Tonight marks the 15th meeting between Meridian and Oak Grove, and the sixth in the playoffs. The Wildcats and Warriors first met in 2001 and have played twice six of the past seven seasons, with Oak Grove leading 8-6.



2001

Oak Grove 27, Meridian 13

Meridian mustered just 152 yards of offense as the Wildcats were eliminated from playoff contention in the second-to-last week of the regular season.

Fred Patton, who had a 23-yard scoring run in the first half, led Meridian's offense with 60 yards rushing.



2002

Oak Grove 34, Meridian 27

The Wildcats rallied with a pair of quick scores in the fourth quarter, but too much Cody Hull and Chris Wright allowed Oak Grove to survive the scare.

Hull racked up 226 yards on 35 carries and Wright intercepted two Meridian passes and returned a fumble for a touchdown for the Warriors. Meanwhile, the Cats rallied within a score in the closing minutes thanks to a 40-yard pass from Ken Mitts to Jonathan Byrd and a 33-yard from Mitts to D.J. Lloyd 14 seconds apart.



2003

Oak Grove 28, Meridian 21

Meridian fell 1-yard and one-play short of earning its first win against Oak Grove.

Cordae Campbell, who rushed for 141 yards, reached the Warrior 1 with 10 seconds remaining after Oak Grove took its first lead midway through the fourth. Justin Baylor then appeared to spike the ball with 2 seconds left but the clock ran out on the Wildcats.



Second Round

Oak Grove 31, Meridian 16

The Wildcats couldn't claw their way out of a 24-0 halftime deficit despite a third-quarter surge.

Meridian's comeback featured a pair of quick scores — a 3-yard run from Cordae Campbell and 1-yard run from Justin Baylor and two-point conversions from Cordera Eason and Campbell — but Oak Grove snuffed out the rally early in the fourth.



2004

Meridian 35, Oak Grove 21

The Wildcats forced a fumble with two minutes remaining and Oak Grove driving to preserve their first win in the rivalry.

Before the key turnover, Meridian rode running back Derrick Davis to power through the Warriors. The junior scored on runs of 1, 1, 7 and 6 yards as he finished with 159 yards on 30 carries, including a pair of TDs in the first half to give the Wildcats the lead for good.



Second Round

Oak Grove 36, Meridian 35

The two teams combined for 29 points in the final quarter, including a 26-yard field goal from Oak Grove's Taylor Lovitt to win it.

Derrick Davis rushed for 221 yards and four TDs on 42 carries as Cordera Eason left with a separated shoulder early in the third quarter. Zack Harrington completed 31-of-45 passes for 442 yards and four scores to lead Oak Grove.



2005

Oak Grove 41, Meridian 30

A pair of long passes — 41-yard touchdown catch by Torris Magee and a 36-yard scoring grab by Drew Ezell — late in the first half swung momentum back to Oak Grove after the Wildcats rallied from two scores down to grab 16-13 lead.

Lindsay Sparks tried to provide one for Meridian by returning the second half kickoff 96 yards for a score but the Warriors were able to answer the Wildcats' rallies.



South State Championship

Meridian 46, Oak Grove 40

The Wildcats earned their first state title game berth since 1990, thanks in part to forcing five Oak Grove turnovers.

Those Warriors miscues — they led to three Meridian touchdowns — coupled with Wildcats star running back Cordera Eason, who rushed for 258 yards and two TDs on 23 carries — was too much for Oak Grove.



2006

Oak Grove 27, Meridian 7

The Wildcats threw five interceptions, including two that set up Oak Grove touchdowns. Michael Hawthorne scored from 2 and 1 yards out for the Warriors, who led 3-0 at halftime.

Meridian scored its lone touchdown with 3:22 left when Chris Smith hauled in a 30-yard pass from Walton Mitts.



South State Championship Game

Meridian 27, Oak Grove 20

With time running out, Chris Smith hauled in a Walton Mitts pass and raced 71 yards for the game-winning score and pushing the Wildcats into the Class 5A state championship game.

Trailing 13-0 at halftime, Lindsey Spinks sparked Meridian by returning the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a score and the Wildcats took their first lead on Smith's catch-and-run.



2007

Meridian 36, Oak Grove 35

Clinging to the one-point lead in the final minute, Meridian's defense sacked Oak Grove quarterback Josh Larson twice and then Khairi Usher knocked down a fourth-and-26 pass in the closing seconds to seal the win.

Tyler Russell threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, including a 35-yard strike to Hamp Glover to knot the game at 35 and set up B.B. Mitchell's game-winning extra point.



2008

Meridian 42, Oak Grove 28

Wildcats scored on six of eight possessions as they overpowered Warrior defense behind senior quarterback Tyler Russell.

After falling behind 7-0 early, Russell led Meridian back, completing 18-of-23 passes for 276 yards and two scores — 13-of-15 for 188 in the first half. He also ran for a score, and Quardarel Martin added three scoring runs.



South State Championship

Meridian 28, Oak Grove 0

Meridian forced six turnovers — five interceptions — in capturing its third South State title in four years, this one via shutout against a Warriors unit averaging nearly 35 points per game.

The Wildcats scored three second-half touchdowns — 18-yard pass from Tyler Russell to J.J. Harbin, 23-yard pass from Russell to Chris Smith and 14-yard run from Marcus McQuarley — to pull away.



2009

Oak Grove 28, Meridian 21

Trailing throughout, the Wildcats rallied in the fourth as Luke Stanley completed a 28-yard scoring pass to Tim Hairston to pull Meridian with a touchdown.

However, with less than three minutes remaining, Stanley's fourth-down pass inside the Warrior 20 fell incomplete as Meridian was hampered by three turnovers in the game.