SP vs Starkville

The South Panola Tigers, the 2007 defending 5A State Champions, ended their seventh regular season with a record of 11-0.

At the beginning of the 2008 season, many people wondered if the Tigers had what it would take to return to Jackson Mississippi, for the sixth straight title due to losing some talented players.

Head Coach Lance Pogue never doubted his team from the beginning but he knew he had some young players that had to learn and grow up fast.

SP vs Starkville

Pogue said, “If the Tigers lose a game, the sun will still come up the next morning, but if it doesn’t, then they won’t have to worry about playing a football game.”

Putting things in perceptive, Pogue would’ve taken a loss during the regular season if that’s what it would have taken to get back to Jackson, but that didn’t happen. His team proved to everyone that they could play ball with anyone and still win. Some weeks were tough, but the Tigers never gave up.

The Tigers opened their season on the road at Vicksburg on August 29 and came out with a 27-6 victory. The following week they traveled to Clarksdale to take on the Wildcats and shut them out 34-0.

Many fans waited anxiously to see their Tigers play at home on the new turf field at the Robert H. Dunlap stadium that was put down in the off season. That night came on September 15 when Grenada came to town, and the Tigers put a 40-2 whipping on them in front of a massive crowd.

The big game of the year came on September 19 when the Tigers hosted the Apopka Blue Devils from Florida on national television. A lot of media attention was given to this game because the word was that the Tigers had not played another ranked team out of Mississippi. It didn’t take the Tigers long to show all the media, the Blue Devils, ESPNU, and the rest of the country that they were for real. They defeated Apopka 28-18, and the media gave the Tigers what they well deserved.

Win number eighty for the Tigers came on September 26, and it was the first division game. The Horn Lake Eagles came to town and left with a 34-7 loss from the Tigers.

The next game was a hyped up one when the Tigers traveled to Leslie Pool Field to take on the Olive Branch Conquistadors before 12,000 fans. This game was between two powerhouse teams in the same division that usually match up for the North Half Championship. Pogue received a showering of Gatorade after his team won the battle 21-13 and remained undefeated for win number eighty-one.

The Columbus Falcons came to town next and received a 31-0 shutout by the mighty Tigers for another division game on October 10.
Week number eight proved to be the biggest test of the season so far. The Tupelo Golden Wave gave all 10,000 fans at the game their money’s worth when they fought to the very last second to be the team to beat the South Panola Tigers, but it didn’t happen. The Golden Waves went for a two point conversion to win the game with 1:28 left on the clock, but the mighty Tiger defense knocked the ball out of bounds to remain ahead by one point. The Tiger defense held strong after the Golden Wave went for an onside kick, but the Tigers got the ball and kept their winning streak going at 83. It was a nail biter down until the clock read zero.

The last home regular season game was on October 24 when the Southaven Chargers came to Robert H. Dunlap Stadium, but the Tigers sent them back with a 35-7 loss.

SP vs Starkville

The Tigers went back on the road to Starkville on Halloween night to take on the Yellow Jackets and came away with a 56-22 victory for win number eighty-five.

The regular season came to an end, and the Tigers wrapped up another undefeated season after they traveled to Southaven on Thursday, November 7 to take on the Desoto Central Jaguars. The Tigers took care of business early and left with the 55-0 shutout.
The Tigers dominated their opponents in regular season by scoring 374 points and allowing only 85 points. They racked up 4,502 in total offense yards and only allowed 1,779.

Senior quarterback David Renfroe threw for 1,584 yards for twelve touchdowns. He was 101 of 175 on completions.
Junior running back Nicholas Parker scored nineteen touchdowns and ran for 1,742 yards on 208 carries.

On the defense side of the ball, senior David Connor led the team with seventy-five and a half total tackles. He had forty-five solo, eighteen assists, three for a loss, six and a half sacks, and four on special teams. He had four pass deflections, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

Marvin Burdette had seventy total tackles which included thirty-seven solo, twenty-two assists, four for a loss, six sacks, and one on special teams. He had two pass deflections, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

Excitement fills the halls and the community as playoffs start. The Tigers hope to continue their winning streak by returning to Jackson, Mississippi on December 5 to play in the 5A Class State Championship game for the seventh year in a row. Go Tigers!