In a hectic season, Sumrall football has had it unexpectedly found a way to be stranger.
After being on the losing end of a COVID-19 quarantine to finish the regular season, the No. 3 seeded Bobcats have now advanced to the third round of the 4A playoffs. Because of the pandemic, Sumrall picked up a forfeit win over Lawrence County last week.
The Bobcats’ opponent, No. 3 Mendenhall (5-3), was also the beneficiary of a forfeit win over McComb. Despite the win, Sumrall has played just one game in the last five weeks.
“You lose out on so much,” Sumrall coach Shannon White said. “You lose out on game experience. You lose out on conditioning. Those two things you don’t get in practice like you do on Friday night. It’s harmful in many ways, but obviously, if you have an injury or two, then those guys get a chance to heal up. You also get to spend a little bit more time scheming for your next opponent. There’s certainly a plus and a minus to it.”
Like Sumrall (4-6), which got off to an 0-4 start, Mendenhall started the season 0-3 before rattling off three straight wins to finish the regular season. The Tigers opened the playoffs with a 28-27 upset win over Stone.
In the Tigers’ four-game win streak, Mendenhall has averaged 29 points per game. The key part of the Tiger offense is sophomore dual-threat quarterback D.K. Jenkins. Jenkins has thrown for 1,075 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions while recording a 64% completion rate. In addition, Jenkins leads the team in rushing yards with 506 while scoring six touchdowns.
“They are really dynamic on offense,” White said. “He is a true dual-threat quarterback. They attack the whole field.
“Everything runs through him. He’s a guy that they do a lot of read-option with him. They’ll run a lot of triple option with him. He is extremely accurate on throws.
He’s an off-schedule guy. He gets flushed out of the pocket running full speed, and then all of a sudden, he zips (the ball).”
Complimenting Jenkins in the run game is running back Reggie McLaurin, who has rushed for 487 yards and six touchdowns on 101 carries. In the passing game, Jenkin’s top target is Walter Owens, who has hauled in 34 catches, 468 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, Mendenhall has held teams to 19.5 points per game in its last four wins and have notably forced 15 turnovers on the year.
“They run a six-man box and a four-man front,” White said. “They play a safety deep and don’t give up big plays. They have enough speed on defense that kind of forces you into driving the football. You are not going to get the big play on them.”
If Sumrall wins, the Bobcats will face the winner of the South Pike-Poplarville game for the South State championship.
