CLARKSDALE — In a defensive slugfest, the Charleston High School Tigers fell 14-6 to the North Side High School Gators in Friday night’s (Nov. 29) Class 2A North championship game.
Charleston finishes the season 10-5. North Side (14-0) advances to face Taylorsville (14-1) in the 2A state title game Saturday at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
Despite the loss, which dashed Charleston’s hopes of playing in the program’s seventh state championship contest — they appeared in six in Class 3A and were looking for their first since moving to 2A this season — CHS head coach Scott Martin said he is “proud” of the team.
“I thought we played pretty good,” he noted. “Our guys came out, played their hearts out and left it all on the field. That’s all you can ask for.”
This was the second meeting between the teams, both of whom compete in Region 3-2A. North Side won 22-8 in an Oct. 11 Tiger Stadium game that ultimately earned the Gators the region crown. CHS was region runner-up.
Last week’s rematch, played at James E. Miller Stadium on the campus of Coahoma Community College, was much more competitive.
“We had everybody healthy this time, and our guys played harder and a lot better,” said Martin.
— * —
The Gators scored the only offensive touchdown of the game on a 42-yard pass with 7:06 in the first quarter. The QB ran for the two-point conversion, making it an 8-0 lead.
“On that one play, we didn’t tackle,” Martin said of the long score. “I think there were about five missed tackles.”
Overall, though, the coach said the Tigers D was solid.
“Our offense struggled, but the defense played good and gave us a chance,” said Martin.
Midway through the first quarter, the Gators drove from midfield to the Charles-ton 4-yard line but ended up turning the ball over on downs at the 5. Then, early in the second period, a North Side pass was intercepted by Gammage at the CHS 9.
The Tigers hurt their cause with key offensive penalties.
“We drove down the field a couple of times and just got to a sticking point,” said Martin. “We got a holding call here and offsides there — mistakes you can’t make in a big game.”
Midway through the third quarter, Alfernee Hankins intercepted a North Side pass at the Charleston 45, returning the ball to the Gators’ 28. The Tigers reached the 10-yard line before a personal foul infraction forced them into a third-and-18 from the 23. Chris Bradford’s pass was intercepted at the 10.
The Tigers still were able to capitalize on the field position when two plays later, A.J. Wren intercepted the Gators and returned the ball 25 yards for a pick six. Bradford’s two-point run attempt was unsuccessful, so Charleston trailed 8-6 with 3:44 in the third quarter.
North Side responded with a 10-play, 44-yard drive to the CHS 24, where on fourth-and-13, the quarterback was hit as he threw and Cameron Chambers intercepted the ball.
Ten seconds later, a Charleston pass was deflected at the line, intercepted and returned to the CHS 7-yard line as the third quarter ended.
The Tiger D rose to the occasion, dropping the Gators for losses on two run plays and sacking the quarterback on another. A fourth-and-goal pass from the 18 sailed incomplete.
On the ensuing drive, the Tigers converted a fourth-and-2 on a fake punt that Wren ran for 7 yards. The nine-play, 42-yard drive fizzled out at the North Side 40 and the ball went over with 6:20 in the fourth quarter.
The two teams exchanged punts before the Gators took the ball with 3:14 left. They faced a fourth-and-15 at the Charleston 41 with 1:50 remaining, but the Tigers roughed the punter and the drive was kept alive. The 10-play drive reached the CHS 32 and, more critically, ran the clock down to 23 seconds before North Side was forced to punt. The ball bounced through the end zone.
Starting at their own 20, the Tigers had to come out passing. Two plays later, the ball was intercepted and returned for a 32-yard touchdown. The two-point run was stuffed, but CHS faced an 8-point deficit with 8 seconds on the clock.
The Tigers were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the ensuing kickoff, pushing them back to their own 5 with 4 seconds left. On the final play of the season, Gammage completed a 5-yard pass to Bradford as time expired.
— * —
Charleston converted only 3 of 16 third-down attempts in the game. North Side converted 3 of 15. CHS converted 1 of 5 on fourth down, while North Side converted 1 of 7.
— * —
Gammage completed 6-of-18 passes for 72 yards and three interceptions. Bradford completed 1-of-4 for 14 yards and was intercepted once.
Prince had two receptions for 36 yards, Wren two for 25, Nathan Randolph one for 15 and Bradford two for 10.
Gammage led the Tigers with 15 rushes for 47 yards. Wren had six totes for 32.
— * —
Looking ahead, Martin said the Tigers will lose five or six players on both sides of the ball to graduation, but he noted that he is “real excited” about the prospects for his team’s 2020 season.
He said due to injury, many underclassmen saw a lot of playing time and earned valuable experience this year.
“Those young guys grew up, and as the season went along we had a six-game win streak toward the end,” he said.
Coaches hope to build on that success in 2020.
IN THE PHOTO: Charleston defenders gang-tackle a North Side ball carrier in Friday night’s Class 2A North title game in Clarksdale. The Tigers were stingy with the real estate, allowing only 15 rushing yards all night. (Photo by Kelly Paris)
