There was no shortage of talent on this year’s Oak Grove team. The Warriors were named the No. 1 overall team by SBlive.com.
Some of the storylines around Oak Grove were well documented, such as the number of Division I prospects or the elevated quarterback play from AJ Maddox. As both are important to mention in the championship run, other storylines that attributed to the Warriors’ championship season seemed like they were not talked about enough.
BURKETT AND CHAMPAGNE
Running backs Tajii Burkett and Kylin Champagne were probably the most effective running back duo in the state. The complementary duo combined for over 2,000 all-purpose yards, and yet the attention from colleges has been almost nonexistent, making them arguably the most unappreciated one-two punch.
Champagne, who is the harder runner, ran for 976 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 88 receiving yards and a touchdown. The junior also only fumbled once the entire season.
Burkett’s numbers are just as impressive.
The speedster back racked up 1,116 all-purpose yards, which was equally consistent with 558 receiving and 558 rushing yards, and was responsible for 12 touchdowns. The senior had 49 catches and ran the ball just 66 times, which means that he averaged 9.7 yards per play.
In the championship game, they combined for 156 yards.
PJ WOODLAND’S TRANSITION TO RECEIVER
Yes, Woodland is one of the many high-profile players on Oak Grove’s team, as he is committed to LSU.
But what’s not talked about enough is how Woodland made a transition from being arguably the best defensive back in the state to the best wide receiver this season.
In his career on the defensive side of the ball, Woodland has recorded 17 interceptions and 163 tackles.
This season, Woodland split roles with a primary focus on wide receiver. The senior hauled in 63 catches for 1,327 yards, averaging 20.1 yards per catch and 10 touchdowns. There was no shortage of highlight plays by him, but in the South State Championship against Brandon, it seemed every catch Woodland made would be the main play on any other receiver’s highlight reel.
On defense, he still stayed productive, putting up 52 tackles and five interceptions, which included two pick-sixes.
DAMARI JEFFERSON
It seems that in the last five years or so Oak Grove has had an influx of special wide receivers and Damari Jefferson is a name that should be at the top of that list.
Jefferson could have also been named the MVP of the state title game. He led Oak Grove in receiving yards in the state title game and was responsible for two touchdowns as he threw a touchdown pass in the championship.
The senior receiver was one of the most explosive deep ball threats that the program has featured in recent years. At times, the only person that could stop him was himself, as he was prone to the occasional drop.
Regardless, that didn’t stop him from racking up 42 catches for 686 yards and 10 touchdowns.
DEFENSIVE STOPS
As much talk as Oak Grove’s prolific offense has received, the clutch playoff performances from its defense should not be overshadowed.
The Warriors defense put up back-to-back dominant performances against Biloxi and Meridian. Even more impressive is how Oak Grove held Meridian’s Daniel Hill to under 100 yards in offense.
Even more impressive is how, in back-to-back weeks in Oak Grove’s two biggest games of the year, the defense came up with the game-winning stop. In the South State title game and then in the state championship, both Brandon and Starkville had opportunities to put together game-winning drives with momentum on their side. In both games, neither team could get past midfield.
The second half against Brandon turned into a shootout, and it seemed that whichever team had the ball last would win. Well, the Bulldogs had the ball last, and the Warriors finally stopped Brandon’s prolific run game when it mattered most, and they did so by stopping star running back Nate Blount on fourth and short.
Starkville had two opportunities to put together game-winning drives in the state title game. The Yellowjackets nearly overcame an 18-point deficit and made it a one-score game with four minutes to go.
But on back-to-back drives, the Warrior defense held quarterback Trey Petty, the Class 7A Mr. Football winner, to 0-for-7 on pass attempts and held him to two rushing yards.
OFFENSIVE LINE OUTPUT
Every offensive player always throws appreciation to the o-line, but there’s credence to it this year.
In the offseason, head coach Drew Causey lost his offensive line coach to a coordinator job, leaving the head man to take over the coaching position himself.
The Warrior offensive line surrendered just 11 sacks this season and only two in the playoffs. As talented as almost every position was on the Oak Grove offense, most of the success stemmed from the offensive line.
By the end of the season, the Warrior offense averaged 273 passing yards and 175 rushing yards per game. In total, Oak Grove’s offense averaged 477 yards per game and 8.2 yards per play.
Those are video game numbers.
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