After winning just one game last season, Central Holmes found themselves in the MAIS Class 3A semifinals last week.
But standing in their way was top-ranked Greenville Christian.
The Saints flexed their muscles and rolled to a 52-6 win over the Trojans on Friday night to advance to the Class 3A championship game.
Central Holmes finishes the season with a 5-6 record. Greenville Christian improves to 11-1 on the season and will take on Canton, a 35-18 win over Centreville in the 3A finals on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Jackson Academy.
Central Holmes coach Mitch Womack said the Saints were even more impressive in person than they had showed on film.
“They were as good as advertised. They are as good a team as I have ever seen in Mississippi,” Womack said. “Our kids played as hard as they could. We lined up and tried to be ourselves, but we were no match for them. They are big and physical and fast. But I thought we played with a lot of heart and I was proud of the effort. We came out of it without an injury and everybody got to play. It was a good experience for our kids making it to the semifinals. I don’t think anybody on our side was upset about how anything came out on Friday night.”
Greenville got the ball to start the game and went 61 yards in three plays as they scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass with 11:04 left in the first quarter. The try for two was good and Greenville Christian led 8-0.
The Saints got the ball right back when Central Holmes fumbled. Greenville Christian then went 21 yards in four plays and scored on a 7-yard quarterback keeper with 9:30 left in the first quarter. The try for two failed and Greenville Christian led 14-0.
The Trojans then turned the ball over on downs and Greenville needed just two plays to go 30 yards, scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run with 6:56 left in the first quarter for a 22-0 lead.
The Trojans gave Greenville a short field when they snapped the ball over the punters head and gave the Saints the ball at their own 6. Four plays later, Greenville Christian scored on a 15-yard run with 4:52 left in the first to extend the lead to 30-0.
The Saints recovered the ensuing kick and then scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass with 4:01 left in the first quarter. The try for two was good and Greenville Christian led 38-0.
“If you look at their team, they have several kids that will go play college football,” Womack said. “That’s something our kids have never seen before. And it’s one thing to see them on film and another to see them in person. It’s one of those things that shows your character. I was pleased with our effort.”
The Saint added a 24-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to go up 46-0 and led 52-0 at the half.
The Trojans scored in the fourth as John Ward hit Eric Jones on a 24-yard touchdown pass for the final margin.
“They were very complimentary of our kids and what we were trying to do,” Womack said. “We scored in the fourth and you would have thought we had won the state championship. I think that was a big accomplishment for our kids. Even the Greenville Christian fans applauded for us. “
Womack said despite the loss, the Trojans left the field with a good feeling after the score and feels like his team has a bright future ahead of them.
“We had a lot of room to grow after last year and winning one game. Then we had that gauntlet of Class 4A schools, but the kids fought through that and it made us a better team. There was a level of play and determination we had to reach. We won five games and made it to the semifinals, and nobody saw that coming,” Womack said. “I think the way we ended and the way this offseason is going to look. We are losing five seniors but bring back a lot next year and now these kids know what it takes to win. I’m appreciative of those seniors. They laid the foundation for us to work from.”
