By Robert Wilson
Thanks to an outstanding performance by junior running back Jaeden “JJ” Hill, Tupelo won its first state football championship since 1992 and Brandon had its third state runner-up finish in the past four seasons.
The 6-foot, 220-pound Hill, a Mississippi State commitment, gained 224 yards on 34 carries and scored two touchdowns and caught a 37-yard TD screen pass to lead Tupelo to a 28-16 victory over Brandon for the MHSAA Class 7A state title Thursday night before an estimated 8,500 at Southern Miss’ M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.
Tupelo finished 14-0 and won its second state title in history, the only other one in 1992 when James Sloan was the head coach and Kirk Presley was the quarterback. Brandon finished 12-2 and was denied its first state football championship in school history. The Bulldogs lost to South Panola in 2012, Madison Central in 2021, Starkville in 2022 and this season in the state title game.
Brandon’s defense had a tough time slowing down Hill, who churned out 46 yards on six carries on Tupelo’s first drive, a 65-yard, 10-play drive, which ended with a 6-yard TD by Hill for a 7-0 Tupelo lead. Tupelo senior quarterback and Appalachian State signee Noah Gillon threw a screen pass to Hill, and he outraced the Brandon defense down the Tupelo sideline for a 37-yard TD for a 14-0 lead with 3 minute, 41 seconds to play in the first quarter.
Hill had 95 yards, 58 rushing and 37 receiving, by the end of the first quarter.
He clinched the game with a 32-yard burst up the middle on third and 2 with 55 seconds to play.
Hill – the Mississippi Association of Coaches MHSAA Class 7A Mr. Football – finished the season with 2,262 yards (9.3 yards per carry) and 34 TDs.
He is rated the No. 27 player in Mississippi and the No. 61 running back in the country in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports. In addition to MSU, Hill has Division I offers from Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Oregon, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Stanford, Louisville, Memphis, and West Virginia.
Tupelo’s offensive line of sophomore left tackle Antonio Berry (6-5, 270 pounds), senior left guard Tate Chappell (6-2, 285), senior center Mason Waddle (6-foot, 250), senior right guard Tylor Raines (6-foot, 260) and senior right tackle Julian Jakobe (6-4, 310) opened up big holes for Hill.
Tupelo’s defense slowed down Brandon’s high-powered offense, which came in averaging 41 points per game and talented sophomore running back Tyson Robinson. Brandon had 12 first downs and 221 total yards. Robinson, who came into the game with 1,239 rushing yards and 23 TDs, had only 55 yards on 13 carries and one TD.
Defensive lineman Jakylen Patton, Cade Kilgore, Jermarus Young and Jareylan McCoy, linebackers KJ Jenkins, Tre Brewer and Chris Ivy and defensive back Braylen Williams limited Brandon to just one offensive score.
“We played a great game,” said Tupelo coach Ty Hardin, who played at Houston High, Itawamba Community College and MSU and has an 83-26 overall record, 45-12 in five years at Tupelo and 38-14 in four years at Houston. “I couldn’t find a better group of coaches and players to be around. We had times to put them away, but we made it interesting by not finishing in the red zone and giving up a blocked punt. We were the more physical team like we have been all year. Our offensive line and our defense dominated them. JJ and our offensive line are a special unit and bond. The best offensive line in the state mixed with the best running back in the nation go perfect together. Our defense is the best in the state. I will put our team up against anyone in the South and our players deserved last night.”
For Brandon, it was a disappointing end to another great season, the third time in Brandon coach Sam Williams’ four seasons at Brandon that he has reached the title game, only to lose.
“We played as hard as I’ve ever seen a group play, but we didn’t execute well enough to win a championship game,” said Williams, who has a 45-10 record, an 81.8 winning percentage, in his four seasons at Brandon. “We got the ball back down 5 with just over 3 minutes left after an incredible series by our defense. I believed it was going to be the series that go it done and we just came up short. I’m proud of my kids. Congrats to Tupelo on a great year.”
After Tupelo took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Brandon stopped Tupelo on fourth and goal from the 1, in the first half and kept Tupelo from scoring in the second quarter.
Brandon gained some momentum with a 33-yard field goal by senior Rhett Griffith with 5:30 to play in the third quarter and closed the gap to 14-10 on a blocked punt by senior Cam Short, who picked up the block and ran two yards into the end zone.
After Gillon ran for a 21-yard TD on fourth and 1 for a 21-10 lead, Brandon battled back and drove for a TD with Robinson scoring on a 2-yard run to cut the lead to 21-16 with 8:48 to play. Robinson was tackled short on the 2-point conversion try.
Brandon once again stopped Tupelo inside the 10 and Tupelo missed a 27-yard field goal with 3:45 to play to give Brandon another shot at taking the lead.
But on fourth and 4 from the Brandon 40, sophomore quarterback Sladen Shack’s pass was incomplete to give Tupelo the ball with 1:38 to play.
Hill scored his final TD to clinch the win.
