10/21/2009 6:00:00 PM Tornadoes go after district title
By STEVE SWOGETINSKY Sports Editor
The Region 5-3A football championship will be on the line Friday night when the Philadelphia High School Tornadoes host Kemper County. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Both teams stand at 3-0 in the region standings. The Tornadoes come in at 8-1 following their 27-0 victory over Heidelberg last Friday night. The Wildcats, now 6-3, defeated Clarkdale 20-19.
"One thing that you can control is who wins your district," Philadelphia head coach Teddy Dyess said. "Kemper County is playing with a lot of confidence right now. They think they can win and that's a big part of the battle.
"They are very athletic and fundamentally sound offensive. They play well on defense. But we are getting ready for them. We are as focused right now as we have been in a while. Not only is the district championship on the line but this is probably our biggest district rival. It's a big game for both teams."
Dyess was pleased with the Tornadoes' effort against Heidelberg.
"It was the best we have played since the Neshoba Central game," Dyess said. "Our focus was good and we really played well. That really makes me feel good about this week."
The Tornadoes led 7-0 at the half. Quarterback Lee Smith connected with Georgio Grace for a 16-yard touchdown pass play. Latimer Smith kicked the extra point to put his team in front.
Jeremy Morgan scored his first of three touchdowns in the third quarter as he burst into the end zone from one-yard out. The extra point try failed and the Tornadoes led 13-0.
Morgan added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He scored on a two-yard run and then on a five-yard run. Latimer Smith was true on both extra point kicks.
The Tornadoes had 318 total yards and 23 first downs. They were only penalized three times for 30 yards. Philadelphia rushed the ball 60 times for 289 yards and completed three-of-six passes for 29 yards.
Brandon Willis didn't score a touchdown for the first game this season but he certainly made his presence known by rushing 33 times for 175 yards. For the season, Willis now has 1,392 yards 33 carries.
Morgan had 58 yards on 18 carries while C.J. Johnson had five rushes for 57 yards. Lee Smith completed all of Philadelphia's passes for 29 yards.
Georgio Grace had one catch for 16 yards and 88 total return yards. He also had six tackles on defense.
Johnson led the defense with 12 tackles while Julian Riddle added nine.
