Different week, same result.
Hattiesburg’s onslaught on any and all competition continued Friday night, as the Tigers dominated Wayne County at D.I. Patrick Stadium, 49-6. Jarod Conner and Drexlan Allen combined for 198 rushing yards and six touchdowns for the Tigers, who improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Region 4-5A with the win.
“We had to go out and compete,” said Conner. “We knew they [Wayne County] were going to come in and try to fight, so we just had to give them a good game.”
After the War Eagles turned the ball over on downs near midfield on the game’s first possession, Conner led the Tiger offense right down the field for a touchdown drive, capping it off himself with a two-yard run. Wayne County responded on their next drive with a 40-yard rushing score from Zhakerreun Wesley, but that would be the War Eagles’ lone points of the night.
Not to be outdone by Hattiesburg’s ‘Quick-6’ offense, the Tiger defense flexed its muscles against Wayne County’s offense, which was averaging 35 points per game coming into Friday.
“We’re seeing different schemes each week and are having to adjust—sometimes on the run,” said Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance. “They’re doing a good job of doing just that and executing what we ask them to do.”
After Wesley’s touchdown, Hattiesburg followed with 42 unanswered points en route to the blowout win. The Tigers put two more touchdowns on the board in the first half, taking a 21-6 lead into halftime. Allen scored on a 12-yard run and then Conner on a six-yard scamper. Had it not been for a fumble near the goal line, Hattiesburg could’ve easily scored four times and been up 28-6 at the intermission.
The Tigers were able to reach that figure in the second half, scoring four of their seven total touchdowns in the final two quarters.
“I thought we did a much better job in the second half of executing what we were supposed to be doing,” said Vance. “In the first half, we had some plays there and just didn’t do a very good job of executing them.”
In the third quarter, Conner added his third and fourth touchdown of the night. One was another on the ground and the other a 19-yard pass to Darius Ruffin. Also, Allen capped off a strong, birthday performance with a nine-yard score. The Florida Atlantic commit finished with 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“Drex, he’s one helluva runner,” said Conner. “When he gets the ball, they better make sure they’re ready.”
Hattiesburg found the end zone once more in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run from Courtland Harris.
With another blowout win under their belt, the Tigers are now outscoring opponents 380-118 this season. Margin of victory aside, Vance says his team still has a long way to go.
“We have a lot of things to clean up. That’s gotta be a point of emphasis for us.”
What’s Next
Hattiesburg hosts Picayune next Friday night in a pivotal matchup in Region 4-5A. Both teams will enter the game 4-0 in region play, and the winner will have the inside track to capturing the region crown.
