On a cloudy mild November day in Jackson last Friday, Dillon Johnson and Trey Benson played the last games of their careers for the St. Joseph Catholic School Fighting Irish.
Once again, as they have for their entire careers, the dynamic duo was virtually unstoppable as they helped the Irish defeat Indianola Academy 55-24 in the MAIS Class 3A State Championship game.
It was the third straight state championship title for St. Joseph who finished the season with a perfect 13-0 record.
The game was an exclamation point for two of the most talented players to play in Washington County for many seasons, and now the Delta Democrat-Times would like to honor them by naming Benson and Johnson the newspaper’s Co-Most Valuable Players of the Year.
“What more can be said about these two?” St. Joseph Coach John Baker said. “They came together two years ago, and they have now accomplished all of their goals. They are not only both fine football players, but they are also fine young men.”
In the state championship game, Johnson finished with 166 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Benson finished with 111 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The two Fighting Irish running backs, along with teammates like quarterback Mekhi Norris (127 yards rushing and two touchdowns), were so overwhelmingly dominant, in fact, that most of the second half of the state title game was played with a continuous clock to help end the game sooner.
For the record, Johnson finishes the season with 1,665 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns (13.9 yards per carry), and Benson ends the season with 1,783 yards rushing and 28 total touchdowns (16.2 yards per carry).
Johnson and Benson now both move on to play at the highest collegiate level. Johnson has committed to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, and Benson has committed to play for the University of Oregon Ducks.
After winning the title Friday, Johnson and Benson both said they are happy mostly not for themselves but for their family, coaches and teammates who helped them achieve their goals.
These teammates, like Rhoderick Gentry Jr., Devin McCray and Brittain Virden, deserve a lot of credit for helping the two acheive their goals, Johnson said.
Gentry, McCray and Virden
“This means everything to us,” Johnson said.
