HOLLANDALE — Every once in a while the Mississippi Delta births a special athlete — one who's name will be just as popular 15 years from now as it is this very moment.
West Bolivar High sophomore running back Kalio Moore has all the ingredients to be one of those players.
The Simmons Blue Devils (7-4, 2-2 Region) and a crowd full of fans lining the entire stadium witnessed Moore rally West Bolivar (9-2, 4-0) to an easy 49-6 victory Friday night over the Blue Devils to win the Region 4-2A championship.
"I've never seen a kid like him," Simmons coach Carlos Thompson said of Moore, who finished with 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns in just two quarters of play.
"He's probably one of the best athletes that I've seen in a long time," Thompson added.
West Bolivar's explosive rushing attack — along with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Terrance Matthews — provided the Eagles with a cushy 42-6 halftime lead.
Then a 35-yard scoring strike from Kylan Johnson to Corey Smith gave West Bolivar a 49-6 third quarter lead before they retired most of their key players for the game.
Simmons' lone touchdown came early in the first quarter when Debrille Grant sneaked in a touchdown from two yards out. From that moment on, West Bolivar controlled the game on both sides of the ball.
Moore's touchdowns came from three, five, six and 34 yards out. And Jovious Wade had a 30-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter to up the lead to 40-7. Moore then punched in the two-point conversion to make it 42-7.
West Bolivar's ability to spread the ball around is what makes them a tough task for opposing teams, said Eagles coach Henry Johnson.
"Kalio is our main guy, everything we do centers around Kalio," he said. "But he opens things up for those other guys, and when those other guys start making plays, that's when it becomes very hard for the defense — and that's kind of what's going on right now."
The loss marked Simmons second straight and dropped them to No. 3 in the region behind West Bolivar and JFK, who defeated O'Bannon 18-0 Friday night.
Simmons will now now have to travel to face Broad Street this Friday night in the first round of the playoffs. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
"I think we should come out well against (Broad Street)," said Thompson, who added that he thinks his Simmons squad has the talent to at least make it to the second round. "I'm not saying it's an automatic win, but I know we have our work cut out for us."
Meanwhile, West Bolivar will host West Tallahatchie Friday night at 7 p.m. And Coahoma County Agricultural will travel to JFK, while O'Bannon (4-7, 1-3) will be at Coahoma County.
GWHS
CLINTON — The Greenville-Weston Hornets saw their playoff chances dwindle Friday night after allowing two fourth quarter Clinton touchdowns, as they Hornets (4-6, 2-4 Region) fell 24-9 to the Arrows.
Willie Mosby scored GWHS's lone touchdown on a 7-yard scamper. Junior running back Donald Jackson finished with 124 rushing yards, upping his season total mark to around 1,200 yards. GWHS linebacker Terrell Williams added 12 tackles.
GWHS will close out their season this Friday night when they host Madison Central.
DCS, GCS
ARCOLA — The Greenville Christian Saints won the MAIS District 2-A Friday night after defeating rival Deer Creek 49-21.
GCS (6-4, 2-1 District) will now host Tunica Academy this Friday night in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Deer Creek (5-5, 2-1) saw their season come to a close.
Washington
RIDGELAND — The Washington School Generals won't have a shot at a third straight title after falling to Madison-Ridgeland Academy 34-12 Friday night, ousting the Generals from the playoff picture. Washington School ends their 2010 campaign with a 5-6, 3-4 record.
O’Bannon
GREENVILLE — The O'Bannon Greenwaves lost 18-0 to John F. Kennedy Friday night in the final regular season game. However, OBHS (4-7, 1-3 Region) are still in the playoffs.
O'Bannon will be on the road to face a top-ranked Coahoma County Agricultural squad Friday night at 7 p.m.
Leland
LELAND — Leland held on for a 21-15 victory Friday night over South Delta. The win gave the Cubs a 8-3, 4-1 region record.
Now Leland will face Marks Palmer this Friday night in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
South Delta, on the other hand, will travel to face a East Side team who lost to Charleston last Thursday for their regional title.
Riverside
ITTA BENA — The Riverside Bulldogs closed out their regular season with a 36-0 loss to a tough Leflore County (9-1, 5-0 Region) squad.
RHS (4-7, 2-3) will now have another huge obstacle in their way this Friday night when they travel to face the Delta's No. 1 team, Charleston. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.
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