It was offense 14, defense 14 for Choctaw County as the Chargers clinched the Region 4-3A championship with a 28-18 victory over Noxubee County. Two touchdown runs by quarterback Tylan Carter were matched by defensive touchdowns resulting from two of the five takeaways by the Charger defense.
“There's no doubt about it. They did a fantastic job,” coach Jeff Roberts said of his defense.
Choctaw County took a quick 7-0 lead when Ques McNeal picked off a Noxubee pass and returned it 56 yards for the score. Carter's first TD made it 14-0 in the first quarter. Noxubee scored twice, but failed on a PAT attempt and a two-point try, leaving the Chargers with a 14-12 lead.
Choctaw County made it 21-12 at the half when Israel Whitmore ran 27 yards with a fumble recovery. It was the second game in a row that Whitmore had a defensive TD. He returned an interception 76 yards in a 38-0 victory over Ripley.
The Chargers' final touchdown, Carter's second, came when he capped a 13-play drive on the first possession of the second half. Noxubee County cut it to 28-18 early in the fourth quarter, but failed on another two-point try that would have made it a one possession game.
The other three turnovers were interceptions by Tyson Coleman and Tabias Merritt and a fumble recovery by Dajuan Woods.
Choctaw County managed only 195 yards of offense – 155 on the ground – but that was plenty with the way the defense played. Carter had 19 carries for 94 yards and Dicenzo Miller 16 for 60. Carter also had completions of 27 yards to Miller and 13 yards to Merritt.
Choctaw County improved to 7-3 and 3-0 in the region with a sixth straight victory. But it wasn't just another victory, it was victory over a team that reached the 4A championship game six straight years from 2012 to 2017 before dropping down to 3A this year.
The 1-3 start seems like a distant memory.
After hosting Hatley Friday to close out the regular season, Choctaw County will be at home to open the MHSAA 3A playoffs Nov. 8. The opponent will be the fourth place team from Region 3-3A, probably Ruleville Central.
Noxubee County is 5-5 and 2-1 in the region. The Tigers will have a home game to start the playoffs as the region’s Number 2 seed.
