire and with 8:34 in the first quarter of the game, Winona went by one and made it 7-6.
Another Charger drive, again hit with a false start penality, the Chargers were able to score on a first and goal drive and a Cork to Jeramiah Miller connection. The Chargers then went for the two-point conversion making the score 7-14.
And again, Winona answered and went up 14-14. A Chargers fumble, gave Winona a little room as they were able to capitalize it as they went up 21-14.
The Chargers attempted to a drive but couldn’t convert on 4th and 11 and turned the ball back over the Tigers.
The Tigers capitalized again, making the 28-14. But, before the Chargers got out of the half, they were able to sew up the score by a touchdown, making it 28-21.
Into the third quarter, the Tigers were able to put a little more distance making it 35-21. With the 35-point range met, the clock began to run.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth battle between the two, getting it with a touchdown and within the Chargers reach to either tie the game up or go for two.
As the clock ticked down, on a hail mary at the last few seconds of the game, the Chargers went for it. But Cork’s pass was intercepted by Winona to end the game.
Defensively, the Chargers gave Winona trouble as they’ve done all season to their opponents, but Winona was able to find a hole. “I thought our kids played hard. We’ve got to do a better job at controlling our emotions in big games, but that will come with experience. We’ve also got to continue to tackle better in space. They are a very good offense and make you defend everything,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he thought the Chargers had gotten better by not making as many penalties, but there’s still room for improvement.
“I thought we were better with that for the most part, still haven’t played a complete game offensively, but I’m pleased with where we are.”
This week’s game
This week the Chargers step into the land of fairytales as the new 2023 Homecoming Queen will be crowned “Happily Ever After.” But, before the queen can take her throne, the Chargers have to handle business against a tough, fast and chippy Yazoo County. Currently, the Panthers are 3-1 with a loss to Velma Jackson.
“We have to take it a day at a time. We’re our own biggest enemy and once we understand that, and stop doing things to hurt ourselves, we will be fine,” Mitchell said. “Yazoo County is a quality opponent that can give us a lot of problems. We’ve got to play very well if we want a win Friday.”
