Greene Co. wins battle of Wildcats
By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
December 7, 2003
JACKSON Cleveland High School head football coach Mickey Sellers rolled the dice on a risky call 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, only to come up with snake eyes.
With one yard to go, the Wildcats of Cleveland, who were clinging to a 13-7 lead, attempted a fourth-down conversion from their 30-yard line against the Wildcats of Greene County.
Greene County stuffed Cleveland running back Ken Cox and went on to score 21 unanswered points for a 28-13 victory in the Class 3A championship game Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
"I put (our defense) in a very difficult situation, but if I had to do it again, I would do the same thing," said Sellers, whose team finished with a 13-3 record. "We did not get here being conservative. I have a ton of confidence in our offensive line and running back."
Greene County running back Carlos Moody scored 11 plays after Cleveland turned the ball over on downs to give his team a 14-13 lead, with 6:40 left to play.
Greene County defensive back Lance Moore sealed the win. intercepting a pass at Green County's 35-yard line and returning it 65 yards for the score and a 21-13 advantage, with 6:25 left in the game.
"Coach (Johnny Ainsworth) was telling us that somebody had to make a big play," Moore said. "I just backed up, went up and got it, and I just went into the end zone from there."
Moody, who tallied 36 yards on 12 carries, added the last score of the game from three yards out, as Greene County captured its first state title.
"I can't say enough about these kids," said Greene County coach Johnny Ainsworth, whose team finished the year with an 11-4 mark. "Our kids never lost hope, and they did the same they did all year. They never gave up, and the good Lord took care of us."
Cleveland running back Ken Cox, who finished the game with 145 rushing yards on 28 carries, opened the second half with a 55-yard run to move the ball to Greene County's nine-yard line.
Cleveland had to settle for Houstons second field goal of the game to cut Greene County's lead to 7-6, with 3:53 to play in the third.
Cleveland took the lead with 2:59 left in the third on quarterback Trent Millar's scoring strike to Farmer. Cleveland opted to kick the extra-point to take a 13-7 lead.
A favorable bounce and a last-second, goal-line stand gave Greene County a 7-3 advantage entering halftime.
Greene County scored the lone touchdown of the first half in abnormal fashion, with 2:18 left to play in the first half.
Lott kept the ball after receiving the hike and ran to his left from Cleveland's 17-yard line, but the ball popped out of the senior quarterbacks hands around the five-yard line.
The loose ball bounced down to the one-yard line and into the hands of Greene County's Carlos Moody for the score. John Maxie hit the extra-point attempt to give Greene County a four-point lead.
Cleveland, which scored the first points of the game on a 48-yard field goal by Houston 30 seconds into the second quarter, had a chance to claim a three-point lead in the closing moments of the first half.
Cox connected on a 67-yard, flea-flicker pass to John Lewis to move the ball down to Greene County's three-yard line, with 49 seconds left in the half. Cleveland received a five-yard penalty after the big pass play for an illegal substitution, but Cox went to work from eight yards out of the end zone.
The senior running back moved the ball down to Greene County's one-yard line with 16 ticks left on the clock on runs of three and four yards.
After a time out, Cox attempted to push the ball in for the score with a run up the middle, but Greene County's defense was able to hold Cleveland out of the end zone.
"That was a big time play for us," Moore said. "We have struggled stopping teams on short yards sometimes. If they would have gotten that one, they would have had the momentum."
