An exuberant 46-18 victory for homecoming put an end to the regular season for the McComb Tigers.
The win over Forest Hill gave McComb its fifth straight win dating back to the North Pike game. McComb will travel to Northeast Jones for the first round of the playoffs on Friday. The game will start at 7 p.m.
The Tigers’ 32 first half points allowed them to spread the wealth on the offensive side of the ball as the defense held up against the Rebel passing attack.
McComb running backs Michael Taylor, Justin Powell and Demarcus Butler all scored a touchdown, while all three also finished with 69, 71 and 72 yards, respectively. As a team, McComb ran for 318 yards on 43 carries, its second straight game with more than 300 yards rushing.
“It was our last game at home and we did our job,” offensive tackle Brandon McDowell said.
Even with the Rebels stacking nine and 10 defenders in the box, the Tigers were able to get whatever yards they needed.
McComb’s first scoring drive lasted for four plays from scrimmage, all runs. From then on, not one of drives lasted more than seven snaps. Two lasted six, two more five and another seven.
Tiger quarterback Anthony Daniels ran 19 yards for a touchdown off a read play, while Bobby Felder outjumped a defender on a touchdown reception of 31 yards.
Cornerback Mario Smith intercepted a Rebel pass on the first play of the second quarter and returned it for a touchdown.
Smith also nearly returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the second quarter, but got tripped up.
“I was starting to smile about how I was going to return it,” Smith said. “But my teammate tripped me up and I didn’t get it.”
Smith was able to smile about it after the game because the Tigers were able to put in the second string in the third quarter and watch from the sideline.
Backup quarterback Marshall Dexter snuck in from the 1-yard line near the end of the third for the Tigers’ final score of the night.
Only a Forest Hill interception return for a touchdown changed the score as McComb ran out the clock.
The Tiger defense was just as limiting as the offense was dominating.
Forest Hill scored its first touchdown after a 78-yard kickoff return put the Rebels at the 8-yard line to start their drive midway through the second quarter. Three plays later, the lead was cut to 25-6.
On the next Rebel possession Dylan Davis broke a screen pass for 48 yards and the last offensive touchdown for Forest Hill.
Smith’s interception return highlighted the night on defense, but the Tiger secondary, as a whole, kept the Rebels from throwing consistently on them. “Sometimes it seemed like we’d be hanging all over them to the point of an interference penalty,” McComb head coach Randy Martin said, “and they’d still make the catch.”
What lapses the Tigers did show, Martin chalked up to overaggressiveness, but other than the screen pass that went for a touchdown, quarterback Jason Johnson wasn’t able to stretch the field consistently.
