River Oaks and Trinity ready to clash
For Southern Sports & Travel, By Cody Futrell
The River Oaks Mustangs (6-0) hit the road to take on the defending MAIS Class A champion Trinity Episcopal School (6-0) in Natchez, Miss. this Friday.
The Mustangs are coming off their sixth consecutive victory last week with a 55-7 home victory over district rival Prairie View Academy from Bastrop. River Oaks had to come from behind for the win — something the team is not used to doing after the Spartans took the opening kickoff and drove down the field for a score and a 7-0 lead.
River Oaks soon answered back and started a string of eight consecutive touchdowns on their way to a route of the visiting Spartans.
“After we settled down we did well,” River Oaks head coach Robert Hannah said. “Prairie View executed and went down the field and scored on the first drive and did a great job.”
Quarterback Ryan MacGregor had another solid game for the Mustangs as he completed 8-of-11 pass attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns. MacGregor rushed for 29 yards. The River Oaks rushing attack got on track in the first series and never let up as senior running back Teshadi Talton cruised to 192 yards and three touchdowns.
The group of MacGregor, Talton, Alex Biedenharn and Henry Biedenharn gained nearly 300 yards combined rushing to pick up the pace in the game and fill a void left by Vincent Moore, sidelined until the playoffs by an injury.
Joseph Hakim and Walker Thurmon each caught three passes at wide receiver for the Mustangs.
“Ryan did a great job,” Hannah said. “I think his reads and decisions are better now and all of them over there on offense have stepped up since the injury to Vincent.”
Against Trinity Episcopal School this week, the Mustangs face a team that is not just a winning program, but a team that has dominated much of their competition over the last two years.
“They are the defending single-A champions,” Hannah said. “They have an attacking defense and we have to take advantage of that.”
Hannah expects the Saints to show many different formations on offense and try to attack down the field and cause havoc for the Mustangs on defense.
“They are very multiple on offense like everybody now,” Hannah said. “We have to play solid assignment football.”
The game will be broadcast live on KMLB 540 AM beginning with a pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.

Thunderbirds shut out Deer Creek Warriors

Courtesy of The Daily World
Following Friday night’s lopsided 32-0 victory over the Deer Creek Warriors, the DeSoto Thunderbirds remain the only undefeated high school football team in Phillips County at 5-0. They will be in the crosshairs of their five remaining regular season opponents.
The win came before a near capacity homecoming crowd at Sam Howe Field.
The Thunderbirds wasted little time taking control of the contest, despite the fact that the Warriors took the opening kick off and held onto the football for more than 6 minutes of the opening quarter. An intentional grounding penalty stalled the drive at the DeSoto 34.
A 3-play 66-yard drive culminated with a 12-yard touchdown run by Matt Barnes with 4:03 to play. The touchdown was set up by a “momentum changing” play from quarterback Blake Harper to Dylan Cruz that covered 38 yards. Dillon Wiggins carried the ball from the 28 to 12 just prior to the score.
The touchdown seemed to take the wind out of Deer Creek’s sails. Tripp Halbert recovered a Deer Creek fumble putting the DeSoto offense back in business at the Deer Creek 31. The Warriors defense stiffened and aided by a DeSoto penalty, the Warriors took over on downs.
DeSoto did not score again until the 8:16 mark of the second quarter. A holding penalty temporarily kept the T-Birds out of the end zone but a 33-yard run by Cruz had them knocking on the door again at the 2. Cruz eventually punched the ball over from the one.
With 3:41 left to play in the half, Harper hauled in a 77-yard pass from Cruz to give DeSoto an 18-0 lead. AT this point, the Thunderbirds missed all three extra point attempts.
An interception set up DeSoto’s final score before the break. Paden Phillips lassoed a pass from Cruz for an 11-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the half. Cruz nailed the T-Birds first successful extra point kick of the night for a 25-0 advantage.
The final touchdown of the night came on DeSoto’s opening drive of the second half. Cody Warfield raced 47 yards for the TD.
The Thunderbirds travel to West Memphis this Friday to battle the Knights.

