When it comes to the Hattiesburg-Laurel rivalry and the Battle for the Little Brown Jug, no chapters are created equal.
“It’s always going to be interesting,” Hattiesburg head coach Tony Vance said. “I can promise you that.”
Vance wasn’t around for their first meeting in 1922, a 12-0 Laurel win. He has, however, been on the sideline the last four, all Hattiesburg wins. The latest came Saturday night “Between the Bricks”, as the Tigers held off the Golden Tornadoes, 20-14, to retain the jug for a fourth-straight season.
“That makes our seniors undefeated in the jug game in their career,” Vance said. “That’s something they’ll always cherish and remember.”
Maybe none so more than Dexter Jordan. After a year of concentrating on baseball, Jordan made his long-awaited return to the gridiron Saturday night. It was like he never left.
“I took a year off from it, and I really wanted to do it again,” Jordan said.
“There’s nothing better.”
Only fitting that Jordan sealed the win for the Tigers. Shortly after Hattiesburg took a 20-14 lead on a 3-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jarod Conner, Laurel’s offense was putting together a last-minute drive. The Golden Tornadoes made it all the way to the red zone, only to have Jordan intercept quarterback Xavier Evans as time expired.
“I read it really well,” Jordan said of the pick. “They were trying to get something over the middle. I dropped back and did what coach said. The ball came right to me.”
Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships. That was the message Vance had for his team after the contest. What was a liability at times last season has quickly turned into one of the Tigers’ strongpoints.
“Proud of our defense,” Vance said. “I thought they grew up tonight and played a heckuva ballgame.”
Vance was also proud of Tiger quarterback Jarod Conner, who in just his second start under center, looked a lot like his predecessor, Julian Conner. Jarod passed for 139 yards and a touchdown, which went to Dandre Humbles. He added 84 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
“He [Jarod] has come into his own and done a great job of taking care of the football when he’s running it,” Vance said. “He’s only going to get better.”
The Tigers improved to 2-0 with the win. Moving forward with tough games on the horizon, Vance is only thinking about one thing.
“We’ve got a chance to be the team we want to be by the end of the season,” Vance said. “We’ve got to continue to grow and get better as a football team.”
The Golden Tornadoes were led in Saturday’s game by Xavier Evans, who passed for 86 yards and a touchdown to Kobe Ulmer. Evans added 78 yards on the ground for Laurel, who fell to 1-1 with the loss.
Hattiesburg Stat Leaders:
-Passing: Jarod Conner (12-26 for 139 yards and a touchdown)
-Rushing: Jarod Conner (17 carries for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns)
-Receiving: Dandre Humbles (6 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown)
Laurel Stat Leaders:
-Passing: Xavier Evans (8-18 for 86 yards and a touchdown)
-Rushing: Xavier Evans (15 carries for 78 yards)
-Rushing: Zias Perryman (11 carries for 36 yards and a touchdown)
-Receiving: Kobe Ulmer (2 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown)
