By Brad Greer

While coming up one game short of a sweep Saturday  against Oxford, the Batesville Tiger youth peewee football league will have two teams represented in the Mississippi Youth Activities Association Super Bowl set for Saturday morning.

The 9 & 10 year-old along with the 11&12 year-old squad advanced to the championship games while a Tiger 7 & 8 team saw its season come to an end with a 12-0 loss to Oxford.

Cadarrius Pride’s 33-yard interception return with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner as the Tiger 9 & 10 year-old took a 6-0 victory over the Buccaneers.

The final game of the day was never in doubt as the Batesville 11 &12’s steamrolled Oxford 34-13 as Markee Cooks threw two touchdown passes to  Janari Dean and ran for another score.

Batesville took a 7-0 lead after one quarter of play on Stedarrius Sanford’s one-yard run to cap off a 79-yard drive.

Oxford responded with a one-yard touchdown early in the second quarter but missed the PAT to trim the Tiger lead to 7-0. That would be the Bucs last points until 1:56 left in the fourth quarter as Batesville would reel off the next 27 points.

The Tigers took a 14-6 halftime lead as Cooks hit Dean on a 53-yard scoring strike with 4:05 left in the first half. The duo would later add a 20-yard scoring play in the third quarter to increase the margin to 22-6.

Cooks gave the Tigers a 28-6 lead after three quarters of play with a six-yard run. Dean added the finishing touches with a dazzling 65-yard interception return with 4:30 left in the game for a 34-6 Tiger lead.

Oxford did however manage to salvage one victory on the day as Caden Bridges scored on runs of 42 and 34 yards to lift the Buccaneers to a 12-0 win in 7 & 8 year-old contest.

The Super Bowl will be played in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford Saturday. The 7-and-8-year-old teams of Oxford and  Greenwood will play at 11 a.m. Batesville and Greenwood 9-and-10-year-old teams will play at 12:15 p.m., followed by 11-and-12-year-old teams of Batesville and Marks at 1:30 p.m.