‘I couldn’t ask anymore.’ Dodd Lee’s 24-year run at Picayune ends in title game loss.
Dodd Lee’s final game as the Picayune High School football coach ended with a slow, quiet walk back to the locker room with his players following and a second-place trophy in his hand.
West Point won its fourth consecutive Class 5A state championship with a 38-26 victory over the Maroon Tide at M.M. Roberts Stadium as Lee coached the final game of his 24-year run as the Picayune head coach.
Lee showed the competitive fire that his players, coaches and fans have come to expect, but he was gracious in defeat on Saturday night.
“They beat us doing what we beat people doing,” Lee said. “They did it better than we did. I’ve got to give them credit. They were tough. They’re great competitors. They beat us at our own game. I’ve got to pat them on the back and say nice job.
“We had our chances and we never quit and I’m proud of that, but they were the better team.”
The emotions were flowing for Picayune as they arrived at the stadium on Saturday.
“They were at times, emotional,” he said. “But when the game started, I was fine. When we got here and started warming up, I think it was OK.”
Picayune’s season ended shy of the ultimate goal with a record of 14-1, but Lee had only good things to say about his squad.
“I couldn’t ask anymore out of them, bless their heart,” he said. “They played banged up, but that’s football. Everybody plays banged up. To get a lot, you’ve got to ask a lot. Our coaching staff did a great job. They ask a lot of those kids. I ask a lot of them and we got it out of them.”
While most plan fishing trips as they enter retirement, Lee acknowledged Saturday night that he doesn’t plan to step away completely from the coaching profession.
“Monday, I’m probably going to go help Seth Smith recruit some football players,” he said.
Smith, who is Lee’s son-in-law reception stepped down at East Central High School to become the head coach at Pearl River Community College.
Senior offensive lineman Timothy Jay Mickle was full of emotion as he wrapped up his high school playing career.
“It’s heartbreaking. We worked all year for this,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking, it really is. We played our hearts out tonight. I wish we would have gotten it done, but we came up short.
“Everybody was all in. Everybody was intense. Everybody was cool with each other. Everybody knew each other. That’s what I’m going to miss the most. It’s just like family here.”
Green Wave roll
West Point rolled off 21 unanswered points to go up 21-7 with 8:07 left in second quarter before Picayune senior running back Cameron Thomas provided a badly needed spark on a 75-yard touchdown. He got to the edge, sprinted to the sideline and outran the West Point secondary on the way to the end zone.
With 3:05 left in the first half, the West Point lead was cut to 21-14. On the next play following the kickoff, Picayune senior defensive back Jaylon Hall stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception 39 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point was no good and West Point led 21-20 at the half.
West Point (15-1) scored the first 10 points of the second half — a 5-yard TD run by Brandon Harris and a 23-yard field goal by sophomore Alex Harper to make it 31-20 with 6:15 left.
Picayune answered on its next offensive snap with Isaac Hickman hitting Thomas for a 70-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good, setting the West Point lead at 31-26 with 5:55 remaining.
Again, West Point answered on the following possession with Harris finding Jayden Floyd on a 57-yard touchdown pass to give the Green Wave first and goal at the Picayune 10. Three plays later, Kelviontae Gibbs punched in the end zone from three yards out to give West Point the 38-26 lead with 3:54 left.
Thomas had one of his least productive games of the season against a tough West Point defense, running 21 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns. He also had the one reception for 70 yards and a TD.
Harris was the MVP of the game, completed two of three passes for 109 yards and running 15 times for 58 yards and two scores.
Dantariyus Cannon also had a nice night on the ground for Starkville, running 13 times for 128 yards.
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 11:05 PM.
