By Robert Wilson
Germantown finally knocked down the door.
Germantown senior quarterback King White had the biggest kick to push down the historic door.
White passed for 135 yards and ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter, to lead Germantown to a historic first victory, a 21-17 win over Madison County rival Madison Central Friday night in an MHSAA Class 7A, Region 2 game before a record estimated crowd of 7,500 at Germantown’s Maverick Stadium in Gluckstadt.
Germantown improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in district play and defeated Madison Central for the first time in school history in eight meetings. The Mavericks almost broke the streak in the regular season last year but Madison Central’s Ross Hardin Beavers kicked a 42-yard field goal with three seconds to play for a 31-28 victory over Germantown in the regular season. Then Madison Central ended Germantown’s season with a 45-14 victory in the MHSAA Class 7A quarterfinals. The teams first met in 2019. Before 2019, Germantown was in a smaller classification.
Germantown bounced back from last week’s tough loss at Oxford when the Mavericks led by 14 points in the fourth quarter only to watch Oxford rally to tie the game then win 43-42 in double overtime. Oxford sophomore quarterback Knox Kiffin – son of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin – led the comeback. He completed 6 of 7 passes for 134 yards and one TD and passed for the winning two-point conversion.
Madison Central dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in district play. The Jaguars haven’t been 4-4 since 2015.
After Madison Central senior running back JD Kelly scored on a 1-yard run to put the Jaguars ahead 17-14 with 6 minutes, 14 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot, 210-pound White gained the momentum back for Germantown.
On the first play of the next drive, White ran 74 yards and then he ran for a 3-yard TD for a 21-17 Germantown lead with 4:53 to play in the game.
Madison Central almost got the ball back in the final two minutes to try to score the potential winning TD, but was called for roughing the punter with 2:05 to play and Germantown ran out the clock.
“King White was willing to do whatever it took to win the game,” said Germantown coach Russell Mitchell, who is in his fourth season at Germantown. “The run he made in the fourth quarter on the option play was a display of the effort and toughness it takes to win. He really put the team on his back there. Ny Johnson and Keyshawn Coleman made excellent blocks to spring him. I’m just so happy of our school and program.There were a lot of happy Mavericks last night. What a blessing it is to be put in a position to lead great kids that have such a burning desire to win.”
Several Germantown players went both ways.
“We had a few guys that played both ways and really gutted it out,” Mitchell said. “Some of our guys that normally light up the stat sheet had to come to the realization that this game had a different flow. I’m so proud of the team effort and unity. Mikey Johnson was one of those guys that played safety and receiver. He had five catches for 115 yards and made seven tackles. Wells Higginbotham played guard and defensive tackle. He had probably 100 plus snaps. He gutted it out. I love that kid and the way he competes. Jayden Gross had a huge strip, recovery and return that set up on the touchdown that put us up 14-10. He had nine tackles, three for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.”
Germantown, which had scored at least 40 points in five consecutive games, trailed 10-0 at halftime.
“It was an old school, hard nosed game,” Mitchell said. “Hats off to Madison Central. Their defense is really good, and made us earn every inch. Our defense found a way to match that intensity and ultimately was the different in the game. “
Madison Central junior running back Mikel Stephen – rated No. 19 in Mississippi and the No. 49 running back in the country in the Class of 2027 by 247 Sports with 10 Division I offers, including six from the SEC – scored on a 70-yard run for a 7-0 Madison Central lead with 9:14 to play.
Madison Central’s Ross Hardin Beavers kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 10-0 Jaguar lead with 2:39 to play.
Johnson finally got Germantown on the board when he scored on a 5-yard run to cut the Madison Central lead to 10-7 with 4:03 to play in the third quarter.
Gross put Germantown ahead 14-10 with his 23-yard fumble return for a TD with 11:42 to play n the game.
White scored his first TD on a 1-yard run for Germantown’s first lead at 14-10 with 10:15 to play.
“We made history last night and it felt great to get our first win against them,” said White, who has passed for 1,688 yards and 15 TDs this season before Friday. “We had a great support system cheering us on. They made noise all night and that’s what kept us going all game. The big run was a major moment in the game. Ny had a major block that allowed me to get the sideline. Keyshawn made a great block down the field running his man offend I followed them own the field and kept my feet moving. The offensive line were a major part in my touchdown run. They blew the defensive line off the ball and I followed (5-9, 225-pound senior) Cam (Parter) and (senior fullback) Reed (Burrell) into the end zone. Throughout the game we stayed together as a team and trusted one another. Defense played great all night long, getting key stops with a big turnover to shift the momentum.”
