Michael Fair and Josh Morgan have known each other for more than two decades. They played football together at Mississippi State in the early 2000s and were even roommates before moving into the coaching profession following college.
Both men have been successful coaches throughout their respective careers to this point. The pair has combined to win 219 games, while losing 138. Now, the two friends meet on the football field for the first time Friday night as Warren Central and Grenada meet in the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Class 6A state playoffs.
Another storyline in the game is that both coaches have their sons playing quarterback this season. Fair’s son, Charlie, threw for 2,000 yards as a junior at Lafayette before his father took the job at Grenada in the spring. This season, he is 153-of-266 for 1,971 yards and 15 touchdowns to go with just six interceptions. Morgan’s son, Nash, is just a freshman, and has completed 96-of-146 passes for 1,226 yards and eight touchdowns to go with three interceptions.
Warren Central advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 46-19 home win over Saltillo last week. Grenada cruised to a 37-8 win over Vicksburg to setup the matchup.
Fair, who is in his first season at GHS, knows Morgan and his Vikings will be a challenge for the Chargers.
“They are a well-coached, good, well-rounded team,” Fair said. “You can’t pinpoint on one thing because they are good at everything. They are always in position. On defense, you never see their guys out of place. They have outstanding players on both sides of the football and are good in all phases of the game.”
Offensively, the Vikings are led by junior Eric Collins Jr., who has 142 carries for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns. Collins also has 18 catches this season out of the backfield. He is joined by classmate Aden Greer (5-foot-10, 175), who has rushed 73 times for 390 yards and four touchdowns. The leading receiver for WCHS is senior Zackery Evans (5-foot-9, 165), who has 32 receptions for 583 yards and eight touchdowns. Tight end Maddox Lynch (6-foot-5, 234) has 26 receptions for 333 yards and a touchdown.
“Evans is a playmaker for them on offense,” Fair said. “He is comparable to Jekerious Williams – there is not much that he can’t do and makes people miss. The tight end is a matchup problem because they use him inside or outside. They like to throw to him on conversion downs.”
Defensively, Warren Central depends on senior linebacker Julien Demby (6-foot-3, 225), who leads the team with 102 total tackles. Senior defensive end Ronnie Blossom (6-foot-2, 225) has totaled 80 tackles this season.
Not many people give Grenada a chance to make the 2.5-hour bus ride to Vicksburg and beat the Vikings on their home field.
“We don’t talk about it much, but, no doubt, it’s a chip on our shoulder,” Fair said. “Our guys have worked very hard and done everything we have asked of them. We understand we are in that underdog role and our guys are setup to prove people wrong. It’s been a motivator for me throughout my career. We are OK where we are as far as being picked or not being picked. Each day, we talk about team and what team means to us. There is going to be no greater example than our group going 2.5 hours in a hostile environment. I think our players will be up to the challenge.”
Junior Macaleb Taylor leads the running game with 255 carries for 1,465 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is also a threat out of the backfield with 14 receptions for 193 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Latavien Pritchard has 70 rushes for 366 yards and six touchdowns.
Sophomore Zayion Cotton is Grenada’s leading receiver with 30 receptions for 580 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Drudarius Barnes has 23 catches for 331 yards and three scores. Sophomore Jayden Curry has 24 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Co-Defensive Player of the Year in Region 1, junior linebacker Jahmani Washington has 106 tackles. Senior linebacker Sema’j Avery has 61 tackles and senior tackle Aaron Travis has 54 tackles.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Vicksburg. The winner advances to the North 6A Finals against either South Panola or Neshoba Central.
