Hattiesburg, a town with high hopes, had painted a perfect picture for its football team. Entering the MHSAA Class 6A championship undefeated, the title game was set to be played at Southern Miss’ M. M. Roberts Stadium, just a stone's throw away from the high school. But alas, a fairytale ending was not in the cards.

"The Battle for the 6A Championship - Hattiesburg vs Grenada"

Hot Start and Dominant Defense

The Hattiesburg offense began with a bang, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-7 lead. However, Grenada's defense took over the rest of the game, holding Hattiesburg scoreless and allowing just 82 yards in the final three quarters. Grenada senior running back Macaleb Taylor emerged as the game's MVP, racking up 211 rushing yards and four touchdowns, more than the entire Hattiesburg team combined.

Stream Mississippi HS football games live on NFHS Network. The Hattiesburg vs Grenada score updates were intense. Grenada 43, Hattiesburg 14: Brayden Trusty threw a second touchdown. Grenada was routing Hattiesburg, taking a 43-14 lead with 4:02 to play. Grenada 37, Hattiesburg 14: Macaleb Taylor scored a fourth touchdown with 7:37 remaining. At the end of the third quarter, Grenada 30, Hattiesburg 14. Macaleb Taylor's third touchdown came on a two-yard rush with 7:58 remaining. In the halftime show, Grenada 23, Hattiesburg 14. Grenada wide receiver Zayion Cotton caught a 10-yard touchdown on fourth down to extend the lead with 1:09 to play in the second quarter. Grenada 16, Hattiesburg 14: Macaleb Taylor scored again on a one-yard rush. The extra point was no good. Hattiesburg 14, Grenada 10: Brayden Neathery kicked a 37-yard field goal with 6:50 left in the second quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Hattiesburg 14, Grenada 7. Hattiesburg quarterback Deuce Vance scored his second touchdown of the first quarter. The Tigers also converted a two-point conversion with 1:40 remaining. Grenada 7, Hattiesburg 6: Macaleb Taylor rushed for a touchdown with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers scored on their opening drive on a two-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Deuce Vance with 7:08 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good.

Series and Team History

This was the first meeting between Hattiesburg and Grenada. There was no previous win for either team to build on. The weather on the day of the game, according to AccuWeather, was 55 degrees around kickoff with a 0% chance of rain.

MHSAA State Championship Schedule

Thursday saw Class 3A: Choctaw County 34, Noxubee County 27. Class 7A had Tupelo 28, Brandon 16. Friday brought Class 1A: Baldwyn 21, Simmons 20 and Class 5A: West Point 28 Gautier 21. Saturday witnessed Class 2A: Heidelberg 38, Charleston 6 and Class 4A: Poplarville 29, Louisville 28. The highly anticipated Class 6A match was Grenada vs. Hattiesburg at 7 p.m.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.