Laurel, WJ, Heidelberg to play for state championships in Oxford
Free State football will be front and center on the first two nights of MHSAA state championships at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The Laurel Golden Tornadoes will clash with West Point at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the Class 5A state crown, and the West Jones Mustangs will play in Friday’s finale, a 7:30 p.m. bout with Grenada to determine the Class 6A state champion.
In addition, the Heidelberg Oilers will be playing for the Class 2A state championship against Charleston on Thursday at 4 p.m. giving the Leader-Call coverage area participants in three of the seven state classifications.
For Laurel (8-6), Friday night’s 31-10 victory over Gautier for the 5A South State title added even more to the awe-inspiring story of Laurel’s 2024 senior class, which has overcome obstacles at every turn during its days at R. H. Watkins to create its own special chapter in a long history of success Between the Bricks.
Laurel’s story is one of perseverance, having battled back from a 1-5 start to win the Region 4-5A title and a spot in Thursday’s title game against last year’s 5A runners-up. But the rest is still unwritten, and head coach Ryan Earnest believes an even greater ending could be in store for his seniors.
“They’ve probably been through more adversity than any class in the history of the school,” Earnest said. “(From) COVID, to the field house (fire) to 1-5. … You name it, and they had to go through it. They’re still standing and one step away.”
Only seven miles west, the Mustangs (13-0) are preparing for a chance to put the finishing touch on the first perfect season in West Jones football history. The Mustangs soared to No. 2 in the MHSAA’s overall standings on Sunday after throttling the reigning state champion Picayune 42-13 and claiming the 6A South State title.
Although Sunday marked the first day of watching film in preparation for Friday’s finale against Grenada, first-year head coach Cory Reynolds said each step he and his players have taken since his first day on campus in April has readied the Mustangs for this opportunity — the chance to “go 1-0” just one more time.
“All of this started on April 12 when I first got the job. I talked to our team about my expectations for when they’re in the weight room, in school and out of school,” Reynolds recalled. “I’m just so proud that they’ve believed in what I’ve asked them to do.
“It’s all about hard work, taking care of the little things one week at a time, listening to coaches, getting into film and just doing the best they can do.”
Heidelberg started the season 1-2 before winning 10 of its next 11 games under first-year head coach Darryl Carter, a Northeast Jones graduate. In the playoffs, the Oilers defeated Pelahatchie, rival Bay Springs, Collins and then, on Friday, knocked off defending Class 3A champion Raleigh to reach the state championship game against Charleston (12-2).
State championship schedule
(Games will be at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)
Thursday
4 p.m.: Class 1A: Velma Jackson (13-0) vs. Biggersville (11-1)
7:30 p.m.: Class 5A: Laurel (8-6) vs. West Point (9-3)
Friday
4 p.m.: Class 2A: Heidelberg (11-3) vs. Charleston (12-2)
7:30 p.m.: Class 6A: West Jones (13-0) vs. Grenada (11-3)
Saturday
Noon: Class 4A: Columbia (14-0) vs. Louisville (14-0)
3:30 p.m.: Class 3A: Noxubee County (9-4) vs. Winona (14-0)
7 p.m.: Class 7A: Oak Grove (12-1) vs. Starkville (10-3)
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