3. South Panola, St. Thomas Aquinas battle for No. 1
South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), one of the country's most dominant programs over the last decade, added one more notch to its belt: national champion. The Tigers, who finished 15-0 and captured Mississippi's 6A state title, posted eye-popping statistics on both sides of the ball en route to finishing No. 1 in the Xcellent 25 Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
South Panola finished No. 1 in the Xcellent 25 Rankings.
Photo by David JOnes
Loaded with star power and groomed by excellent coaching, South Panola allowed more than one touchdown in only four games this year. They averaged more than 45 points per game on offense. Running back
Qyendairs Griffin gave the Tigers a powerful threat running the ball, while
Marcus Henry and
Nickolas Brassell helped stretch defenses at wide receiver.
Hit hard by graduation and harder by a stinging upset loss in the state semifinals the season before, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) completed a perfect 15-0 season with an impressive 29-7 victory over defending state champion Plant (Tampa) to claim the Class 5A championship trophy for the third time in four years and the sixth in the program's history.
The win also capped a remarkable four-year run in which the Raiders, which finished No. 2 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, boasted a 52-1 record, the lone loss coming last year against Manatee (Bradenton) in the state semifinals.
Another great season for Aquinas.
Photo Stuart Browning
