[11/30/01]The magic that carried Vicksburg High into the North State Championship ended in a frigid, muddy Vicksburg Memorial Stadium Friday night.

J.J. Brown’s desperation pass as time expired was intercepted by Torrance Hampton, capping a thrilling, yet disappointing 38-31 loss that sent the Yellowjackets to the state championship game.

The Gators, seeking their first trip to the Class 5A title game, ended the season 10-4 while Starkville celebrated and the Yellowjacket band played the school’s alma mater.

“It hurts,” said junior quarterback Justin Henry, who completed 9 of 15 passes for 109 yards, but was on the sideline for the final play. “We totally feel we could be in (Jackson) Memorial Stadium next week playing for the state championship.

“That’s what we wanted and anything less, we were going to be disappointed. I think we did a pretty good job this season.”

Starkville, which won state championships in 1984, ’94 and ’95, will meet Moss Point in the title game on Friday.

“We don’t have time to celebrate,” said first-year Starkville coach Bill Lee, who was the offensive coordinator for Moss Point in the 1990s. “Moss Point has one of the best defenses in the state. The only thing missing from down there is me.”

The Gators rode Henry’s right arm and the legs of Phelan Gray and J.J. Brown. Gray had 27 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns, while Brown had 132 yards and a pair of first-quarter scores.

But several special teams failures and the explosive Yellowjackets’ offense never let Vicksburg hold a lead.

The Gators missed an extra point, three two-point conversions, had a botched snap of a punt lead to a Starkville score and fumbled a kickoff. The one extra point kick that was good bounced over the crossbar.

“They did a good job when they needed to and we didn’t,” VHS special teams coach Kevin Manton said. “I don’t know what happened on the extra points.”

The Gators went for it on four fourth-down conversions.

Conversely, Starkville kicker Zach Bost made five extra points and a 30-yard field goal. The one punt by Brooks Crabtree with the Yellowjackets leading 38-31 and 3:43 left in the game sailed 58 yards and was downed at the Vicksburg 7.

“I concentrated because I knew we needed a big one,” Crabtree said. “I knew they were coming for the block from the left side. I just did what I needed to.”

With all three timeouts, the Gators made it to the Starkville 45-yard line on a pair of key fourth-down conversion passes by Henry.

“I wanted to be in that situation,” Henry said. “I have the weapons around me, and I know we can strike quickly and at any time. I was totally confident in that last drive. We just didn’t get a break.”

Henry connected with Quinton Miles for 10 yards and Jermaine Wright for 24 to keep the drive going. Both passes were with Yellowjackets draped over him.

“I really thought we were going to come back,” Gray said. “We had a lot of confidence, and I trusted my guys.”

Facing a third-and-long with two seconds left, Brown, who can throw the ball longer than Henry, tried for the end zone on a Hail Mary, but it was picked off at the 20-yard line.

“We felt if we let him drop back and throw it, we had a chance,” VHS offensive coordinator Jackie Williamson said. “We also felt that they couldn’t bring pressure with him back there because he might take off and start running.”

The Gators had a chance to win it late, but had to keep up offensively with a Starkville squad loaded with speed and talent.

Starkville quarterback DeAngelo Dantzler was 7-of-10 for 214 yards and four TD passes. He also led the team with 78 yards rushing on eight carries. Mauriel Triplett had a pair of catches for 91 yards and a 68-yard TD in the first quarter.

Dantzler threw TDs of 68, 17, 23 and 15 yards to four different receivers. Shawn Johnson added a 1-yard TD run as the two teams combined for 50 points and 448 yards of total offense in the first half.

“We don’t make too many mistakes, and I said last week that the team that makes the fewest mistakes would win the game,” Dantzler said. “Losing was not in our minds we came down here to win.”

Dantzler offset a pair of first-quarter touchdown runs of 23 and 35 yards by the speedy Brown with a pair of TD passes as Starkville held a 14-13 lead after the first quarter.

Danztler connected with Milons from 17 yards out with four seconds left in the first.

On the ensuing kickoff, Vicksburg fumbled and Web Walters recovered on the Gators’ 17-yard line. Two plays later, after a pass interference call in the end zone, Johnson ran in from 1-yard out. Bost’s kick lifted the Jackets to a 21-13 lead with 11:29 left in the half.

Gray capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive five minutes later with a 10-yard scoring run, but the two-point conversion failed. On the drive, Gray, a 5-foot-9, 235-pound junior, ran five times for 55 yards.

“The defensive line had to step up, but early, they were moving the ball on us,” said Shawn Johnson, also a linebacker. “The Jacket defense came through.”

Bost’s 30-yard field goal and a 23-yard TD pass from Dantzler to Lynn Terry which came after the botched punt snap sent Starkville into the locker room with a 31-19 lead.

Both teams changed defenses in the second half. Starkville ganged up on the run and the Gators dropped into a deep zone in an attempt to stop the air attacks. Both had success.

Vicksburg rushed for 100 yards, but Gray was held to 27 in the second half and Brown to 41.

Dantzler completed just two second-half passes one for a score.

“The protection was good and our guys ran good, crisp disciplined routes,” Lee said. “The offense did its job and I was proud of them.”

On the opening kickoff of the second half, Rory Johnson blind-sided Dantzler and Decorey Knight recovered on the Starkville 14. Gray’s 2-yard plunge pulled Vicksburg to 31-25, but the two-point conversion run failed.

Collier’s TD grab with 6:05 left in the third upped the lead to 13, but Gray answered four seconds into the fourth quarter to get the Gators to within a touchdowns, 38-31.

“We wanted to continue to pound the ball, but the clock started playing games with us,” Williamson said. “They were cutting our offensive lineman, and we had to go to the pass more.”

On the next Starkville drive, Rory Johnson stripped Triplett and recovered the fumble, giving VHS the ball on the Jackets’ 48.

Gray was stopped a yard short on a fourth-and-3 at the Starkville 23 with 6:27 left in the game.

A first down run by Dantzler and Crabtree’s long punt sealed the Gators’ fate.

“We killed ourselves. We put the gun to our heads and pulled the trigger,” said senior VHS linebacker Tim Brown. “… I’m proud of our offense, they did their job. We didn’t. I’ll take the blame for this. That’s my defense.

“Nobody scored 38 points on us. We scored 31 and that should have been enough to win.”

The Gators won more games this season (10) than they have since the 1991 team and made it to the school’s third North State title game.

“Starkville has a good team, but our kids fought until the end tonight,” first-year Vicksburg coach Alonzo Stevens said.

“Our guys could have quit at any time and they didn’t and I’m proud of them for that.

“Time just ran out on the Gators.”