Quitman County Dragons head to state finals in Scooba

Quitman County Middle School Dragons played BF Liddell at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 in Round 1 of the state finals at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, and Quitman County School District marked the trip with a post that said the team was "WE'RE STATE BOUND."

The district’s Instagram message framed the run as more than a basketball date on the calendar. It said the Dragons were "taking the HEAT on the road" to the 2026 Middle School Basketball Invitational in Scooba and added, "Quitman County Middle School Basketball is UNSTOPPABLE." The post also named Coach Griffin, Coach Roebuck and Coach Orange, putting the staff alongside the student-athletes at the center of the moment.

Quitman County Middle School is part of Quitman County School District, where the contact pages list John Jossell as principal and Katrina Ford as academic officer. The district’s home page carries the motto "PRIDE. TRADITION. EXCELLENCE.", a fitting match for a public celebration built around a state-level postseason game and the visibility that comes with it.

In Quitman County, school sports often double as a countywide gathering point for families from Marks, Lambert, Crowder and Falcon. A trip like this gives younger students a visible example of discipline and teamwork, while also giving parents, grandparents, teachers, alumni and neighbors a common event to follow. The Scooba setting adds another layer, since traveling for a state-finals game turns a school matchup into a shared county story.

The social post made that pride unmistakable, turning the Dragons’ postseason berth into a public statement about the program and the district around it. By the time the team reached East Mississippi Community College, the message was already clear: Quitman County had a middle school squad worth putting in front of the whole community, and the Dragons carried that attention into Round 1 against BF Liddell.