No two teams have had as similar circumstances in the past year than Lumberton and Taylorsville.
Each team comes off winning a state championship, as Taylorsville was dropped down to 1A after reclassification. Both teams then lost two stellar senior classes, which included Mr. Football winners Robert Henry and Ty Keyes. Not to mention, each team is being led by a first-year head coach after Zach Jones and Mitch Evans left for greener pastures.
Even their starts to the season have been similar, as each team started the year 0-2 as a result of tough non-region schedules, and now both are 3-0 in region play.
“(Taylorsville is) one of the most storied programs in the state of Mississippi,” Lumberton coach Jonathan Ladner said. “They are synonymous with ‘we win and win big’. In places like Taylorsville and Lumberton, you are never really down. You just find ways to keep winning. Hats off to Coach (Jay) Blackledge because they had some big shoes to fill with the kids they lost and the coaches that have moved on. They have done a really good job of rallying around the players they have.”
Taylorsville opened the season with losses to Raleigh and Lawrence County, but rattled off three straight wins against Enterprise, Mount Olive and Salem.
For the Tartars, one of the keys to the turnaround success has been sophomore running back Cobey Craft, who has rushed for 382 yards and four touchdowns in four games. Against Salem last week, he ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.
“He runs hard,” Ladner said. “When you look at him, he’s not very big, and you may think he is not physical. Well, he can drop his shoulder pads and run over you or dance around you and make you miss. He’s a really good player. Having a strong running game has helped their young quarterback and take a little bit of pressure off him.”
Craft and the rest of the Taylorsville run game have been pivotal for the success of freshman quarterback Laza Beavers. Beavers has thrown for 441 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions in four games and completed 56% of his passes.
“They are still a spread style offense,” Ladner said. They spread you out. They may run the ball a little bit more now than they have the past few years, which is understandable. They have done their best to bring this freshman up to speed as quickly as possible.
“You don’t want to throw a freshman into the fire because sometimes they crumble in those situations. But they have been able to bring him along slowly. Hats off to their coaching staff for bringing him along slowly and put a little more on him as the season goes on. He has gotten better every week.”
Another critical improvement for Taylorsville has been its defense. After giving up an average of 31 points per game, the Tartars have not relinquished more than eight points in their last two games. According to Ladner, one of the best-returning members of the defense is Kelby Jordan, who, in Ladner’s opinion, is like a coach on the field.
“What sticks out to me on their defense is their athleticism,” Ladner said. “They are playing more younger kids this year. They still have a few seniors in spots. I’d say their defensive leader is the Jordan kid. He communicates with everybody on the field, and you can tell he is telling everybody what’s going on and what needs to happen. Anytime you have a guy like that you can depend on makes a big difference.
“They are able to move the pieces around, and that gives people problems because you never know where the pressure is coming from. They disguise their blitzes well. They hide their coverages well.”
If Lumberton wins this week, it will set up a likely showdown against Bay Springs for the last game of the season, but Ladner isn’t looking that far ahead.
“I don’t know if there are two teams that have paralleled from about March until now more than Lumberton and Taylorsville,” Ladner said. “It’s fun because we mirror each other a lot in what we do. I think it’s going to be a fun atmosphere. It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere.
“I’m excited about it. Games like this are why I got into coaching.”
