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FAYETTE — Deanthony Miller had two rushing touchdowns on offense and an interception on defense as the Jefferson County High School Tigers rallied to defeat the Tylertown High School Chiefs 38-20 in the second round of the 2024 MHSAA Class 3A South State Playoffs.

Miller’s interception led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Jamari Turner with about nine minutes left in the first quarter for a 6-0 Jefferson County lead.

After Tylertown scored on a pick-six to tie the game at 6-6, Miller scored on a 60-yard run and the try for two on a run was good to give the Tigers a 14-6 lead.

But the Tigers had trouble holding on to the football in the second quarter and that led to the Chiefs taking the lead on the road. Tylertown scored on rushing touchdown and, after another interception by the Chiefs’ defense, they scored on a passing touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion pass for a stunning 20-14 lead.

However, any thoughts of Region 8-3A No. 2 seed Tylertown (6-5) going into halftime with the lead quickly disappeared with less than a minute to go. First, Region 7-3A No. 1 seed Jefferson County scored on a touchdown pass to tie the game at 20-20. Then just seconds later, the Tigers scored on a pick-six of their own to go into the half with a 26-20 advantage.

Then it was Jefferson County’s defense which stepped up in the second half, either forcing turnovers on downs or recovering fumbles.

With about nine minutes left in the third quarter, Marsavion Ford scored on a three-yard run to give the Tigers a 32-20 lead. Then with four minutes left in the game, Miller scored on a five-yard run to for a 38-20 advantage.

Jefferson County (9-2) will take on Region 6-3A No. 1 seed Magee High School in the Class 3A South State semifinals. Magee held on for a 21-12 win over Region 5-3A No. 2 seed Kemper County High School.