Heading into Friday’s MAIS 5A state championship game, Parklane’s Jax Toler had rushed for 1,693 yards over the course of a season in which he was one of the state’s top rushers.
To reach the prestigious 2,000-yard mark, Toler needed to rack up 307 yards in the title bout against third-seeded Leake Academy.
A gaudy number for sure, and one that most running backs can only dream of reaching in a single outing. After all, Toler was averaging just over 130 yards per game.
Well, the senior certainly tried his best to reach that mark, because he finished with a whopping 278 yards on the ground.
He also entered this game with 29 touchdowns on the season. That mark now stands at 35.
Yes, he found the end zone SIX times to propel the Pioneers to a 70-42 win over Leake Academy in one of the most dominant individual performances that the MAIS has ever seen in a championship game.
And yes, you read that score correctly.
“I know that we can score every time we touch it, but scoring 70 in the state title is something,” senior quarterback JD Dumas said. “But it doesn’t matter what kind of defense someone lines up against us with, we can throw the ball or run it.”
Toler stole the show with some truly tough running, as he continually bounced off tacklers, used his top-tier vision to find holes to run through and was just hell-bent on reaching the end zone every time he touched the ball. He’s been doing this all season, but when the lights were brightest, Toler showed that he can truly take over a game and take the life out of an opposing defense.
“We didn't care who you were, we were going to score as many points as possible and keep you from scoring as many as possible,” Toler said of his team. “And we just stuck with that mindset this season.”
On top of that, head coach Ron Rushing and his staff used plenty of tempo on offense, and it kept the Rebel defense on its heels throughout this game.
Balance has been a central theme for Parklane this season, and when Toler got going, that opened things up in the passing game for Dumas. He linked up with sophomore Davis Carruth on a plethora of occasions, as the freakishly athletic receiver had a knack for finding the soft spot in the Rebels’ coverage and then making their defenders touch turf in the open field.
“We were giving the ball to Jax, and that opened up the passing game,” Carruth said. “They were playing man too, so…you know.”
As he said himself, covering Carruth with just one man is generally not an ideal strategy.
The Pioneers’ ability to keep Leake’s defense on its heels allowed them to get out to a fast start, although it feels odd to call it that considering the offense scored nearly every time it touched the ball.
Still, a strong first quarter was a welcome sign for a Parklane team that had struggled in the first half in the quarterfinals and semifinals of these playoffs.
Set on putting those struggles behind them, the Pioneers lit up the scoreboard early and often. After junior Hayden McCurley sacked Rebel quarterback Geoge Wilcox to force a punt on Leake’s opening series, Parklane’s offense took the field.
Toler has been at the top of every team’s scouting report this season, and thus the Rebels employed a minimum of a seven-man box throughout this game and rarely had more than one safety on the back end.
It didn’t matter. The Pioneers ran right into the teeth of that loaded box, and their offensive line just imposed its will up front.
“We really went out there playing hard-nosed and did our thing,” senior lineman Camp Lott said. “The offensive line progressed all year and it showed.”
Toler set the tone with a chunk gain on his very first touch, and junior Tanner Kyzar followed him up with another first-down run to move Parklane into Rebel territory. After moving into the red zone, Toler went untouched for a 10-yard score.
Be prepared to hear that a lot.
Leake’s offense made adjustments on its second possession, as the normally prolific passer Wilcox actually began to use his legs to move the ball, both by design and in scramble situations.
The Pioneer defense struggled to contain the bulky signal-caller, and he willed his team down the field before the Rebels punched in a short rushing touchdown. They missed the ensuing extra point, leaving the score at 7-6 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter.
That would be the closest Leake got the rest of the game.
Toler picked up right where he left off on the ensuing possession, ripping off another long run where he spun off a defender and forced a trio of Rebels to pull him to the ground.
Dumas then threw his first pass of the game, a first down to Carruth over the middle of the field, but Toler was stuffed inside the 10-yard line to force a 4th-and-goal soon after.
Rushing has had plenty of confidence in his offense’ ability throughout this season, and thus there was no hesitation for him to leave the unit on the field in this situation.
His faith in the unit paid off, because Dumas stepped up into the pocket and found Carruth in the back of the end zone to extend the Parklane lead to 14-6 towards the end of the first quarter.
Senior linebacker Eli Davis got to Wilcox on the next drive, as while the Parklane defense did let up some explosive plays, it did well to heat up the Rebels’ quarterback in the pocket and never let him feel comfortable.
Soon after, senior defensive back Jarvis Scott broke up a pass on a fourth down to give the ball back to his offense.
It was business as usual for Dumas & Co on the following drive. Carruth sat down in a soft spot and the quarterback found him for a solid gain, but the receiver proceeded to juke three defenders out of their shoes before being pulled down in the red zone.
