Region barnburner Hattiesburg American - October 13, 2007 By JEFF O'REAR Football games between Oak Grove and

Meridian have become the premier rivalry this decade in Class 5A football in South Mississippi. Friday night's contest added another chapter. Both teams found themselves in a back-and-forth slugfest, with Meridian squeaking out a 36-35 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Warrior Field. "Typical Oak Grove-Meridian," Meridian head coach Larry Weems said. "On Friday night, if you go anywhere in America to see a better one, I don't know where it'd be. It was an outstanding high school football game. "I don't think anybody is going to ask for their money back tonight." Weems' assessment of the game was right on target as the lead changed hands twice during a 90-second span midway through the fourth quarter, and both teams committed key turnovers during the last five minutes of the game. The Wildcats (5-2, 2-1 in Region 3-5A) stopped a late Oak Grove (4-2, 2-1) drive in the waning seconds to seal the narrow victory "We kept fighting back and fighting back," Oak Grove head coach Nevil Barr said. "I just wish we had a chance to kick that field goal (at the end of the game). "Nothing's lost here but one football game. That's all it is. One game. All the stuff we want to accomplish, we can still accomplish." Meridian was led by junior quarterback Tyler Russell, who scorched the Oak Grove defense for 351 passing yards and five touchdowns. For Oak Grove, Michael Hawthorne was the workhorse, scoring four of the Warriors' five touchdowns. Oak Grove could find a bright spot in one category junior quarterback Josh Larson, in his first start, held his own against the Wildcats. Larson was 18-for-30 for 234 passing yards and no interceptions. "I think I did pretty good for my first time starting," an exhausted Larson said after the game. "After a few plays, I got used to it." Larson was put through a trial by fire quickly and often against Meridian, especially in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats held a 29-21 lead at the beginning of the quarter until Larson found Raphael Peters for a 43-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion failed, but the Warriors cut the Wildcats' lead to 29-27 with just over 11 minutes to play. Meridian drove inside Warrior territory on its next possession with a first-and-10 from the Oak Grove 46, but the Warriors held on fourth-and-1 and got the ball at their own 40.

Larson took the Warriors down the field, aided by a crucial pass interference call and 31 yards by Hawthorne on two carries. That set up a first-and-goal at the Meridian 2. Hawthorne punched it in two plays later, then Larson hit Knute Douglas for the 2-point conversion, putting Oak Grove up 35-29 with 6:47 left in the game. Meridian wasted no time answering back for what would prove to be the game-winning score. Starting at their own 20, the Wildcats took only four plays to take the lead back on a 35-yard pass from Russell to Hamp Glover. The Alvero Alvarez extra point put Meridian up 36-35 with 5:31 left in the game. Oak Grove fumbled on the first play of the next drive, but then got the ball back at its own 28 when Russell fumbled for Meridian. Larson came into the game with 2:32 left and led the Warriors into Wildcats territory with 48 seconds left, but two intentional grounding calls negated the drive, and it stalled at midfield, ending the game. "I was just thinking he (Weems) would pressure me," Larson said of the final drive. "I was going to try to lead my team to victory." In the first half, both teams combined for 50 points. Hawthorne put the Warriors up 7-0 on a 4-yard run with 8:18 left in the first quarter. Meridian tied the score and then took the lead before the quarter ended. Russell hit Marcus McQuarley twice in the first quarter for touchdowns on passes of 21 and 69 yards. Cedrick Blanks ran in the 2-point conversion after the second touchdown and Meridian led 15-7 after the first quarter. Both teams traded scores in the second quarter. Hawthorne scored first for Oak Grove on a 5-yard run, then Bo Jackson ran in the 2-point conversion, knotting the score at 15-15. Meridian took over again with Russell hitting Glover for a 25-yard pass, putting Meridian up 22-15. Hawthorne scored his third touchdown of the half on a 2-yard run, but the extra point failed, and Meridian still held the lead at 22-21. The Wildcats scored again right before the half when Quarderal Martin scored from 7-yards out and Meridian took a 29-21 lead in halftime.