OXFORD – AJ Maddox didn’t get the trophy he wanted for himself; rather he won the one for everyone else.
The Oak Grove quarterback admitted that he felt he was deserving of the honor of being named Class 7A’s Mr. Football, an award given to the best player in the classification.
But Maddox used not winning Mr. Football as motivation through the playoffs. And it worked as he accounted for 16 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards of total offense leading Oak Grove to a 33-28 win against Starkville to win the Class 7A state title.
“AJ Maddox was phenomenal all year,” Oak Grove coach Drew Causey said. “In my opinion, he is the best quarterback in the state. I’ve said it all year long. He’s proved it this whole season. Really, in the last six games, when he felt like he had a chip on his shoulder, he had something to prove. I think he proved it.”
Maddox had a convincing resume heading into the playoffs to make him a worthy Mr. Football candidate, as he had thrown for 26 touchdowns and 2,307 yards and ran for 281 yards, including two rushing touchdowns.
“I didn’t get the individual accolades that I thought I should have,” said Maddox, who was named the game’s MVP. “That was a drive and motivation.
“I just wanted to make plays all night and stay consistent, execute the offense, and do what I’m supposed to do.”
The Mr. Football honor went to Starkville’s Trey Petty, who finished the state championship game 9 of 25, throwing for 138 yards, three touchdowns and a pick-six. Although Petty’s season numbers were equally as respectable and deserving, it left Maddox with a chip on his shoulder for the postseason.
“I wanted to go out here and get to this point,” Maddox said. “I knew I had to elevate my play and get better.”
As a result, the Texas A&M commit simply raised the bar. In Oak Grove’s playoff run, Maddox completed 70% of his passes and threw for 958 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 164 yards and seven touchdowns. Not to mention, Maddox has not thrown an interception since October.
The senior helped lead the Warriors to score on five of their first seven drives against Starkville. Maddox’s most masterful drive of the night came just before halftime after the Yellow Jackets narrowed the score to 17-12 with less than a minute to go. Maddox completed three straight passes to help Oak Grove score in 33 seconds, which ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Damari Jefferson.
Maddox is set to graduate this December with the intention of enrolling early at Texas A&M.
“AJ is cool and calm,” Causey said. “I love that kid. He’s a great football player and a great kid. He’s given me a few more gray hairs over the last couple of years, but man, I love him.”
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