SOSO – As the saying goes, defense wins championships.
It may be an overused football proverb, but it has proved true for Hattiesburg’s season.
The Tigers’ dominant defense put up a second-half shutout in their 24-9 win over West Jones on Thursday night that secured a Region 3-6A championship, a top seed in the playoffs and a perfect 10-0 mark in the regular season.
This season the Tiger defense held teams to just 8.9 points per game.
“Our defense stepped up for us big time tonight, man,” Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance said. “Really several times. Too many to count. I told the coaches and the players that the one thing I know about defense is that defense travels. They did that tonight.”
Hattiesburg held West Jones’ potent run game to just 119 yards from an offense that features quarterback Kymaurion Lindsey, who accounted for 1,800 all-purpose yards last year, and running back Elijah Jones, who has run for over 1,300 yards this season.
“I think our guys knew they were going to have to stop (Jones) and (Lindsey) from running the football,” Vance said. “We know (Lindsey) got loose a couple of times, but to do the job they did against him, I think it’s kudos to those guys. They were locked in and did a great job of carrying out their assignment and filling the gaps they were supposed to fill. They did a great job of team tackling.
The first seven plays the Hattiesburg defense faced were inside its own 13-yard line after the Tiger offense struggled early on. The Tigers’ first drive ended in a blocked punt but ended in Hattiesburg (10-0, 4-0) with the Mustangs on fourth and short on the 3-yard line. That was followed by quarterback Deuce Vance throwing an interception that was returned to the 9-yard line but resulted in West Jones (8-2, 3-1) settling for a field goal.
“The message all week is to overcome adversity, and we overcome adversity,” said Deuce Vance, who threw for two touchdowns and 191 yards. “I’m thankful to have these group of guys. We build every week and grow. We are playing together as a team. I have to have to thank the coaches and our team for bonding together and coming together.
“It’s been six years since we had an undefeated regular season. We are accomplishing some goals. We just have to keep building day by day.”
Hattiesburg’s offense then put together a 15-play, 69-yard drive that was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown pass from Vance to Toney Scott to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead.
West Jones’ lone touchdown came in the second quarter, which was a 42-yard run by Lindsey. However, Hattiesburg tied the game at 9-9 with a 27-yard field goal by Edgar Ayala Rivera just before the half.
“I told the guys at halftime that the score is 0-0,” Vance said. “We are right where we want to be and right where we need to be. This is playoff football. This is what it’s going to be like the rest of the way, so prepare yourself, and let’s see how you respond to it.”
In the third quarter, Hattiesburg put together another long drive that lasted 10 plays and 64 yards, which featured Vance connecting with Jackson Sanders for a 44-yard catch on 3rd and 33. The big play set up an 18-yard touchdown pass from Vance to Tyree Barnett.
Naturally, the game was put away by Hattiesburg’s defense. At the start of the fourth quarter, defensive back Anthony Pounce returned an 86-yard pick-six. West Jones’ next drive then ended in a three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, the snap sailed over the punter’s head. Instead of recovering the ball, the punter opted to kick in the end zone to give up a safety.
“My coach was telling me all night that depth is my best friend,” Pounce said. “I got deep, and I caught the pick when I was in position.
“We knew that it was going to be a good game, but we knew that we were better the team. We came out the second half and showed that.”
The victory is now Tony Vance’s third undefeated regular season at Hattiesburg, with the previous two happening in 2017 and 2018.
“Kudos to those players on our football team that buy into it and do what we ask them to do on a daily basis,” Vance said. “I can’t say enough about our coaching staff and the job they have done this year. We are 10-0. We’ll celebrate a district championship tonight because they are hard to come by, but let me tell you, next week, the postseason begins, and we are 0-0, just like everybody else.”
Hattiesburg will host Hancock to open the Class 6A playoffs next week.
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