SHANNON - The kids from Lafayette are heading back to Fulton.

And beware, Class 4A foes, these youngsters from Lafayette County have grown up.

Behind sophomore quarterback Jeremy Liggins and a host of impact underclassmen, the Commodores of Lafayette made a statement here Friday night, outplaying Shannon from the outset in a convincing 24-13 win in the 4A quarterfinals.

The win propels Lafayette to Friday night's North State Championship Game in Fulton against unbeaten Itawamba AHS.

"It feels great," said Liggins, who passed for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns to go along with 11 carries for a game-high 131 yards. "Shannon is a tough place to play, but we had each other. We believed in ourselves coming in here tonight and we got a big win."

That big win exorcises some playoff demons for the 'Dores, who had lost to Shannon in each of the past two postseasons.

"We felt like we had a chance to come in here and win the game, but I can't say enough about the way our kids played tonight," said Lafayette head coach Anthony Hart. "Shannon is a hard-hitting, physical team but we did what we needed to do to get a big win."

Getting that big win required a huge effort from the Lafayette defense, which held Shannon senior tailback Keon McGaughy to a season-low 31 yards on 12 carries. The Commodores also sacked Shannon QB Legilbert Bogan three times and forced a pair of interceptions.

"That's a great team over there," Shannon head coach Chad Cook said of Lafayette. "Like I told coach Hart, that's the best Lafayette team I have seen since I've been here. They are going to be hard to beat."

For three quarters, the game appeared to be another slugfest, as Lafayette carried a 7-0 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to a 14-yard touchdown connection between Liggins and Markie Dukes in the first quarter. Tyler Jackson's PAT gave the Commodores the 7-0 lead, which stood until a whirlwind fourth quarter.

After Jackson added a 25-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 10-0 with just over nine minutes to play, Shannon snapped to life, making its inevitable attempt at a late comeback. McGaughy caught a 57-yard pass from bogan on the ensuing drive and cashed in a 2-yard scoring run three plays later. When Jake Scott added the PAT, Shannon had cut the lead to 10-7 and had momentum on its side.

Not for long.

Like he did all night, Liggins answered the call, leading a 9-play, 47 yard drive that led to a critical 4th-and-8 from the Shannon 9-yard line. When Hart and his staff decided to roll the dice and go for the touchdowns, Liggins rewarded their trust with a beautiful 9-yard touchdown pass to senior Cedric Dukes, who made an acrobatic catch to give the 'Dores a 17-7 lead with just three minutes, 36 seconds to play.

"That was just a great play they made. It was a good call on their part on the receiver went up and got the ball," Cook said. "Sometimes, you play as hard as you can but you just come up against a better team that night. That's what happened to us tonight."

After an interception by Cedric Dukes stopped the next Shannon drive, Sam Booker put the game away with a 9-yard scoring run, giving Lafayette a 24-7 lead with just over two minutes left.

Shannon mounted one last charge, striking back with a 14-yard scoring strike from Bogan to Keyon Lowery, but it was too little, too late for the Raiders.

For Shannon, the loss brings a bitter end to another strong season. The Red Raiders finish the season at 11-2, losing only to Lafayette and Itawamba. Bogan, a junior who will return next season, had his finest night since the season opener, throwing for 214 yards and a score.

Across the way, Lafayette earned its biggest win of the year, advancing to set up a rematch with Itawamba, who topped the Commodores 25-18 in Week 2.

"I'm proud that we get to keep playing," Hart said. "We will enjoy this one, but we have a big one next week. We'll come out Monday and get back to work."

Shannon’s Jennings OK after late injury scare

Lafayette’s celebration after its win over Shannon was muted a bit Friday night after injured Red Raiders senior Josh Jennings was taken off the field in an ambulance late in the fourth quarter.

Jennings injury, which caused a 22-minute delay, came on a Lafayette extra point attempt. While attempting to block the PAT, Jennings was upended, crashing to the turf headfirst.

While he was tended to and taken to North Miss. Medical Center, Jennings’ injuries were not believed to be serious.

“He wanted to get up and he was moving around,” Shannon coach Chad Cook said, “but they had to take every precaution they could. It was scary to watch, but it looks like he’ll be fine.”