Form has held up in Mississippi 1A football. Nanih Waiya entered the playoffs as the clear favorite in North State, Lumberton as the favorite in South State, and the Warriors and Panthers will meet in the championship game at 3 p.m. Friday at the University of Southern Mississippi's M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.
Each has won three playoff games and each had to survive a one-point game. Nanih Waiya defeated Coldwater 56-14, Baldwyn 42-14 and Noxapater 21-20 in the North State final. Lumberton victories were 26-0 against McAdams, 29-28 against Leflore County and 55-7 against Richton in the South State final.
The two head coaches praised the opponent in almost identical terms during an MHSAA press conference Monday at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. James Courtney of Nanih Waiya said Lumberton is an extremely fast, well-coached team. “They play really hard. They are going to be a challenge for sure.”
Lumberton coach Zach Jones said of Nanih Waiya “They're talented, play hard and physical. They're really well coached. We're going to have our hands full Friday.”
Nanih Waiya is 13-2 and Lumberton 12-3, but both are undefeated against 1A competition. Nanih Waiya lost its first two games, 16-0 to West Lauderdale, a 4A team that reached the second round of the playoffs, and 35-24 to Union a 2A playoff team.
Lumberton losses were to 3A West Marion, 2A Bay Springs and Faith Academy of Mobile, an 11-1 team.
Jones attributed his team's success to senior leadership. But the star of the team is a junior. Robert Henry, who plays running back and quarterback, was named 1A Mr. Football with 1,831 yards and 29 touchdowns running and 1,039 yards and 13 TDs passing.
“He's really one of the more electric players we have seen this year. He can really run,” Courtney said. “We were shocked at how well he throws the ball. He's as good as advertised. We're going to have a lot of eyes on him. We're going to have to know where he is on every play.”
Courtney said the two losses to begin the season were a positive for his team after winning the championship last year. “I believe we needed a little dose of humble pie. We had a good summer, but I was kind of concerned about our focus. The losses were good for us because they opened our kids' eyes and let them know they are human. We just went back to work and have never looked back since.”
Noxapater scored a fourth quarter touchdown on a run by Raheem Hathorn to pull within a point, then went for two. But the Warrior defense, and it wasn't just one guy, was able to stop a run by Hathorn.
Nanih Waiya has run for 3,778 yards (251.9 per game) and thrown for 1,474 (98.3 average). “We're throwing the ball a little more this year,” Courtney said. The Warriors had only 752 yards through the air in winning the title last year.
Austin Sanders, a junior, is the leading runner with 95 carries for 1,171 yards (12.3 average) and 17 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Donovan Turner has thrown for 1,284 yards and 17 touchdowns and run for 731 yards and 10 TDs.
Tylan Glass, a senior, is the leading receiver with 31 for 569 yards and six TDs. Junior linebacker Taylor Higginbotham leads the team in tackles with 120.
Lumberton's offensive numbers are very similar to Nanih Waiya's. The Panthers have run 3,886 yards and thrown for 1,419.
