A strong defensive effort and the play of Kendall Coleman led Choctaw County to a key Region 4-3A victory over Houston 24-12.
Houston came into the game averaging 230 yards on the ground. The Hilltoppers were held to 68 yards, including minus four in the second half.
“Those 11 (defenders) were making some plays,” said Choctaw County coach Jeff Roberts. “They all played light out. I'm really proud of the kids. They played hard.”
Roberts said the defense has played well all year, but it was at its best in the second half.
With offensive leader Tylan Carter nursing an ankle injury, Coleman stepped in at quarterback and led the Chargers to victory. He threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Ques McNeal and carried 15 times for 87 yards.
But his biggest play came on special teams when he returned the opening kickoff 89 yards. That gave the Chargers a quick 7-0 lead when Trace Beard converted the first of his three PATs.
“We had a sideline return on,” Roberts said. “He (Coleman) made one kid miss. We set up the blocks and he was gone.”
The Chargers made it 14-0 on a 35-yard scoring run by Antonio Kennedy. Houston scored the next two touchdowns, but failed on 2-point conversion attempts each time, leaving the Chargers with a 14-12 halftime lead.
The Choctaw County defense took over in the second half and the offense added 10 points on Coleman's TD pass to McNeal and a 37-yard field goal by Beard midway through the final period. That gave the Chargers a 12-point lead and forced Houston to abandon the running game.
“They are a heavy run team, so getting them to throw it played into our game plan,” Roberts said.
Dicenzo Miller and Kennedy alternated at tailback and both ran well as the Chargers rolled up 282 yards on the ground. Miller had 18 carries for 101 yards and Kennedy 10 for 94.
The future looks bright with Carter a junior, Miller a sophomore, and Kennedy a freshman.
Carter did get into the game for one play. “I wanted to see how he felt,” Roberts said. “He threw one pass to Preston Payne for a 15-yard gain. It was a really good read by him.”
Quarterback Martavius Parker supplied most of the offense for Houston, completing 17 of 25 passes for 104 yards and one touchdown. Bobby Townsend carried eight times for 57 yards and a TD.
Carter is day to day. If he is not able to go against Ripley, this week’s foe for the 5-3 Chargers, Roberts feels he will be ready for a showdown with Noxubee County the following week.
Noxubee won the 4A state title a year ago, but dropped down to 3A due to MHSAA reclassification. The Tigers are 1-0 in the region with a 19-12 win over Houston.
