By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Thirty years ago, the prep football dynasty at Moss Point High was in full swing.

The Tigers captured the Class 5A state championship with an exciting 33-30 win over South Panola at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. It marked the second state title in five years for the mighty Tigers, and the third in 13 years. Moss Point would go on to play for three more state crowns in the next five years, bringing home Gold Balls again in 1997 and 2000.

In 1996, the Tigers finished the season off at an impressive 13-1 overall. South Panola, also known as the Tigers, came into the game at an unbeaten 14-0 and ranked 17th in the nation by The USA Today.

A solid crowd of around 15,000 fans watched as MPHS jumped out to a 21-6 halftime lead, thanks to a pair of touchdown runs by running back Kasey Smith as well as another one from his backfield mate Jarvis Sellers.

But, South Panola got two touchdown runs from Toward Sanford and one from Kevin Jones plus Jones added a two-point conversion to storm back and take a 22-21 lead late in the third frame.

However, MPHS quarterback Kevin Fant, just a sophomore, hooked up with running back Francisco Kelly on a pair of scoring strikes down the stretch to pull out the win.

“Three state championships in 13 years is really something everyone involved with our program can really be proud of,” then MPHS head coach Jerry Alexander, told this sports writer just minutes after the win. Alexander also led MPHS to the state title during his first-year at the helm of the Tigers in 1991.

“This one is just as sweet as the first one, it’s a great feeling,” he continued. “To work hard every day with a goal of getting here and then being able to win it says a lot about our program.”

The win meant at that time that Moss Point was the only program in the state to win three state titles in the largest classification in the 15 years since a state-wide playoff system had been implemented.

“I feel like our program can stand on its own merit with any other in the state,” Alexander concluded.