Veteran D’Iberville coach Buddy Singleton said earlier this year that his team’s offense had been so good that no one ever noticed the Warriors’ defense.

But tonight in Jackson, all of the Warriors will have the full attention of a bunch of Tigers from Noxubee County.

Deemed by one member of the media as an “offensive powerhouse against an immovable force” — D’Iberville will tangle with Noxubee Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for the MHSAA Class 4A state championship.

Kickoff at The Vet in Jackson is set for 7 p.m.

It’s the second straight year the Tigers have advanced to the title game, where they lost 19-16 to Laurel last year.

“We dug ourselves such a big hole last year and made so many mistakes,” Noxubee coach M.C. Miller said. “We came back and made a great run at them, but we just couldn’t catch them.

“I really think that’s going to help us this year,” Miller said. “Most of these guys have been there. Their eyes won’t be as big when we walk in the stadium.”

Noxubee is ranked No. 1 in one Class 4A poll and No. 2 in another — and is sporting a 13-0 record after winning their second straight North State championship with a 42-24 win over Shannon a week ago.

D’Iberville, meanwhile, is ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in those same polls. Even if most Tiger fans haven’t really heard of the Warriors — they’ll come in with a very impressive record of 14-0.

“They didn’t get this far without being real good,” Miller said of D’Iberville. “There’s a lot of good teams in the South that didn’t make it. They’ve got a good tradition and they’re good-looking team.”

The Warriors, who won a state championship in 2002 when they whipped West Point for the title, have won at least 10 games five times in this decade alone.

This year, D’Iberville is averaging 40.6 points per game and giving up 13 points per outing. They started the playoffs with a tight win against Mendenhall, but have since throttled Quitman (41-14), Northeast Jones (42-21) and West Jones (24-6) to claim the South State crown.

The Warriors have scored at least 23 points in every game; have scored 40 or more points 10 times this season; and put up 68 in a 68-34 rout of St. Stanislaus and its highly-regarded quarterback, Dylan Favre.

Wide receiver/cornerback Kevin Norwood is D’Iberville’s hoss. A 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, Norwood is being recruited the heaviest by Mississippi State, Alabama, Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Auburn and LSU.

On the season, Norwood has 54 pass receptions for 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s also rushed the ball for an average of 26 yards per touch and even threw a touchdown pass.

Defensively, Norwood has been just as good. He has a team-high seven interceptions and has recorded 78 total tackles.

D’Iberville’s quarterback is Jake Miller, who has completed 106-of-165 pass attempts for 1,948 yards and 26 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 567 yards and 15 tackles.

The Warriors’ ground attack is led by Mark Seymour, who has 1,561 yards and 20 touchdowns; and senior tackle Zach Rushing — a 275-pounder who is also getting plenty of recruiting attention.

In addition to Norwood on defense, the Warriors rely on Jacobi Bell — who has 116 total tackles, 15 of them for a loss.

Noxubee will counter with all-everything wide receiver Patrick Patterson, Vincent Sanders, Termarcus Conner, Patreon Hopkins and Earnest Harmon on offense.

Conner, the senior quarterback, has thrown for 2,191 yards and 32 touchdowns on the season and he’s also scored five TDs running the ball.

Patterson has 73 catches for 1,287 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Sanders has 22 catches for 453 yards and seven TDs. Teddy Young has added 18 catches for 402 yards and six scores.

Hopkins is the team’s leading rusher with 797 yards and eight touchdowns, while Harmon has 563 yards and 12 touchdowns. Patterson has three rushing TDs and 1,630 all-purpose yards.

Defensively, Mississippi State commitment Deontae Skinner has 125 total tackles — 18 of them for loss — and is one of five Tigers who have topped the century mark on the season.

Jimmy Roby has 123 tackles, while Ladarius Mitchell has 103 stops, 17 for a loss. Demond Jenkins and Nelson Bolden each have 100 total tackles.

Skinner has nine sacks while Mitchell and Enoch Glenn have seven apiece, while Sanders has a team-high eight interceptions. Grover Bland, who has 92 tackles, has a team-high three blocked kicks.

More than anything, the Tigers appear healthy and focused as they go for the school’s first state football championship.

“This group has had it in their heads all year to get back to Jackson,” Miller said. “They’ve worked hard and now they’ve got the chance to win a state championship.”