Continuing to play well is the main focus for Noxapater head football coach Casey Orr and his Tigers over the next two weeks.A road win over Hamilton this Friday night or a home win against Vardaman on Nov. 8 will lock down the No. 2 spot out of Region 2-1A for the MHSAA Class 1A State Football Playoffs that are set to begin on Nov. 15. That would assure Noxapater of a home game int he opening round.“A win in either game does it, but we want to play well and win both of them,” Orr said. “It’s important to be playing well headed into the playoffs.”He acknowledged that playing lesser competition late in the season has its challenges. “It’s good to to be able to get some guys rested up and get some younger guys some reps during the games,” He said. “The main thing is to keep playing well and not to pick up any bad habits.”The Tigers jumped out to a 27-0 half-time lead against visiting Ethel last Thursday and rolled to a 40-0 win. Among those gaining experience in the game was backup quarterback Donnie Chunn who was 3-of-3 passing in the contest for 90 yards, including touchdown passes of 40 yards to Jacoby Shoemaker and 53 to Kyle Phillips. K.D. Carter, Raheem Hathorn, Chase Ray and Jimmy Graham all scored rushing touchdowns for the Tigers in the game, with Graham being the workers with 14 carries for 113 yards. Hathorn had 89 yards on nine carries, while Carter rushed for 45 yards on just three attempts. Ryan Whitfield led the way defensively for Noxapater, recording six tackles, including three for a loss. Sawyer Roberts was in on five tackles, while Ethan Yates had four tackles, three of which were for losses. Ray had five tackles, while Lane Bailey had four and a fumble recovery. While Hamilton is just 2-8 on the season, Orr said they are a team that is improving under a first-year head coach. “What we expect is for our guys to compete at a high level,” Orr said. “We really preach to our kids that it's about what we do and that we need to get better at what we do.”
