WOODVILLE – Coach Randel Montgomery and his defending state champion Hazlehurst Indians punched their ticket to play for the Class 3A State Championship for the third year in a row Friday night after skinning the Wilkinson County Wildcats 36-22 for the South State 3A championship in high school football action.

“This was a hard fought win for our guys,” said Montgomery. “We are very excited to be heading back to Jackson to defend our state title. The guys have been training and working hard all year to get to this moment.

The Indians and Wildcats battled back and forth in a close game for three quarters of action as the score was tied 22-all.

In the fourth quarter, Hazlehurst exploded with 14 unanswered points to secure the win and claim their third straight south state crown.

Senior quarterback Jarvis Warner provided an offensive show to help lead the Indians to the victory with two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns and three two-point conversions.

Hazlehurst (14-1) tangles with the Louisville Wildcats (15-0) for the Class 3A State Championship Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set to begin at 11 a.m.