Surrounded by fans and players in a scene of chaotic emotion, Tony Vance found an opportunity to reminisce Friday night. He went all the way back to 2013, the year he accepted the head coaching job at Hattiesburg High School.
“I got calls from all around the state, saying, ‘Why would you do that? Why would you take a job at Hattiesburg? You can’t win there’.”
Just minutes before the recollection, Vance’s 2017 Tigers defeated Laurel, 33-22, in capturing the Class 5A South State Championship.
“I said, ‘I believe we can. I believe we can get it done’.”
“The job’s not finished yet,” Vance added. “But we’re a lot closer than we were five years ago.”
Fifteen weeks in, the Tigers have yet to lose in 2017. They improved to 14-0 with their win over rival Laurel, who had knocked them out of the postseason the previous two years. Now, only West Point stands in the way of Hattiesburg’s perfect season. They’ll face off in Oxford next Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the 5A crown.
“I’m so proud of these guys, man. It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Vance said. “They’ve worked their butts off. It started five years ago. They believed when nobody else believed we could get it done.”
“All the work we’ve done, I imagined everything,” Hattiesburg junior running back Drexlan Allen said. “We did all the work, and we deserve it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Allen has been one of the Tigers’ go-to weapons on offense all season long. Friday night was no different, as he finished with 104 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, two of which helped Hattiesburg take a 20-3 lead midway through the third quarter.
“Drex has been solid for us all year long. He’s probably one of the most underrated players on our football team,” Vance said. “He did an excellent job tonight and did what he’s done all year for us. When his number is called, he produces.”
Even with Allen’s heroics, though, Laurel was far from done. The Golden Tornadoes scored their first touchdown of the game late in the third on a three-yard scamper from Zias Perryman. That pulled them to within 10 points heading to the fourth quarter.
“We lost the ball a couple times and recovered it in the first half. Then we come out in the second half and fumble it twice,” Vance said. “Just kind of kept them in the game and made it interesting there at the end. But it’s Hattiesburg-Laurel. What else would you expect?”
Down by 11 with close to a minute left, Laurel successfully recovered an onside kick to keep their hopes alive.
“Our kids never quit all night long,” Laurel head coach Todd Breland said. “They kept fighting. Kind of like we always do.”
The comeback was eventually cut short, though, as Hattiesburg’s defense forced a turnover on downs in the final seconds to secure the win.
“Our defense came out and did what it took to win this game,” Vance said.
The fifth-year head coach was nearly at a loss for words.
“I’m so thankful for these players and this community that’s bought in and accepted me and my family as their own,” Vance said. “I’m almost overcome with emotion.”
As previously mentioned, the Tigers’ final test of the season will come next Saturday night at 7 p.m. against West Point (14-0).
On the other side, Laurel finishes their season at 9-5.
“I’m proud of these kids. I’m proud of where they came from at the beginning of the year to where they are now,” Breland said. “Nobody gave them a chance in the world to be here, and they proved a lot of people wrong. They’ll be better men the rest of their lives for what they did this year.”
Zias Perryman led the way for Laurel with 218 rushing yards on 23 carries.
