For Brandon it's simple - Finish

Jake Wimberly

The 2022 Mississippi high school football season will conclude this weekend down in Hattiesburg, MS - on the campus of Southern Miss, with six championship ball games taking place, over two days. Three on Friday and three on Saturday, with the last being the 6A championship between the Brandon Bulldogs (12-1) and the Starkville Yellowjackets (11-3).

This will be the second consecutive championship game for the Bulldogs of Brandon, and third appearance overall in the big game in the schools history. Starkville meanwhile will be going for their seventh state title - most recently; their last one in 2015.

For Brandon, the message is clear, the task at hand is simple - FINISH.

Finish what you started, finish where you started and complete the task. The Bulldogs came into the season number one in every poll in the state of Mississippi; all eyes on Sam Williams club; a club that took Madison Central wire to wire last year, before losing a close title game in the very building they will play in on Saturday night. The Bulldogs task is simple - finish number one, walk away with the Gold Ball and finally become Champion.

While the task seems simple, nothing is ever simple in the game of football and winning a title is anything but simple. If you don’t believe it, just ask the fine folks in Brandon.

Brandon played their first ever football season in 1932, and in the 90 years of football played in Rankin County, the Dogs have a 62 percent winning percentage, and only 25 losing seasons. Brandon is the home of great names like Norwood, Minshew, Davis, Rogers, Mingo, Stowers, Craine, Adams and many more.

Brandon has sent two bucket full of players on the the SEC and college football, players active in the NFL as we speak and has one of the proudest traditions in the state of Mississippi. But the Bulldogs still lack a title.

Over the last 12 years the Bulldogs have played in five south state titles, winning three of those and losing two heartbreaking games. The Bulldogs have lost state championship games to South Panola and Madison Central, and will have a chance to rectify all of that this Saturday against Starkville; but again you have to finish.

Second year head football coach Sam Williams has constantly talked about “finishing” and he talks about short term goals with a long term mindset.

In just two short years, Williams club has chalked out a 23-4 record, back to back region titles, south state titles, back to back Rankin County Super Bowls and the program is on as strong a footing as it’s likely ever been.

This version of the Bulldogs have played with hair on fire since Williams took over two years ago and his team plays fast, with passion, and mimics this coaching staffs charisma.

That passion and charisma matches what bleeds out into the town by the people of Brandon. Just drive through Brandon and around town, and get off your phone and smell the air for a minute. Brandon is a town full of pride, and their people long for a championship in football.

Take one glance at Bulldog Stadium, the tailgate area on a Friday night or take a peak at the streaming numbers of a Bulldog football game and you see the same passion that their head coach and his team brings.

Brandon exemplifies the passion of small town Mississippi, football town Mississippi and it’s what Friday nights are all about in the state.

That passion was on display this past Friday night as the Bulldog faithful packed the Ocean Springs visitor section, over three hours from home, to cheer on their beloved Dogs in a walk off field goal game, that sent the Dogs back to state - and a game unlike any these eyes have seen in over 11 years with this team.

The last 12 years of Bulldog football have been the best era of Bulldog football, started by Brad Peterson, taken over by Tyler Peterson and now Sam Williams. And while the Dogs have seen extremely talented teams come and go through the years, this one may be the best group of Dogs yet.

A quarterback that doesn’t meet the measurables, but one that is one of the best in the state and one his head coach calls the ultimate competitor. A running back that is a nightmare for defenses and receivers that can get up and get down on a football field. And - an offensive line that can bull doze a defense and protect the passer.

The Bulldogs defense is equally as talented with a front to back group who flys to the football, hits with passion and takes the ball away from the other team.

Front to back this group of Dogs are the best group of the new era of Brandon football and they carry the torch this weekend to Hattiesburg to try to finish, what many of their brethren started before them.

Many a year has gone by, where Brandon looked the part, but hit road blocks in playoff spots on the road at Meridian, against the Oak Groves and Petals of the world and oh so close moments in two state championship games. That feeling started to creep in last week down at Ocean Springs, but every time it did, a Bulldog rose up and made big play after big play.

This team has been through the fires, the close games and seems to be made for the big moments in football.

Saturday night they will strap it on one more time down in Hattiesburg, under the lights at the Rock, on the campus of Southern Miss. And this time, when the Dogs come out of a familiar tunnel, onto a familiar field, the goal is simple - Finish.

All the passion, all the fight, all the “one town, one team one dream”, all the “Brandon over Everything” #BOE, comes to a head this Saturday night.

The goal is simple - Finish what you started - and bring one of the most passionate towns in the state of Mississippi home a title.

It’s time. Finish.