Biggersville beats Velma Jackson for first Mississippi football state championship: Live updates recap
Biggersville lost its star player, but it didn't matter against Velma Jackson on Thursday at Ole Miss.
Biggersville (12-1) won 53-49 in a back-and-forth game where Drew Rowsey and Tre Gunn picked up the slack after Louisville commit Jathan Hatch went down with an injury.
Rowsey finished with six touchdown passes, completing 21 of 25 passes for 373 yards.
Two of those went to Tre Gunn, who scored two more TDs on the ground. Hatch suffered a hamstring injury in the first half, but his teammates picked up the slack.
It's Biggersville's first Mississippi high school football state championship, claiming the Class 1A trophy.
Gunn finished with 188 yards receiving and 77 yards rushing.
Gavin Griffin was unbelievable for Velma Jackson (13-1), rushing for 316 yards on 28 carries with six touchdowns.
Read below for a live-updates recap from the game.
FINAL: Biggersville 53, Velma Jackson 49
FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Tre Gunn scores from 2 yards out and Biggersville leads 53-49 with nine seconds left.
Timeout Biggersville, first and goal on the Velma Jackson 2-yard line with 14 seconds left, trailing 49-47.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Mistake on the punt snap and it's Biggersville ball on the Velma Jackson 29 with less than three minutes left, trailing by two.
Biggersville tries the onside kick but Velma Jackson recovers at its own 48.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Drew Rowsey hits Zialis Blackmon from 3 yards out to complete an impressive, time-consuming drive for Biggersville, trimming Velma Jackson's lead to 49-47 with 4:23 left. That's Rowsey's sixth TD pass.
TOUCHDOWNS FALCONS! Gavin Griffin again, this time from 37 yards out on a drive that's all him. He's over 300 yards rushing for the game now with six touchdowns and Velma Jackson leads 49-40 after also getting the two-point conversion. 10:40 left.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Tre Gunn scores on an incredible 52-yard touchdown catch-and-run to start the quarter, but the two-point conversion fails. Velma Jackson leads 41-40 with 11:50 left.
THIRD QUARTER UPDATES
Quarter ends with Velma Jackson leading 41-34, Biggersville ball first and 20 on its own 48.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! Another TD for Gavin Griffin. He runs in from 4 yards out after his 60-yard scamper set it up. Two-point conversion is called back by a penalty, and then it fails to make it 41-34 Velma Jackson with 2:38 left. That was the 10th Velma Jackson penalty, preventing the Falcons from going up by two scores.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Tre Gunn rushes in from 4 yards out, pounding the pylon with a lunge after he made two huge first-down catches to set it up. The extra point is blocked so it's 35-34 Velma Jackson with 3:19 left.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Tyshun Willis comes up inches short on fourth and 3 and it's Biggersville ball on its own 47.
Another short punt for Biggersville and Velma Jackson has good field position at its own 43 with 7:34 remaining in the quarter, leading 35-28.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! There's that man again. Gavin Griffin powers his way to the end zone from 33 yards out and Velma Jackson adds a two-point conversion to make it 35-28 Falcons with 9:01 left.
The rain has picked up, and Biggersville had two fumbles on its first drive but recovered both. Lions punt and it's Velma Jackson ball in Biggersville territory with 9:43 left.
Second half is underway. Biggersville starts from its own 16, leading 28-27. Jathan Hatch took the kickoff and did not look comfortable.
HALFTIME STATS
Thus far the game has mostly come down to Biggersville's passing offense against Velma Jackson's rushing offense.
Biggersville quarterback Drew Rowsey has completed 8 of 9 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns, while Velma Jackson running back Gavin Griffin has 19 carries for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
Griffin's fumble was the lone turnover in the first half, and Biggersville two-way star Jathan Hatch's injury was the biggest play that went beyond the box score. His return in the second half is questionable as his right hamstring injury is evaluated.
