5A Region 3 recap October 22, 2013
Laurel added to the longest winning streak in 5A Region 3 this week by beating Natchez, 45-13. This was the team's eighth consecutive win.
South Jones fell to Brookhaven 54-14 last week, the largest margin of any game.
West Jones's dynamic duo of Neil McLaurin and Austin Herrington proved to be unstoppable against Wingfield, as they were the top passer and receiver in the league this week. McLaurin threw for 172 yards and 4 touchdowns and Herrington had 74 yards receiving. Turner Johnson helped West Jones' passing attack out by catching 2 balls for 46 yards.
Keon Howard provided a threat through the air and on the ground as Laurel topped the Bulldogs. He completed 20 passes for 278 yards and 1 touchdown and also ran for 10 yards. Howard's key target this week was Octavious Cooley, who caught 4 passes for 62 yards.
He went 9-15 with 0 interceptions.
Todd Breland's team's Howard and Cooley have formed a dream team this season, leading the league in both passing and receiving yards. 6-2 quarterback Howard has thrown for 1,783 yards this season, while Cooley has 30 catches for 670 yards. Dallas Sims from Wayne County leads the league in rushing with 700 yards.
The most important game in the league this week will be the match up between the War Eagles and the Golden Tornadoes. Wayne County enters the game ranked seventh in the state, while Laurel ranks 16th.
Fans will be thrilled by an exciting game in the secondary when the Golden Tornadoes' Cooley goes up against Todd Mangum's team's Cadarius Pannell.
Next week's game between Laurel and the War Eagles will feature a good passing match up as Howard will test his arm against Pannell's defensive ability.
The league will see a high scoring game when Wayne County and the Golden Tornadoes face off this week. The top two offenses in the league, the War Eagles comes in having scored 347 this season, while Laurel has scored 254. Wayne County scored 28 points last week as it bested Pearl River Central.
Story is based on stats entered in MaxPreps by Tuesday 5am PST each week.
