Columbia is playing in its first state championship since 1998, and the matchup with Senatobia is going to be a doozy for the Wildcats. The Senatobia Warriors are a very good football team with several key playmakers that can make Columbia pay if it’s not careful. So let’s dig in and predict this championship game one way or the other.
While he’s not quite as fast as Mendenhall’s D.K. Jenkins, who gave the Wildcats all they could handle in Week 1, Senatobia quarterback Tyreese Hullette plays a lot like Jenkins. His best trait is his agility both as a scrambler behind the line of scrimmage and as a runner. The Warriors mix in the read option and let Hullette make a lot of plays with his legs, but he’s also an accomplished passer, both in the pocket and outside of it. Like Jenkins, Hullette doesn’t just scramble to run — he keeps his eyes downfield to locate receivers. What makes Hullette unique is his ability to throw accurately on the move, and he has great arm strength to be able to fit the ball into small windows. The Columbia secondary can’t afford to come off receivers when Hullette scrambles, so it will be crucial that Peyton Anderson, DJ Cloyd, Isiah Foxworth and Isaiah Bolton do all they can to keep Hullette in the pocket.
Jordan Osborn is a smaller back at just 5-foot-6 and 170 pounds, but he is very compact and displays great contact balance both in the hole and in the open field. What makes him able to truly excel, though — similar to Columbia’s Omar Johnson — is his vision and patience as a runner. While he doesn’t have Johnson’s size or breakaway speed, Osborn does a great job of not getting ahead of his blockers and waiting for a crease to open up before accelerating through the hole. He’s not a burner, but he’s also fast enough to break away with enough room and clocks around a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. In the open field, he makes subtle cuts that allow him to pick up extra yardage, whether it be an extra five to 10 yards or taking it to the house.
The Wildcats also have to look out for JaBrysten Abram, who operates out of the slot and is Senatobia’s main weapon in the passing game. Senatobia does a lot of different things to get Abram the ball in space with quick hitches, bubble screens, reverses and middle screens because he does most of his damage after the catch. Columbia’s secondary can’t afford to slow play attacking Abram when he catches it because he will make them pay if they aren’t aggressive. He’s a lot like Columbia’s Josh Brown in what he can do after the catch, but he also makes plays downfield and can high-point the ball exceptionally well despite his 5-foot-10 frame.
Columbia arguably has the best defense in all of 4A, which is a primary reason it is in this state title game, but the Wildcats will have their hands full with the Warriors. I can see Senatobia making a few big plays and scoring two or three touchdowns, but that won’t be enough to beat Columbia.
Senatobia’s defense succeeds because of its superior athleticism, but it won’t have that advantage against Columbia. The Wildcats are just as athletic, if not more so, and have a distinct size advantage in the trenches, which is where this game is going to be won. Columbia is going to have to grind out yards the hard way because Senatobia doesn’t give up a lot of big plays, but the Wildcats have shown all year they can rely on the ground game to keep the chains moving.
It’s going to be a good game and a few plays here or there could swing the game in Senatobia’s favor, but with all things equal, I see the Wildcats pulling away in the third quarter or early in the fourth. Give me Columbia in a 27-14 win with the Wildcats adding a late touchdown to put the game away for good. -
Joshua Campbell is sports editor of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him via email at joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com or call (601) 736-2611.
