Barnes whispers into senior Davis Harrison’s ear after the game.

CLINTON — On Lamar School’s bus ride from Meridian to Mississippi College early Friday, senior quarterback-turned-receiver Davis Harrison sent a text message to sophomore quarterback Joseph Hutchinson, who was making his first start in a state championship game.

Harrison had been in Hutchinson’s shoes as a freshman when he guided the Raiders to a 2013 state title. Now, it was his turn to share some words of wisdom with his understudy.

“He texted me and told me to stay calm, and that he had faith in me,” Hutchinson recalled. “He said that we were all going to put it on the line today… It’s been an awesome year. I couldn’t have asked for a better year with a greater group of guys. To come out and get a ring as a 10th grader is a real honor. I want to thank my coaches, offensive line, wide receivers and everybody on the team.”

Hutchinson (two passing) and Harrison (one rushing) combined for three Lamar School touchdowns Friday afternoon in Clinton as the Raiders defeated Oak Forest Academy (La.) 28-7 to win the MAIS Class AAAA, Division 2 state championship. It was the fourth football championship in school history.

“When the summer came around, I knew we had a good team coming,” said Harrison, who finished with 99 total yards and a touchdown. “(This) was our goal, and I’m glad we got it.”

Lamar School’s defense opened with a three-and-out, giving the Raiders the football at their 32-yard line on their opening possession. Junior wide receiver Parker Neal, returning to the lineup after suffering a broken collarbone earlier in the year, ripped off a 55-yard run on the second play of the contest. Junior quarterback D.J. McGrew found pay dirt from 1 yard out to cap the drive and give the Raiders a 6-0 lead with 7:55 in the first quarter after a missed extra-point attempt.

Oak Forest Academy’s drive on the next possession stalled after turning the ball over on downs at Lamar School’s 20-yard line, but the Raiders handed the ball back over after failing to convert their own fourth-down play.

Oak Forest took advantage of the favorable field position, and on third down, quarterback Reed Roberts fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Conerly, who cradled the football as he crossed the plane to give the Yellowjackets a 7-6 lead with 1:44 remaining in the first quarter.

With 3:09 remaining in the second quarter, Hutchinson and the Raiders went to work. Hutchinson found senior wide receiver Will Roberts for a long gain to move the ball to Oak Forest’s 20-yard line. Hutchinson was dropped for a 9-yard loss on third down during the drive, giving the Raiders fourth-and-long in Oak Forest’s territory. After calling a timeout, Hutchinson found Harrison for a 35-yard completion to the 7-yard line with 15 seconds left in the first half. Kicker Davis Thames, a junior, booted a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the half to give Lamar School a 9-7 lead.

Sophomore wide receiver Chet Williams returned the opening kickoff of the second half to Oak Forest Academy’s 21-yard line. A Hutchinson sack on third down gave the Raiders fourth-and-14, and Lamar School turned the ball over on downs after Hutchinson’s pass fell incomplete.

Lamar School forced Oak Forest to turn the ball over on downs after the Yellowjackets’ rushing attempt came up short, giving the Raiders the ball at Oak Forest’s 35. Junior running back J.T. McClelland sprinted 12 yards for a first down during the Raiders’ ensuing drive to help set up Hutchinson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Tate Thompson on fourth down, which gave Lamar School a 16-7 lead with 4:10 left in the third quarter.

“The play before that didn’t work, so we ran a counter play, and Coach (Mac) Barnes saw it — he did a great job coaching there and called a great play,” said Thompson, a senior linebacker and tight end. “(He) called my number, and I just did my job. It feels great — I scored a touchdown in my last game.”

With 10:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hutchinson connected with Roberts for a 67-yard touchdown, extending Lamar School’s lead to 22-7 after a missed extra-point kick.

“We had just gotten Davis back, and (the defense) was keying in on the screen with him,” Roberts, who ended the contest with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown, explained. “I told coach that the corner was biting, and one time he bit too hard, and I just got behind him.”

The Raiders’ defense netted a key fourth-down stop at its 22-yard line with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“Last week, our offense took over and we won the game; this week, the defense did,” Barnes said. “I never thought we’d hold them to 7 points, and that was on the pass after I went for it on fourth down on our own side of the field. Just a great job out of the defense. We had ice packs over everybody at halftime, and people were worn out. But they never quit. Forty-eight minutes, and I’m really, really, proud of these guys. They represented their families, our school and Meridian well today.”

Harrison iced the contest with a 59-yard rushing touchdown with 4:44 remaining in the game. He took his first snap of the game at quarterback in the waning minutes, out of the victory formation.

“It was awesome – taking a knee at the end of the game, there’s nothing better than that,” Harrison said. “Playing receiver, and Joseph playing quarterback, it felt great to get back under there again.”