VARDAMAN – Running back Cortez Frizell ran for two touchdowns and the Durant Tigers made the most of five Vardaman turnovers to defeat the Rams 30-7 in the Class 1A North State Championship game this past Friday night.

Durant (13-1, 7-0 Region 2-1A) converted the first Vardaman (9-4, 5-2 Region 1-1A) turnover into a 51-yard touchdown run by Frizell to take an 8-0 lead after Joffie Hogsett found David Hogsett on the two-point conversion pass.

The Tigers hauled in a tipped pass around mid-field on the Rams’ ensuing drive and once again cashed in on the miscue when Frizell found the end zone on a 24-yard run to take a 14-0 lead at the 6:16 mark of the first quarter.

Vardaman opened the second half with an impressive opening drive capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Chris Armstrong. Bobo Whaley added the extra point to cut the Tiger’s lead in half 14-7 with 7:19 left in the third.

Durant answered with a time consuming drive that ate up nearly six minutes off the clock before Jamie Jenkins and Octavious McKinney stopped Frizell on a fourth-and-two run play to get the ball back in the closing seconds of the third quarter.

Once again a promising Vardaman drive ended on a turnover, but the defense held strong until the latter stages of the final frame when Joffie Hogsett was forced to scramble on a fourth-and-goal situation and dove into the end zone on a 4-yard run to put the Tigers up 22-7 with 4:38 remaining in the contest.

Durant’s final score came on the Rams’ fifth turnover of the night when Travis Johnson scooped up a fumble and returned it 38-yards for a touchdown. Tiger Coach Ashley Kuhn surprisingly took a timeout after the score to set up a two-point conversion play that Frizell successfully converted to pick up the 30-7 victory.

“The kids played their hardest against a talented football team. They (Durant) are going to Jackson for a reason, but I am real proud of how much effort the kids played with,” said second-year head coach Justin Hollis.

Frizell finished the game with 228 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as the Tigers compiled 294 yards of total offense on 46 plays from scrimmage. They were penalized six times for 45 yards and committed two turnovers on the night.

Vardaman finished with 114 yards of total offense on 43 plays and were flagged four times for 40 yards. Chris Armstrong rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, Bobo Whaley had 40 yards on 3 carries, Lavoris Hactchett 26 yards on 4 carries.

Cody Jenkins added 5 yards rushing on 7 carries and 21 yards on 7-of-13 passing with two interceptions. Tay Ewing hauled in three receptions for 28 yards, Arsenio Lee 17 yards on 2 catches, Donta Walker had 13 yards while Dewayne Armstrong added 4 yards on one catch each.

“We got down 14-0 to a good football team, but we came out at halftime and kept playing hard to get back into it, but we just made too many mistakes and against a good football team you can’t turn it over any,” Hollis said.

For seniors Bobo Whaley, Willie Lee, Steve Boyd, Chris Whittle, Jonathon Haire, and Jeremy Penson it was a bitter-sweet ending to the season as not many people gave the Rams a shot of advancing to the North State title game.

“I love those six guys,” said Hollis. “We talked about how after we got beat by Okolona that we had to bow up and get it done, it was their job to lead us and they did. I am so proud of them and they will always hold a special place in my heart.”

For the nearly 25 underclassmen returning to the team next season there will be plenty to build on for the future.

“I’m proud of these younger guys and the way they play for the older guys, but we want get back here and get it done next year and that starts with a lot hard work starting on Monday,” said Hollis.

Durant will take on Mt. Olive (9-5) Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Class 1A State Championship game.

Class 2A and 6A will take the main stage on Friday. Ackerman (13-0) will take on Bassfield (12-2) at 3:00 p.m. before South Panola (13-1) will take on Oak Grove (11-2) at 7:00 p.m.

Former Vardaman assistant Coach Chris Duncan and the Class 3A Aberdeen Bulldogs (13-2) will take on Tylertown (14-0) Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Lafayette County (14-1) will take on the high-scoring St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws (13-1) at 3:00 p.m. in the Class 4A Championship game. Class 5A title game between West Point (13-1) and Wayne County (11-3) will wrap up the championship weekend at 7:00 p.m.

The games can be seen on your local affiliate of the Mississippi Public Broadcast TV.