Most of the high school sports fans in the Delta experience a psychological shift around this time of year. Their gridiron dreams gave way to season-ending playoff losses and basketball. But Simmons High School Blue Devil faithful have become accustomed to their team marching deep into the playoffs. By virtue of their second-round 20-8 victory over Nanih Waiya on Friday, the Blue Devils earned a berth in the South State 1A final at home against Taylorsville.
“I really like the way that we held our lead and kept playing defensively throughout the game,” said Blue Devils head coach Jarvis Williams. “We were up 14-0 at halftime and never let them get any momentum. We played great defense, and that’s what has helped push us forward.”
Coach Williams’ observation of how well the Blue Devils defense played on Friday is indicative how they have shut opponents down all season. The win moved the Blue Devils to an impressive 11-0 and continues a trend of teams rarely finding the end zone against Simmons defenders. “Defense wins ball games,” Williams said. “I don’t necessarily look at records, but I’m hoping that if we continue to put two or three touchdowns on the board that the defense can take care of the rest. Our defensive coordinator always puts together a great game plan, and our players execute it well."
Last Friday night’s opponent was a very familiar one to the Blue Devils over the past few years in late round playoff battles. In 2017 the Blue Devils defeated Nanih Waiya in the state championship game, and Nanih Waiya returned the favor the following year.”
Williams said Simmons has not played Taylorsville for a couple of years, but he knows all about the type of opponent they will be up against. “They’ve always been one of the top teams in 1A,” Williams said. “They beat us in the third round of the playoffs year before last if I recall correctly. They are always physical, discipline, and they like to throw the ball a lot on offense.”
From a geographical standpoint, it is very logical that Taylorsville finds itself in the South State Championship game this coming Friday- but given Simmons’ location in northwest Mississippi, not so much. “I’m not really sure how it happened,” Williams said. “But I think we reclassification happened a few years ago, not enough 1A teams were in the south district, and that’s how we ended up there.”
A win Friday would put Simmons in back-to-back state championship games- a contest that left a bitter taste in their mouths last year. Simmons lost by one point after being up most of the game in 2024. “With each play and each snap of the ball, our players are trying to finish the mission,” Williams explained.
