UPDATE: The Lamar Raiders have ended a six-year championship drought, defeating the Brookhaven Academy Cougars 34-17 to secure the MAIS Class 4A, Division III state championship at Mississippi College’s Robinson-Hale Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This victory marks Lamar’s 10th state title and their first since 2018.
Head coach Jacob Land praised his team’s resilience, stating, “We were pretty nervous at halftime… Our kids are just resilient and anything we throw at them they responded the right way.” The Raiders, now 9-4 for the season, showcased a dominant defensive performance, including two interception returns for touchdowns.
The game kicked off with an early lead for Lamar, as Tyler Brown scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter. Following a defensive stop, quarterback Sullivan Reed connected with Jalin Trotter for a 34-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 14-0 just before the end of the first quarter.
Brookhaven responded with a touchdown of their own, as quarterback Will Newell found Carson Mowdy for a 49-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 14-7 with 7:45 left in the second quarter. However, the Raiders quickly regained control, with Trotter intercepting a pass and returning it 90 yards for a touchdown, increasing their lead to 20-7 at halftime.
The Cougars attempted to bounce back, scoring a 36-yard field goal by Jacob Jones early in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 20-10. Yet, Lamar’s Khari Towner dashed any hopes of a comeback with a 14-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 27-10 by the end of the quarter.
The game was sealed when Navy commit Mikeal Willis returned an interception for a touchdown, stretching the Raiders’ lead to 34-10 with just 44 seconds left in the third quarter. Brookhaven’s Tanner Smith managed a late 8-yard touchdown run, capping the score at 34-17 with 1:33 remaining in the game.
Towner led the Raiders with 106 rushing yards on 22 carries, while Trotter contributed 39 yards receiving and a touchdown. Trotter, reflecting on the victory, expressed, “Feels great to win a state championship my senior year. All the hard work we put in paid off to get this trophy.”
Brookhaven Academy’s Newell threw for 153 yards and a touchdown, but head coach Ryan Ross noted, “We just didn’t execute offensively… We hurt ourselves with turnovers.” The Cougars end their season at 8-5, leaving them with a solid foundation for future seasons.
As excitement builds in the Lamar community, this victory is set to inspire a new generation of athletes and fans. What’s next for the Raiders? Their focus will now shift to building on this success as they prepare for the upcoming season.
