Brookhaven High, a school that has one of the best MHSAA track programs in the state, came sprinting out of the blocks on Friday night to jump ahead of visiting South Jones for a 14-0 lead in a jubilant first quarter of homecoming football on King Field.

The Panthers didn’t keep that pace, but they made winning plays late in an eventual 28-10 win that was closer than the score may look. The victory makes BHS 7-1 on the season and 3-0 in Region 3-5A with two games remaining.

SJ ate up half the first quarter on a long drive that ended with no points as the Panther defense stiffened on its side of the field.

The BHS offense marched quickly down field behind long gains by sophomore quarterback Jaden Allen and junior running back Caiden Quarles.

Allen capped the drive with a smooth 24-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Kemarjae Lee. Lee wears no. 94 and maybe the defensive back thought he was a defensive lineman pretending to be a wideout, but Lee smoothly strode past him and looked back for a ball that Allen drilled in for the score.

The huge homecoming crowd, which had grown throughout the day with the annual Friday afternoon homecoming production presentation for alums, parade through downtown and tailgating in Panther Park, further roared when South Jones quickly turned the ball over following the first BHS score.

Junior linebacker DJ Washington jumped the route by a Brave wideout around the SJ 20-yard line. One play later, Quarles ran in for a score that put the Panthers ahead 14-0 following the Isaac Iles PAT kick.

South Jones looked stunned and when BHS got the ball back for its third possession of the night, the Panthers again looked to be driving to score again.

That didn’t happen though, Ole Brook coughed it up via an interception as turnovers kept getting in the way of Brookhaven fully controlling the flow of the game.

South Jones (6-3, 2-1) has a versatile offense with lots of playmakers and they made gains all night, but they could not always account for the speed of the Brookhaven High defense, as the Panthers got penetration up front and had a defensive back field that was flying around the ball.

The only real mistake of the night for the BHS defense came on the drive following the first turnover for the Panthers. SJ quarterback Collin Flowers lofted a long deep pass that perfectly hit wide receiver Kaleb McCruder in stride and led to a 52-yard touchdown pass that made the score 14-7, which is where it stood at halftime

Brookhaven High looked at times like it might give the game away in the second quarter, as the Panthers fumbled it and then threw another interception, but the defense kept applying pressure as they made life miserable on passing downs for Flowers.

The third quarter was more of two steps forward, three steps back routine for the Panthers. Force a turnover and then give the ball back via a turnover of their own.

BHS had a couple drives that ended with unsuccessful field goal attempts and when South Jones made a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the third quarter, it felt very much like the Braves had momentum going into the final quarter, especially when the Panthers again fumbled it back to visitors on the SJ 24-yard line on the next possession.

The Brookhaven High defense then delivered a shot of energy that woke up the home crowd and sideline when senior defensive back Rameriaze Edwards jumped in front of a pass by Flowers and returned it 25-yards for a touchdown to put BHS up 21-10.

Later in the fourth quarter, senior defensive back Jamaal Brown got an interception himself that set up the final score of the night, a short touchdown run by Quarles.

It was a happy end to homecoming, which featured a halftime recognition of the 2004 MHSAA 4A State Championship Team. As the group gathered at midfield, they held aloft jerseys to remember their three teammates who have since passed away in Larry Winters, Demetrius Wilson, and Orlandas “Slim” Chapman.

Chapman’s son Derwin Fields was one of the BHS defenders causing havoc in the South Jones backfield with his pursuit from the defensive end.

As much as head coach Tucker Peavey enjoyed seeing all his former players, his focus right now is on the future of this Brookhaven High squad that could very likely see South Jones later in the 5A playoffs. A sloppy second or third quarter like the one on Friday could be devastating in the postseason.

Brookhaven High has two more regular season games remaining as they sit atop the region standings. The Panthers host North Pike next week and then travel to Natchez High on Thursday, Nov. 7 for the regular season finale.

“We played great defense all night, when we didn’t fumble the ball or throw it to them, we scored, it’s as simple as that,” said Peavey. “The players have to embrace that and do the things they’re coached to and we’ll be fine. We played very hard all night.”