HATTIESBURG — As the MHSAA’s football championship weekend concluded Satursday night, the Tide came in Saturday night and swept away Mississippi’s top dynasty.

Dante Dowdell ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns, and the Picayune Maroon Tide held West Point scoreless in the second half en route to a 40-21 victory in the Class 5A championship game.

Freshman Darrell Smith ran for 88 yards, including 59 on a touchdown in the third quarter that put Picayune (14-1) ahead to stay. Dowdell scored on a 2-yard run with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter to make it 34-21, and Jamonta Waller added a 35-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown on the following drive to give the Maroon Tide a three-score lead.

Chris Davis also had 139 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Picayune won its sixth state championship, avenged a loss to West Point in the 2019 Class 5A championship game, and denied one of Mississippi’s top high school football programs the ultimate prize again.

West Point (11-1) reached the Class 5A final for the sixth consecutive season, but lost it for the second year in a row.

Class 2A
Scott Central 72, Leflore County 24
Quez Goss accounted for eight touchdowns, and Scott Central (15-0) finished an undefeated season with a record-setting performance in the Class 2A championship game.

Scott Central shattered the MHSAA for most points in a championship game, in any classification. Bassfield had set the record in its 60-35 win over Calhoun City in the 2014 Class 2A title game.

The Rebels won their second Class 2A championship in four seasons.

Goss completed 17 of 24 passes for 350 yards and six touchdowns, and added 103 yards and two touchdowns rushing.
Javieon Butler and Dee Burks each caught two TD passes. Butler finished with six receptions for 142 yards, and Burks had five for 88 yards. The Rebels had 506 yards of total offense, while holding Leflore County to 195.

Dekari Johnson led Leflore County (10-3) with 148 total yards and three touchdowns. Johnson had 67 rushing yards, 81 receiving yards, and scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and on a 70-yard kickoff return.

Class 4A
Columbia 22, Senatobia 21
Kentrell Jackson returned a fumble 81 yards for the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, and Columbia (14-1) hung on to beat Senatobia (12-3) in the Class 4A championship game.

Senatobia drove inside Columbia’s 5-yard line with less than a minute to play, but missed a 20-yard field goal that would have won it. Instead, it was Columbia that won its second title and first since 1982.

Omar Johnson led Columbia with 89 rushing yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. Hunter Mabry caught three touchdown passes for Senatobia.