The Charleston High School Tigers will host the East Webster Wolverines from Maben in the third round of the state playoffs Friday night (Nov. 21).
Kickoff is at 7.
Admission, set by the Mississippi High School Activities Association, is $10.
The 8-2 Tigers are fresh from a 66-14 home pounding of the Hamilton Lions in a second-round playoff last Friday (Nov. 14). The 11-1 Wolverines topped Myrtle 57-0.
CHS is the champion in Region 3-2A. East Webster is the top dog in Region 4-2A.
Tigers head coach Rasheed DeBerry said this week’s opponent “is going to play really hard and they’re going to be a physical team, much like we try to be here year in and year out.”
DeBerry commented on the fact that East Webster has pitched shutouts in their last five outings, calling them one of the stingiest defensive teams in the state.
“That’s a challenge that we are kind of fired up about, kind of excited to get to play that one and see how we fare against them,” he added.
Overall, East Webster has outscored opponents 474-90 this season. Charleston, playing two fewer games, has outscored foes 398-191.
(For the record, East Webster’s lone loss of the season came in the season opener — a 14-0 shutout at the hands of Class 3A Choctaw County.)
DeBerry said the Wolverines appear to be fairly balanced offensively.
“They seem to do quite a bit of play action,” he noted. “That kind of opens up the run, which gets you worrying about the pass and about the middle of the field.”
East Webster utilizes dual interchangeable quarterbacks. Both have over 1,000 passing yards this season.
“They’ve got some guys over there, and they’ve got enough to kind of keep you up at night,” said DeBerry.
DeBerry said he hopes to see the stands packed with fans cheering on the Tigers.
“When you’re blessed to play at home in a playoff game, it’s always good to have a big home crowd behind you, to have a homefield advantage,” he noted. “That’s always really good. But, of course, we have the mentality that there could be five people out there and we’ve still got a job to do.”
The winner Friday night will advance to face the vic-tor of this week’s 6-6 Kemper County at 10-1 Northside, both region runners-up.
With the higher seed, a Charleston win this week would bring either of those teams to Tiger Stadium for the 2A North State championship game Friday, Nov. 28, where CHS would be seeking a school-record fourth consecutive north half title.
However, DeBerry is not putting the cart before the horse, noting, “We are just focusing on this week.”
Other than routine nicks and bruises, the coach said all Tigers players are healthy and everybody is expected to be available to play Friday.
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Charleston’s victory over Hamilton was noteworthy for a number of reasons.
» The 66 points were the most scored by a Tigers team since the 69-6 thumping of Riverside in a first-round state playoff on Nov. 5, 2010, when Tony Vance was head coach. (Charleston’s 52 first-half points against Hamilton were impressive but not a record. That honor belongs to the 2010 Tigers, who put up 62 first-half points on Riverside.)
» The 52-point margin of victory was Charleston’s greatest since the Tigers beat Belmont 52-0 in a Nov. 4, 2016, first-round playoff, when Scott Martin was the head coach.
» The Charleston defense played lights out against Hamilton, holding the Lions offense scoreless. The visitors’ two touchdowns came on defense and special teams.
» The Tigers’ D snared six interceptions and two fumbles — the eight total takeaways likely a team record.
“I was very pleased with the defensive standing on Friday night,” said DeBerry. “The defense executed very, very well.”
He did express concerns over special teams. The kick return unit allowed Hamilton to execute two onside kick recoveries, and the kick coverage unit allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown.
“We have a lot of room for improvement in that third phase of the game — special teams,” DeBerry said.
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Charleston’s offensive line drew a lot of praise from the head coach after running back Marcus “Deuce” Flowers covered the distance for 56- and 66-yard touchdown runs on the first play of the Tigers’ two opening drives.
“The offensive line has done a really great job of developing week in and week out,” said DeBerry. “We may not be as experienced as we have been the last couple of years, but they definitely have been answering the call on preparation and just staying focused on the tasks that we ask of them. ... I’m really proud of how that group is developing.”
As a “pretty vocal” guy, the coach said senior Lemar Frost is the leader of the O-line.
“I tell them every week, they’re the most important group on our team,” he noted.
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Charleston scored against Hamilton on the first play of their initial offensive possession when Flowers burst untouched for the 56-yard TD. Quarterback Devon Olive hit Quay Kimble for the two-point pass and an 8-0 lead at 8:31 in the first period.
Flowers’ 66-yard rushing TD came with 4:12 in the opening act. Deuce ran for the conversion and a 16-0 lead.
Hamilton’s defense got the Lions on the scoreboard when a defender recovered a fumble midair and returned it about 62 yards for a touchdown. The conversion failed, and CHS led 16-6 at 3:38.
Kimble corralled an interception for a 70-yard pick-6 with 9:35 in the second quarter. The conversion failed, but the Tigers led 22-6.
Josh Hardiman recovered the ball after the Hamilton quarterback was stripped, returning the fumbled pigskin 36 yards for a touchdown. Flowers ran for the conversion and a 30-6 lead at 7:19 in the second period.
Hamilton’s second and last score of the night came following the ensuing kickoff on a 74-yard kick return for a touchdown. A pass was completed for the two-point conversion, cutting the Tigers’ advantage to 30-14.
An Olive interception of a Hamilton pass at the CHS 4-yard line preceded Olive’s short pass to Quentin Carter, who raced 64 yards upfield. Olive hit Kimble for a 39-yard gain that led to Flowers’ 3-yard rushing TD with 5:49 in the second period. Olive’s pass to Kimble secured the two-point conversion and a 38-14 Charleston lead.
A fumble recovery by Frost gave Charleston the ball at the Hamilton 45. Flowers took advantage, scoring on a 35-yard run at 1:20 in the second quarter to put CHS up 44-14.
Another Kimble interception and 18-yard return was followed up by Olive’s 32-yard scramble to the Hamilton 3-yard line and Flowers’ 3-yard TD run and subsequent two-point run that capped halftime scoring at 52-14 with 26.2 seconds remaining in the second act.
A Flowers interception set up Olive’s 45-yard rushing TD with 9:22 in the third, making the score 58-14 after the conversion failed.
D’Andre Booker scored the final TD of the night on a 35-yard pick-6. P.J. Goliday ran for the two-point conversion and a 66-14 lead at 5:31 in the third period.
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Olive completed 3-of-6 passes for 127 yards in the game.
Carter had one reception for 64 yards, Kimble one for 39, Lazelrick Taylor one for 18 and Tristen Flowers one for 6.
Flowers led all runners with eight carries for 178 yards and four touchdowns. Olive had four runs for 81 yards and two scores.
Frost, Booker and Coreyun Spearman led defenders with five tackles apiece.
Anthony Rimmer Jr., Tyler Kuykendall and Quintel Lyons recorded one sack apiece in the game.
Kimble had two interceptions, and Olive, Flowers, Hardiman and Spearman snared one each.
Hardiman and Frost recovered one fumble apiece.
