‘He’s a monster.’ A Harrison Central star is dominating 2 months after a knee injury.
The Harrison Central football team broke free of a late-season slump Friday night in a 35-28 win at Ocean Springs, and there’s good reason to believe they can build on the victory with Mississippi State commit Jacobi Moore hitting his stride after returning from an early-season injury.
The senior receiver caught seven passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns to help lift the Red Rebels (7-2, 5-2) to a No. 2 finish in Region 4-6A and a first-round home playoff game against Pearl on Nov. 13.
Ocean Springs (9-2, 5-2) will travel to Northwest Rankin in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Harrison Central lost its previous two games in a shocking 21-14 game at Hancock and a 20-13 loss at D’Iberville that clinched the region title for the Warriors.
On Friday against the Greyhounds, it was Harrison Central riding high with Moore again proving that he was the best player on the field.
“It feels real good to step on the field and come back playing like I did,” Moore said. “I had three touchdowns tonight. Nobody can stop me.”
Mississippi State commit Jacobi Moore back on track
If Moore is back to his unstoppable ways, that’s a bad sign for the Pearl Pirates and any other team that stands in the way of Harrison Central and the Class 6A South State title game.
Moore was out for a month after suffering a torn meniscus in his knee during the second game of the season — a 46-7 win over Pascagoula.
He left that game just before halftime, but still managed to come up with five catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns.
Moore returned to action on Oct. 16 at Gulfport, but was mostly used as a decoy and didn’t register a catch.
“He was supposed to be out a little longer, but he’s tough,” Harrison Central sophomore quarterback Christian Turner said.
Moore’s dedication in his rehab allowed him to get back on the field quickly.
“It was therapy and just training at home nonstop,” he said. “I wasn’t doing anything in my off time but getting better with by knee.”
After consistently beating the Ocean Springs secondary on deep passes Friday, Moore declared himself “100 percent” healthy.
At this point, Turner sees Moore showing the same skill set that drew other offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Oregon and Indiana.
“He’s a monster,” Turner said. “He’s too big. He’s too fast. He has good hands. You can’t stop him. He’s good all around.”
Harrison Central hits its stride vs. Ocean Springs
Turner, who completed his first eight passes of the game, finished 12-of-18 passing for 151 yards and three touchdowns. He had the Red Rebels’ other two touchdowns on a pair of two-yard runs, carrying 10 times for 49 yards total.
If Harrison Central is to make a deep run, it’ll be up to Turner and his talented receivers to be at their best.
“Me and Christian have great chemistry,” Moore said. “On the weekends, he’ll come stay at my house and we’ll go to the field and do nothing but throw the balls.”
Ocean Springs sophomore quarterback Brayson Hubbard completed 13 of 22 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he carried 11 times for 109 yards and one touchdown as the Greyhounds’ rally came up short in the fourth quarter.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 12:08 AM.
