South Panola great Deshea Townsend won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He starred on Saturdays in the SEC at the University of Alabama.
But quarterbacking South Panola High School to its first state title in 1993 ranks among his most prized accomplishments.
It gave South Panola High School and the Batesville community its first state championship. The game pitted the undefeated Tigers, led by future NFL-ers Towsend & linebacker Dwayne Rudd plus three other future SEC starters, against powerhouse Warren Central and all-time great running back Brian Darden. It was a star-studded, hard-hitting, big play, back-and-forth affair that many consider the greatest high school football game ever played in Mississippi.
In Townsend’s interview for ‘Between the Pines, Episode 1: The University of South Panola (USP), he remembers the ’93 championship game win.
