Mississippi high school football rankings: Oak Grove crowned 2020 MaxPreps Champion, finishes No. 1

By Mitch Stephens Dec 8, 2020, 1:00pm

Fearless Warriors score a touchdown and two-point conversion with 7.1 seconds left to claim second state championship.

The high school football season in Mississippi came to a close last week with championship games in all six classifications. Oak Grove was among the winners, edging Oxford 29-28 in the Class 6A championship game and finishing No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 computer rankings.

That victory, coupled with a 13-0 record and consistent excellence this season, makes Oak Grove the 2020 MaxPreps Champion for the state of Mississippi.

Junior quarterback Kabe Barnett scored on a 10-yard scamper on a fourth-and-2 situation with 7.1 seconds left — his second of the game — to close to 28-27. Instead of kicking an extra point to send the game to overtime, head coach Drew Causey went for a two-point conversion, the win and the championship.

Barnett, who accounted for 273 yards, hit tight end Trayvon Moore on a drag to give the Warriors their second state title and first since 2013 when NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was the team's offensive coordinator.



The Warriors lost state title games in 2018 and 2019.

"I told our offensive coaches if we got it, we're going for two and go ahead and win it," Casey told reporters afterward. "It never even crossed my mind to kick it."

Oak Grove outscored opponents 568-273 on the season. Barnett threw for 2,387 yards and 38 touchdowns in the first 12 games, and also rushed for 443 yards and eight other scores. Senior running back Courtland Harris rushed for 976 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior receiver Tyrell Pollard had 50 catches for 983 yards and 15 touchdowns.

On defense, junior linebacker Zach Little had team highs of 112 tackles and 13 sacks while sophomore defensive Jaylen Aborom had six interceptions.

2020 MHSAA state champions

Class 5A — West Jones (Laurel)
Class 4A — Louisville
Class 3A — Magee 
Class 2A — Taylorsville
Class 1A — Lumberton

Final Mississippi MaxPreps Top 25



# School Rec. Str. +/-
1Oak Grove (Hattiesburg)13-030.5--
2MRA (Madison)13-019.1+1
3Oxford12-134.1-1
4Clinton8-335.0--
5West Jones (Laurel)12-123.1+3
6Magee12-013.5+7
7NRHS (Brandon)9-435.0-1
8Starkville5-234.6-1
9Madison Central (Madison)7-433.7-4
10Taylorsville11-19.2+2
11D'Iberville10-124.2-1
12South Panola (Batesville)6-334.4-3
13HCHS (Gulfport)8-324.0+2
14Greenwood0-00.0--
15West Point10-427.5-4
16WCHS (Vicksburg)6-327.1+1
17Hernando6-531.2+1
18Ridgeland8-324.7+1
19Columbia10-315.0+3
20Noxubee County (Macon)9-212.6-4
21Leake Academy (Madden)12-08.1--
22Petal5-531.0+4
23Ocean Springs8-322.7+2
24Louisville13-111.1+11
25NCHS (Philadelphia)9-215.2-1
About the MaxPreps computer rankings

Our computer rankings utilize the huge number of game results stored in the MaxPreps database. Generally, the more a team wins, the higher the ranking. However, the system takes into account quality wins (against other highly-ranked opponents) and strength of schedule. For example, a team's ranking is hurt more by losing to a team that is ranked below it than a team ranked ahead. Playoff wins are weighted higher than regular season games.

Other factors that will affect the rankings are times when MaxPreps has incomplete or inaccurate information. We will correct errors when they are reported to us. If we are missing a score, report it to us on the team's MaxPreps page. If we are missing a game on the schedule, send us a correction request.