‘It’s the best feeling in the world.’ Picayune wins 5A state championship
Picayune defensive end Jamonta Waller saw the football hit the turf in front of him in the fourth quarter of the 5A state title game. West Point was attempting a reverse in its own backfield but the ball sailed and bounced into Waller’s hands with nothing but green grass ahead of him.
“I seen the ball and I was like ‘I got to get it,’” Waller said after the game. “It just ended up in my hands and I just took it. I’m so happy, I’m just happy.”
Waller threw his hands into the air in triumph as he trotted into the end zone to put the game on ice and help give the Maroon Tide a 40-21 win over the Green Wave and a new trophy for its case back home.
“That was the biggest turning point right there,” Picayune head coach Cody Stogner said. “That was able to put us up the two scores that we really needed.”
The Maroon Tide rode their backfield throughout the game and handed West Point a steady dose of downfield running. Picayune ran for 393 yards and five touchdowns as a team on 7.4 yards per carry.
Stogner’s running backs gashed the Green Wave defense with their own unique styles inside M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Dante Dowdell ran with power, punishing defenders in the box while finding the endzone twice on runs of seven and two yards.
Chris Davis did it with speed, exploding through the gaps and losing defenders at the third level on his way to touchdowns of 37 and 73 yards.
Together the dynamic duo brought Picayune its first state championship since 2013 and sixth in school history.
“We all work together,” Dowdell said. “Chris, he’s got speed. Me, I pound them. I wear them out. It opened it up for our other running backs sometimes so it all just works together.”
Dowdell took home his own personal hardware after being named the game’s MVP for his 148-yard performance. Davis accompanied him over the triple-digit mark with 139 yards.
Splash plays dominated the game but they weren’t exclusive to Davis and Dowdell. Fullback Darnell Smith broke off a 59-yard touchdown run that featured a number of missed tackles.
Picayune also converted a key fourth down in the first quarter with a 21-yard pass from Dawson Underwood to Justin Martz to set up its second score of the game.
“It just comes to attitude,” Stogner said. “Our guys showed up with great attitude. They show up every day with it. They know it’s always going to be a grind and it’s not always going to be easy but they find ways.”
The Maroon Tide had to weather the West Point offense early on as the Green Wave responded to each Picayune touchdown with one of their own until they briefly took a 21-20 lead early in the second half.
From that point on, Picayune’s defense dominated. Linebacker Amarion Tyson was a force in the middle of the field, registering 10 tackles and two stops for loss. Tyson was in on back-to-back tackles for loss late in the third quarter to help force a key West Point punt.
“I’m a state champion,” Tyson said. “I’m a sophomore. I’m the littlest guy on the field making plays all over the place and now I’m a state champion, defensive player of the year and defensive MVP of this team.”
West Point ran the ball with ease in the first half but were held to just 2.4 yards per run across the final two quarters as Picayune’s defense stepped up when it mattered most.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Stogner said. “What it comes down to is, is our willpower going to outlast theirs for 48 minutes? For me it felt like the longest 48 minutes of my life.”
A long season that saw the Maroon Tide go undefeated in region play ends with Stogner’s first championship as a head coach.
“It’s hard to describe, it’s the best feeling in the world,” according to Stogner.
This story was originally published December 4, 2021 at 11:40 PM.
