The last thing separating Tupelo from back-to-back state titles is a Gulfport squad that has steamrolled its way through the south.
The Golden Wave and Gulfport will battle for a Class 7A championship tonight in Starkville. Gulfport has outscored its three playoff opponents 130-24.
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“We’re excited to get another opportunity for this,” Tupelo head coach Ty Hardin said. “Two years in a row and with a totally different type of team that we had last year, so I think that says a lot about our program and our staff and these kids. We’re blessed, we’re honored, we’re excited to get to go play Saturday night and somewhere that’s close for us.”
Quarterback Braylen Williams left last week’s win over Oxford injured, but Hardin said he’s good to go for the championship game.
“Just a little minor rolled ankle. He’s better, he’s practicing and we’re good to go,” Hardin said.
Tupelo’s defense has only allowed 14.1 points per game, but the Golden Wave will have their hands full this week. The Golden Wave’s stout defense has been especially stingy against the run, which they’ll need against Gulfport’s rushing attack. Leading rusher Cooper Crosby has 1,631 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground.
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“I think it’s doing our job defensively, being gap-sound and tackling him when we get to the point of hitting him,” Hardin said. “Just basically hitting him and winning the line of scrimmage, that’s what we’ve got to be. We’ve got to know it’s going to be some head-knocking for four quarters, and we’ve got to sustain it.”
In addition to Crosby’s efforts on the ground, the Admirals can sling it. Quarterback Parker Nettles has thrown for over 2,500 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. There’s a reason why Gulfport has scored nearly 500 points this season.
“They are a unique team, man, I think we’re similar in some areas,” Hardin said. “Our strength is stopping the run, their strength is running the ball, so we’re comparable in those areas. It’s definitely a trenches game. They’ve got a quarterback that can make a lot of plays. They’re a really well-coached team; they present some problems.”
Tupelo will counter with its own high-octane ground game, especially with a healthy Williams. In last year’s championship game against Brandon, the Golden Wave leaned on running back J.J. Hill, who had 224 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 34 carries as well as a receiving touchdown. Hill, a senior playing in his last game for Tupelo, has the championship experience, but the presence of Williams and running back Kylan Bobo should only make Tupelo even harder to stop this year.
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“Definitely nice (Hill) being here before and him playing the way he did last year and knowing it’s his last game in the blue and gold and having guys like Kylan Bobo and Braylen Williams that can run it, too, that helps us a lot,” Hardin said.