Toler proceeded to make a defender miss before waltzing into the end zone for his third score of the evening, pushing his team’s advantage to 21-6 with 10:16 left before halftime.
Leake mounted a strong drive thanks to a pop pass in which Wilcox faked like he was going to run it and found a tight end over the middle for a big gain.
But the Rebels’ quarterback failed to see Parklane defensive back Eli Chandler over the middle of the field on a crossing route, and the sophomore intercepted the pass in the end zone to steal momentum right back.
Junior receiver Kyle Rushing got into the action with a strong-handed catch on a Dumas roll out, and Carruth reeled in another catch for a first down.
I feel like a broken record in saying that Toler proceeded to burst through the line for an easy score soon after, pushing the lead to 28-7. With just over five minutes left in the first half, the senior tailback had already accounted for 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Leake’s offense came into this game as an explosive unit, especially in its aerial attack, and it showed that on the ensuing possession. Wilcox put plenty of air under a long completion to start the drive, and he placed a fade route in the perfect spot on a 4th-and-goal to cut the Pioneer lead to 14.
In my eyes, the most pivotal moment of the game happened soon after. After the Parklane offense stalled, Toler was actually stuffed on a 4th-down run, giving Leake the ball in great field position with a chance to cut the deficit to just seven before halftime.
Instead, on the very next snap, Chandler jumped an out-route to pick off Wilcox for the second time.
That play seemed to suck the life out of the Rebel sideline, and the Parklane offense made sure to take advantage. Following a slip screen to Toler that he took deep into Leake territory, Rushing opted to go for it on 4th-and-goal again.
“I believe in our guys, and things were rolling,” Rushing said of the 4th-down decisions. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a field goal game.”
And, he was again rewarded for the decision. Dumas delivered a ball right into the bread basket for senior Trey Jackson on a middle post, allowing the Pioneers to take a commanding 35-14 lead into halftime.
It was one of those instances in which I thought, ‘Parklane is on pace for 70, but they probably won’t actually get there.’
I was very wrong.
Just like how he started the first half, Toler almost exclusively touched the ball on the Pioneers’ opening possession of the second, and he found the end zone for a fourth time at the end of it.
“Jax Toler should have every junior college offer in the state and a couple D-I offers,” Dumas said of his backfield mate. “It’s ridiculous that he doesn’t, he’s the best running back in MAIS and people are missing out on him.”
Wilcox responded with a leaping touchdown of his own to keep the Rebels within three scores, but in the end, his defense just had no answers on the other side of the ball.
Dumas found Carruth on a play-action pass over the middle, and the rangy receiver glided into the end zone to make it 49-21 with just under nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Lott then sacked Wilcox and junior defensive lineman Paw Forrest picked up a tackle for loss to put the Rebels behind the sticks. In a desperate situation, another pop pass from Wilcox saw Leake get into the end zone in response.
But for every punch the Rebels threw, Parklane had a counterpunch ready. Toler ran in his fifth touchdown of the night at the close of the third quarter, extending the lead to 56-28.
The fourth quarter followed the same trends that the rest of the game did. Wilcox completed a long pass for a score before Toler ran in his sixth touchdown of the game behind another strong push from his O-line.
“They were huge in the first part of the game, it was just big run after big run,” Toler said of his offensive line. “And then Leake changed some things, so we had to figure them out at halftime and it broke open again.”
The Rebels got the ball back looking to put some more quick points on the board.
That is when Lott recorded his first-ever varsity touchdown, as he scooped up a fumble from Wilcox in the backfield and raced into the end zone before being mobbed by his teammates in a special moment for the senior.
“That’s every D-lineman’s dream to get a scoop and score,” Lott said of the play. “It bounced up and I just grabbed it, and it was amazing.”
Leake tacked on another score late, but it failed to matter.
Rushing received a Gatorade bath, the entire Parklane team received gold medals and the senior class hoisted the championship trophy into the air as the kings of the 5A hill cemented themselves in the history books, delivering their school its first state title since 1994.
“After 30 years, to bring a championship back to Parklane is special, just to honor the tradition we have here,” Rushing said. “Four years ago when they hired me we talked about a vision, and the administration has supported me the entire way.”
This was a Parklane team that was fueled by doubters throughout the season. After losing a plethora of starters and having question marks at plenty of major positions, there was little preseason praise for the team from outside sources.
“At the beginning of the year, everybody was saying that we were too young and had lost 17 starters. A lot of people wrote us off, picked us to finish third in our district,” Dumas said. “In the end, we didn’t lose to a single 5A school.”
The Pioneers finish their championship season with a 12-2 overall record and a 6-0 mark in district play.
“I couldn’t imagine a better end, especially after how last year ended,” Lott said. “You don’t know what 15 starting sophomores will do, but they stepped up and have been amazing.”
The now-complete MAIS 5A state playoff bracket can be found here.
