The Charleston High School Tigers won the North 2A crown Friday night, setting up a date with destiny as they advance to battle for the Class 2A football state championship next Saturday in Hattiesburg.
The 11-3 Tigers will face the 12-2 Scott Central Rebels of Forest for all the marbles. The Rebels are the defending 2A state champs.
The game, like all other Mississippi High School Activities Association football championships next week, will be held at M.M. Roberts Stadium, on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. The North Mississippi champions in classes 1A-6A will be considered the home teams.
The Class 2A competition will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3.
It will mark Charleston's seventh football state championship game appearance since 2005, and the first since the Tigers joined Class 2A in 2019. Six previous state outings were played while CHS was in Class 3A, most recently in 2016. Charleston went 1-5 in those contests.
The Tigers earned the berth by manhandling the now 11-3 Eupora Eagles, 24-6, in the 2A north half showdown in Charleston.
On the field following Friday night's win, an understandably emotional CHS head coach LaDon Taylor was congratulated by fans, hundreds of whom ran onto the field after the final buzzer to celebrate with team members and coaches.
With the still plastic-wrapped North 2A trophy in his left hand, a teary-eyed Taylor struggled for words to express his thoughts in the moment.
"I don't even know what to say right now. I'm happy. I'm proud."
"I'm proud of how the boys came out and fought. I'm proud for the city who came out and supported us," Taylor noted. "There's so much running through my mind right now. I'm just proud for my guys."
After two consecutive seasons of Charleston teams appearing but coming up short in the North 2A title game — in 2019 under former head coach Scott Martin and in 2021 during the first campaign with Taylor at the helm (the program did not play football in 2020 due to the pandemic) — the coach said the third time proved to be the charm.
"We finally kicked the door in, and we've got another door we've got to kick in," Taylor said. "It's going to be a little tougher, so we're going to have to be tougher."
Among those appearing on the field to congratulate Taylor during the postgame celebration was former CHS head coach Tony Vance, who now leads the Hattiesburg High program.
In 2011, Vance became the first — and, to date, only — CHS head coach to lead a football team to a state championship win (34-8, over Hazlehurst).
Taylor was Vance's defensive ends coach at that time.
"I'm so proud of Coach Taylor and the work he and his coaching staff have done," Vance said, "but, most of all, these kids and the work they've put into it, and for the city of Charleston. It means a lot."
Vance referenced a remark a CHS player made during a recent interview with an area TV station.
"I think one of the kids said it ...," he noted. "It's time to put another picture up there on that scoreboard. It's time to take that one down and put up [another] one."
He was referring to a tribute to the 2011 state champion Tigers, which includes a team photo, that stands underneath the scoreboard in Tiger Stadium.
This tribute to the 2011 CHS state championship team stands beneath the scoreboard in Tiger Stadium. (Sun-Sentinel file photo by Clay McFerrin)
With another opportunity for ultimate greatness coming up for Charleston Dec. 3, Vance said, "The message is real simple from here on: Don't be satisfied. Go win one more game. Go 1-0 next week."
