'Big' Louisville wins MHSAA 4A Championship over Columbia, makes case as No. 1 team in Mississippi
OXFORD, Miss. — The Louisville Wildcats went into Saturday’s MHSAA Class 4A Championship game with a chip on their collective shoulder.
They wanted to finish undefeated and prove themselves as the best team in the state. They also needed a 12th golden ball to match West Point for the most among any program in the state.
Check, check and check.
Louisville rode another impressive defensive performance to a 19-6 win over Columbia in a game that wasn’t ever truly in doubt.
“We’ve been so good on that side of the ball all year,” Louisville coach Tyrone Shorter said. “It’s a credit to our kids and our coaching staff and the job they’ve done. They were excellent again today.”
How good was the Wildcat defense?
They held Columbia to 186 yards of total offense, forced three turnovers — one fumble and two interceptions — and held the previously undefeated South State Champions to an 0-7 mark on third down conversion attempts.
They also came up with four quarterback sacks and shut down three fourth-down conversion attempts.
Samarj Knowles led the way with seven tackles and an interception, but there were several stars — linebackers Ja’Cari Owens, Corxavier Coleman and Kendon Sanders combined for 14 stops, including three behind the line of scrimmage.
“Our success starts with our coaches and our hustle,” Sanders said. “Our coaches always call the right plays and schemes and we have so many good players.”
Louisville’s three touchdowns all came on one-yard runs. Quarterback Xavier Hunt accounted for the first two, scoring midway through the first quarter and late in the second to help the Wildcats to a 12-0 halftime lead.
Hunt finished the game with a team-high 47 rushing yards and 109 more through the air, and earned MVP honors.
The other touchdown came late in the third quarter, when Kendon Sanders finished off a 13-play, 83-yard drive and put the Wildcats ahead 19-0.
Columbia drove the field in the fourth quarter, going 98 yards in nine plays, and scored on an 18-yard pass from Collins Haney to Jermiah Foxworth.
As much as they enjoyed the win, the Louisville defenders were still talking about Columbia’s long touchdown drive after the game.
“We’re always trying to get that shut out, and we didn’t get it today,” Sanders said. “We held (Columbia) to six, but just so you know, we don’t like that six.”
The loss was the first for Columbia in over a calendar year.
Outside of the long touchdown drive, the South State champs couldn’t find any rhythm. Amarion Fortenberry finished with 50 yards rushing, and Haney completed 10 of his 22 passes for 133 yards.
Coach Chip Bilderbeck said he knew his offense was in for some tough sledding, but that his team’s defensive showing was equally frustrating.
“We just couldn’t get off the field,” he said. “It’s hard to stop a good offense when they are playing well. I was really proud of our team and the way we responded in the second half. We have a lot of fight, and I think we proved we belonged here. (Louisville) is a great team, but we fought them to the end.”
As for “Big” Louisville, the only remaining question is where they fall in the final Power 10 Rankings, and they’ve got a strong case to be the No. 1 team overall when the final rankings release Monday.
As solid as Saturday’s win was, it’s arguably the Wildcats’ third-most impressive win of the season.
Louisville defeated Class 7A North Champion Starkville 26-22 and beat Class 5A Champion West Point 35-14. They also defeated Noxubee County, which was winning the Class 3A Championship at the time of publication.
Asked if he thinks the Wildcats are the best team in the state, Sanders didn’t flinch: “I know we are.”
MHSAA 4A Championship: Louisville vs. Columbia
