JACKSON-BOUND: Panthers punch Meridian in the mouth, 23-14, win South State

Posted 11:10 p.m.

MERIDIAN — The dream continues.

Petal matched Meridian stride for stride on Friday night at Ray Stadium, with a defense just as stifling and the big plays needed to drop the Wildcats 23-14 to win the South State Championship and advance to the State Championship next week.

It was the first time since Sept. 14, 2007 that anyone defeated Meridian on its home field. That was a seven-point loss to visiting Wayne County.

“This thing didn’t start tonight,” Petal head coach Steve Buckley said, “it started five years ago, and it’s just an unbelievable effort from these kids. We had chances to lay it down, and the message was to will yourself to win, and we just willed ourselves to win. We made plays offensively, we made plays defensively, we made plays in the kicking game. Things didn’t go good early and we just kept fighting.

“Honestly, we never quit believing. On the radio coming home last week we heard them talk about everybody in the state but Petal. These kids just will their way, that’s all I can say.”

With the offense struggling and its ground game virtually nonexistent against a fast and furious Meridian defensive unit, a 63-yard bomb from quarterback Anthony Alford to wideout Jamarcus Revies flipped the contest on its head, beginning a 16-point swing that took only a minute and 20 seconds and gave the Panthers a 9-8 lead they never relinquished.

Petal receiver Jamarcus Revies had two catches for 95 yards and turned the game with a 63-yard scoring grab late in the third quarter as Petal defeated Meridian 23-14 and won South State. (Photo by David Gustafson)

“My coaches told me to look for the ball,” Revies said. “They told me all week that in man coverage we’re going to throw the ball, because can’t nobody cover our receivers when it’s man to man. So I just beat man coverage and the ball was there.

“They’re fast and physical and play sound defense. It’s hard to find mistakes, but when we do we capitalize.”

Meridian couldn’t gain any ground against the Petal stopping unit, which held the hosts to 265 yards of total offense and only 22 rushing yards in the second half.

In fact, 72 of Meridian’s 158 yards on the ground came on the second play of the game, when running back Michael Hubbard broke through the front seven and had nothing but end zone in front of him. But Revies came up with a huge play — this time on defense — when he tracked down Hubbard and stripped the ball free on the goal line, allowing the Panthers to cover in the end zone and prevent the score.

“I just have have three words for our defense: we are ready,” Revies said.

Revies had two catches for 95 yards and added 15 yards on the ground. Akeem Pollard led all receivers with four catches for 98 yards.

Alford — who pulled his hamstring early in the game and was held to 41 yards on 24 carries — was 7-of-15 for 206 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

That pick ended Petal’s first drive of the game, and Jibril Cox took the interception back 62 yards to the Panther 3-yard line. Three plays later Hubbard (18 rushes for 127 yards) bull his way two yards over the goal line and a two-point conversion made the score 8-0 five minutes into the game.

But even as it became a battle of two brilliant defenses, Petal was able to muster a little momentum as it got the ball back on a punt and started a drive at its own 26 late in the second quarter. A 13-play drive was capped by a Tristan Reynolds 45-yard field goal that scraped the crossbar of the uprights but got through with 2:11 left in the first half to trail 8-3 going into the break.

It was more of the same in the third quarter as the two teams traded punts twice, but some offensive adjustments paid off late in the period. Backed up on their own 3, the Panthers went to the air when Alford hit Pollard down the left sideline for a 32-yard gain and some breathing room. Two plays later Revies left his cornerback in the dust and reeled in Alfords throw for the game-changing play.

“Jamarcus came up huge,” Buckley said. “All the receivers came up huge. We knew we had to beat man coverage. … Our running game was halted and Anthony pulled his hamstring on the third play the game. The receivers came up huge.”

Petal running back Terrance Payne cuts back against the grain and tries to find space against a stiff Meridian defense that held the Panthers to under two yards per carry on Friday night. But Petal found success through the air and with it's own top-notch defense and willed its way to victory. (Photo by David Gustafson)

Things fell apart at the seams for Meridian on the next drive, as a sack and a penalty forced the Wildcats into a fourth-and-19 on their own 22. A wild snap on the punt attempt allowed Petal to take possession on the Meridian 1, from which Alford leapt over the top of the pile for a 16-8 advantage with 11:51 left to play, only a minute and 20 seconds after Revies took his catch the distance.

“It goes back to believing,” Buckley said. “We had the same play (bad snap on a punt) and our punter made a play and got the kick off.”

Petal’s defense kept the pressure up, pushing Meridian’s offense backwards, and superb starting field position on the Wildcats’ half of the field set up another 1-yard plunge for Alford four and a half minutes later.

In desperation mode, Meridian was able to get on the scoreboard again, with 3:27 left as Isaac Johnson made a diving, 26-yard TD grab inside the right side of the end zone, but it was too little too late.

Johnson six catches for 58 yards. Freshman Jamar Smith led Meridian in passing, connecting on 8 of 14 passes for 101 yards and a score.

Petal will get to celebrate its South State trophy for a brief moment before turning its attention to the final game of the season.

The Panthers now play for the state championship on Friday at 7 p.m. at Veterans Stadium in Jackson. They’ll face Olive Branch, 40-35 winners over Madison Central in North State. It is the first time either program will play for a state title.

“It means a lot to the whole team and the community,” Revies said. “We’re giving it out to the players, the coaches, the fans and the community.”

Check back for a full photo gallery of game action…

PETAL 23
MERIDIAN 14

Score by Quarter
Petal                 0   3   6    14—23
Meridian         8   0   0     6—14

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
M—Hubbard 2 run, (S. Cole pass from Smith), 7:04.
Second Quarter
P—Reynolds 45 field goal, 2:11.
Third Quarter
P—Revies 63 pass from Alford, (pass failed), 1:11.
Fourth Quarter
P—Alford 1 run, (Reynolds kick), 11:51.
P—Alford 1 run, (Reynolds kick), 7:25.
M—Johnson 26 pass from Smith, (run failed), 3:27.

TEAM STATISTICS
P                   M
First Downs                14                     11
Rushes-Yards               37-72                35-158
Comp-Att-Int               7-15-1               10-20-0
Passing Yards              206                   107
Total Plays-Yards         52-278               55-265
Fumbles-Lost              0-0                    2-1
Punts-Avg.                  4-32.8               4-31.8
Penalties-Yards            5-49                  9-70

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Petal—Alford 24-41, Payne 9-16, Revies 4-15.
Meridian—Hubbard 18-127, Cox 7-19, Smith 4-19, Johnson 3-18, Team 3-(-25)
Passing
Petal—Alford 7-of-14, 206 yds., TD, Int.; Barkurn 0-of-1.
Meridian—Smith 8-of-14, 101 yds., TD.; Cox 2-of-6, 6 yds.
Receiving
Petal—Pollard 4-98, Revies 2-95, Jackson 1-13.
Meridian—Johnson 6-58, Grant 2-24, Cole 1-16.