SECOND QUARTER UPDATES
Not only has Biggersville rallied back to take the lead, the Lions will get the ball first to start the second half. And we're on pace for 110 points.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Biggersville takes a 28-27 lead with 5 seconds left after a 7-yard TD catch for Jayce Taylor. A 42-yard run by Tre Gunn on the first play of the drive was the key play. What a half.
FUMBLE! After another tough Gavin Griffin run, Tre Gunn strips the ball and Biggersville recovers. Lions with a shot to take the lead to end the half.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Biggersville answers right back with another Drew Rowsey-Brooks Seago connection, this time for 64 yards. It's 27-21 Velma Jackson with 2:30 left in the half.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! Gavin Griffin just can't be stopped. He dives in from a yard out after a 34-yard stiff-arm-fueled run set it up. The Velma Jackson lead is back up to 27-14 with 2:47 left after a failed two-point try.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! Rowsey finds Brooks Seago for a 6-yard touchdown catch. Two big third-down conversions by Jayce Taylor (catch) and Tre Gunn (run) were key. But Hatch has not returned to the game. It's 21-14 Velma Jackson with 4:32 left.
Jathan Hatch gets a first-down run and then grabs his hamstring out of bounds. His health is definitely something to watch here (for Louisville fans too).
Biggersville gets a big stop to force a punt, but it could have been bigger. Earlier in the drive it looked like Terrelle Smith threw a backward pass, which could have been returned for a potential Lions TD but it was ruled incomplete. Biggersville on its own 44 with 8:32 left, trailing 21-7.
Crushing start to the quarter for Biggersville. A 40-yard touchdown pass to Tre Gunn is nullified by a penalty for an illegal man downfield. Then the Lions punt. Velma Jackson ball on its own 2, leading 21-7.
FIRST QUARTER UPDATES
Bad news for Biggersville is back-to-back sacks and then another loss to set up fourth-and-29. Good news is that Jathan Hatch is back on the field. And that's it for the first quarter.
Jathan Hatch follows a nice kick return with a 13-yard run, but he stays down after getting hit on the sidelines, apparently rolling an ankle.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! Gavin Griffin again from 5 yards out, and this time he adds a two-point conversion as well. It's 21-7 Velma Jackson with 3:34 left. A sack by Tyshun Willis on third and long helped the Falcons work with a short field.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! That drive was all Gavin Griffin, and he finishes it off with a 5-yard TD run. Kick is wide left by a lot and it's 13-7 Velma Jackson with 6:31 left.
Velma Jackson threatening to score right back after Biggersville tried an onside kick.
TOUCHDOWN LIONS! And boom, it takes one play. Tre Gunn grabs a 76-yard TD pass from Drew Rowsey and the potential track meet is on. It's 7-7 with 9:01 left.
Biggersville starts on its own 24 as the Lions look to answer.
TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! Terrelle Smith fires a 33-yard strike to Tyshun Willis to kick off the scoring. It's 7-0 Velma Jackson with 9:18 left.
Game on! Velma Jackson starts on its own 32 after a squib kick.
PREGAME UPDATES
Biggersville won the toss and deferred. Velma Jackson's high-powered offense will start with the ball.
PREGAME READING
Running back Gavin Griffin, the reigning 1A Mr. Football in Mississippi, leads the offense for Velma Jackson, but the Falcons are just as adept in the air.
Griffin has 32 touchdowns on the ground this season, and quarterback Terrelle Smith has thrown 33 touchdown passes.
Louisville commit Jathan Hatch leads Biggersville on both sides of the ball.
The Lions could use a game from the safety/running back/wide receiver mirroring the one he had last week in a rout of Vardaman — when Hatch had three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns, plus a 50-yard TD reception.
Velma Jackson finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in SBLive Mississippi's Class 1A rankings, with Biggersville earning the No. 4 spot.
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(Biggersville file photo by Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger via Imagn Content Services)
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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
