The Columbia Wildcats (13-0) will take on a Jeff Davis (8-5) squad they previously beat for the right to go to the state championship Friday night. The state championship is scheduled for at 11 a.m. Dec. 6 at Southern Miss.
On the north side, Choctaw County (11-3) and Noxubee County (9-5) will square off Friday with state on the line. Both squads hail from Region 4-3A, and Choctaw County beat Noxubee County 28-18 Oct. 24 during the regular season.
Columbia’s last trip to south state was in 2001 when it lost to Collins. The Wildcats’ last state championship game appearance was in 1998 when they lost to Clarksdale, and their only state title was in 1982.
Jeff Davis knocked Columbia out of the playoffs a year ago in the third round, but Columbia head coach Chip Bilderback said it’s a new year with two very different teams. Bilderback added that with how familiar the two teams are with each other, though, the preparation will be less about between the lines and more so about being mentally ready for a four-quarter war to get to The Rock.
“I think we’ve had a great schedule that’s prepared us. If you look at our non-district schedule, a couple of those teams have played deep into the playoffs and Lawrence County is playing for a south state championship (in 4A). We’ve been prepared and tested throughout this season to be ready for this moment,” he said. “We don’t want to overanalyze it or overcoach it.”
The first matchup this year was thoroughly dominated by the Wildcats, though, in a 36-22 contest at Jeff Davis Oct. 11, and star running back Kentrel Bullock had the most productive game of his career. The Ole Miss commit rushed for 277 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries, while Omarie Johnson added 95 yards on just eight carries. Columbia led 29-7 at halftime, and the final score was closer than the game actually was as Jeff Davis scored a pair of touchdowns late.
Jeff Davis has improved tenfold since then, however, winning its last six games including its three playoff games a combined 102-6. A big reason for the Jaguars’ improvement has been the evolution of their offense. While they remain a Wing-T team that prefers to run the ball, a lot of their big plays recently have come through the air.
Columbia free safety Jamison Kelly will be extra important against the Jaguars because of the great playaction attack they’ve shown the past two weeks against Crystal Springs and West Marion. Quarterback Lyric Hall is as good as you’ll see at the high school level at hiding the ball and selling the run fake so Kelly will need to be ready to prevent any big plays down field.
Bilderback said he believes Kelly has the acumen to both be a force playing downhill in the run game while remaining disciplined to defend playaction. He added that the Wildcats have built their defense from Day 1 to defend the Wing-T because of how prevalent it is in their district. He said when you play a team like Jeff Davis, it’s all about discipline and reading your keys.
“They want you to overrun a little bit and hit you here. It’s going to be a little bit of a chess match,” he said. “But I think if our kids play hard, it’s going to be a fun night for the Wildcats.”
Bilderback added the Wildcats are excited to have the opportunity to play for the state title.
“We’re going to play our butts off for 48 minutes to get a-whole-nother 48 minutes,” he said.
Pictured Above: Wildcats receivers Sadarion Magee and Daqwan Jones celebrate Magee's 29-yard touchdown reception Friday night. | Photo by Susan Amundson
