OXFORD – Doubt, criticism and skepticism have followed Oak Grove for most of the season after the Warriors suffered their lone loss of the year.
However, those feelings never entered inside the Warriors' locker room. Despite being one of the preseason favorites to win it all, Oak Grove defeated Starkville 33-28 to win the inaugural Class 7A State Championship at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday to silence all the doubters.
"It was a wakeup call for us," said Oak Grove quarterback AJ Maddox on how his team handled the midseason blemish. "We never lost confidence. We never wavered away from what we truly stood on. We just came out and executed it every week."
The credence of the program's recent history was ignored as well, with the Warriors having now won the school's third state title in the last 10 years. Before the game, broadcasters drew the Warriors' physicality into question during the earlier state title games played earlier in the day, speculating about the Class 7A matchup.
"There was some talk a little bit this week that we weren't tough enough to handle the physicality from a couple of broadcasts from some of the earlier games," Oak Grove coach Drew Causey said. "I think we proved that."
Oak Grove's defense held Starkville to 133 rushing yards and held Class 7A's Mr. Football Trey Petty to nine completed passes out of 25 attempts. The quarterback threw for 138 yards, one pick-six, but threw for three touchdowns.
PHOTO GALLERY: Oak Grove celebrates state championship victory
At the same time, Oak Grove's offensive line kept Maddox mostly protected as the group surrendered just one sack the entire night. Maddox was named the game's MVP after going 15-for-20 while throwing for 162 yards and a touchdown.
"I told them at halftime that you five are going to win us a state championship," said Causey about the offensive line. "I think they did. Those five gutted it out. I told them at the beginning of the game that we have to win the trenches on both sides, and I felt like we did."
Oak Grove jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Starkville. Maddox went 6-for-6 on the opening drive to set up a one-yard touchdown run for Kylin Champagne. The Yellowjackets' opening drive ended much differently, with Jaylan Moore intercepting Petty and returning it for a 63-yard touchdown.
"Not many people do it, but when we win the toss, I'm going to take the football," said Causey on getting off to a fast start. "I don't believe in giving up the chance to score first. We marched down the field. The kids executed perfectly. Then we had the pick six."
After gaining favorable field position midway through the second quarter, Petty capitalized on the opportunity and scored on an eight-yard run, but a failed two-point conversion kept the score 14-6.
Following a 35-yard field goal by Luke Stewart, Petty put Starkville (10-4) back on the board by connecting with Stonka Burnside for a 49-yard touchdown, but another failed conversion made the score 17-12 with less than a minute to go in the half.
Despite Starkville's late surge, Maddox maintained his composure and, with the aid of Damari Jefferson, scored in just 33 seconds. Maddox connected with Jefferson for a 31-yard catch and then a 22-yard touchdown reception to extend Oak Grove's lead to 23-12.
The Warriors maintained momentum in the third quarter, with Tajii Burkett spearheading an 11-play, 63-yard drive but coming up 49 yards on four carries. Burkett's effort set up a one-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Nehemiah Taylor.
Starkville managed to stay in the game after a play-action pass allowed Petty to find a wide-open Philip Swann for a 41-yard touchdown. Petty then scored the two-point conversion to narrow the score to 30-20.
Stewart tacked on a second field goal in the fourth quarter before the Yellowjackets scored from Petty's third touchdown pass. The Oak Grove defense then stopped Starkville on two final drives to preserve the victory.
"Defense wins championships," Causey said. "They definitely bowed their neck. When we got ourselves in a bind in the fourth quarter, they bowed up and won the game for us in the end."
Oak Grove finishes the season with a 13-1 overall record.
"We have been lucky to have a lot of great coaches," Causey said. "We have some great coaches on our staff who work extremely hard. They do a good job of getting the kids ready to go. This is a team effort. It's not just one of us. It's all of us. It's all of the players. It's the administration. It's our fans. It's everybody."
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