Payback is a, well, you know

For Southern Sports & Travel, By Brad Greer
Last season, Marshall Academy defeated North Delta 6-0 in route to the District 1-2A championship. Friday night was a different story however as a fired up Green Wave squad got a small measurement of revenge on the Patriots by defeating Marshall 26-10 at Green Wave Field.
With the victory, North Delta takes over sole possession of first place in the district standings with a 2-0 record and 4-1 overall. Marshall meanwhile drops to 3-2 on the season, 1-1 in district play.
Tres Brasell rushed for 116 yards on 23 carries and scored three touchdowns all while playing with a shoulder injury the senior sustained three weeks ago against Lee Academy. Brasell had scoring runs of 6,5 and 2 yards while adding one reception for 12 yards.
Marshall jumped out to a 3-0 as Chase Carpenter drilled a 34-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter. The drive began after Aaron McAlexander picked off a Bryan Nickle pass at the Patriot 44 yard-line on the Green Wave's initial possession of the game.
North Delta answered back on their next drive however by marching 80 yards on six plays that was capped off by a Brasell six yard touchdown run. Marshall's John Tomilinson blocked Kyle Devazier's extra point attempt to make the score 6-3 and the 3:15 mark of the first period.The drive was kept alive by Nickle's 50-yard run on second-and- four from the Green Wave 37.
The Patriots retook the lead midway through the second quarter on a Kevin Fitzpatrick one-yard run around right end to finish off a 13-play drive with Carpenter adding the extra point to give Marshall a 10-6 lead.
Perhaps the biggest drive of the night came with 1:09 remaining in the half as North Delta drove 60 yards in ten plays to take a 12-10 halftime lead as Nickle hit Jim Tom Copeland on a nine-yard touchdown pass with no time showing on the clock. Nickle was then stopped on the two-point conversion after running into an offensive line just short of the goal line.
"We wanted this one (the game) bad, " said North Delta senior left tackle Anthony Pike. "Ever since last season when they beat us 6-0 this is the game we circled on our schedule. This win puts us in the drivers seat in the district, but we can not rest just on this game. We've got two more district games left and anything can happen. We just have to keep pushing through," said Pike.
The score stayed the same until midway through the third quarter when the Green Wave defense came up with a huge play when Sy Pritchard picked off a Hank Owens pass at the Patriot five yard-line. Brasell then added his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run on the next play from scrimmage to increase the lead to 19-10 after Devazier added the PAT.
With a noisy Green Wave student section led by Matthew Barefoot on their feet the in tire game, North Delta put the game away with 2:27 remaining in the contest as Brasell added his final touchdown run of the night with two-yard run on fourth down.After three straight penalties, the Wave faced a first and goal from the Patriot 31 before Brasell added runs of 12,12 and six yards before cashing in on the scoring run.
North Delta finished the night with 273 total yards of offense which included 204 yards rushing and 69 yards passing. Nickle followed Brasell with 65 yards rushing on 13 carries and was 6- of-14 passing with two interceptions and one touchdown. Micheal Magee added two carries for 14 yards and one reception for 11 yards. John Cody Dalrymple chipped in with three carries for nine yards to go along with two catches for 12 yards. Copeland also had two receptions for 34 yards.
Magee led the Green Wave defense with eight tackles and two quarterback sacks while Pritchard and sophomore linebacker Taylor Morris added seven stops each.
Marshall was held to 91 yards rushing and 240 yards of total offense by North Delta. Owens finished the night with 11-of-22 passing for 149 yards and one interception to go with 60 yards on 13 carries. Tomilison followed with 28 yards on six totes. Chase Ferrell led the receiving corps with five catches for 53 yards while Tomilinson added four catches for 87 yards.
The Patriots were penalized 13 times for 99 yards while North Delta was flagged eight times for 61 yards.
North Delta will step out of district play Friday night when they travel to Marvell, Ark. for a 7:30 kickoff.

Pioneers steamroll Rebels for 4th straight win
Courtesy of The Enterprise-Journal
Before you could even turn your head, it was all over.
The Parklane Academy Pioneers scored touchdowns on their first four drives, including a 59-yard scoring toss from sophomore quarterback Zach Stutzman to senior split end Jordan Taylor, and coasted to a 35-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Adams County Christian School Rebels here Friday night.
It was the fourth straight win for the Pioneers (4-1).
It was also the second shutout recorded by the Parklane defense, as the Pioneers held the Rebels to just 75 yards total offense and minus-5 yards on the ground.
Parklane also blanked Centreville Academy 16-0 on Aug. 27, their second game of the season.
Seth Travis’ 100-yard interception return for a touchdown was nullified by a block in the back penalty on the return. It hardly mattered with 1:27 remaining in the game.
“Justin Holmes, Zac Adams and Phillip Price led me all the way to the end zone for the touchdown,” Travis said of the negated score.
The Pioneers’ ground attack rolled up 226 total yards, with sophomore running back Joseph Clark rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns on just eight touches.
Senior running back Jack Kitaif added 41 yards and a touchdown on four carries, and the Pioneers’ offense ran up 321 total yards against an outmanned Rebel defense.
The Rebels played the game without their two main guns, running backs Christopher Perry and Brandon Sanders. The pair reportedly did not play due to illness, but Parklane head coach Bo Milton doesn’t think it would have made much difference.
“The word was that they were resting (Perry and Sanders) for their district games,” Milton said. “I don’t believe it would have mattered if they were in there. We got the win.
“Our kids came out focused and took care of business early,” Milton added. “We were able to play a lot of people, and the second and third strings did very well. I’m very proud of our kids.”
The Pioneers opened the scoring fest on their first possession with an 8-play, 40-yard drive capped by Kitaif’s 10-yard burst up the middle and into the end zone with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point attempt sailed wide right and the Pioneers led 6-0.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Rebels lost six yards on their first two plays from scrimmage and had to punt after going three-and-out.
The Pioneers took over on their own 49 and drove 51 yards in six plays, with Clark going in the end zone from a yard out. Senior quarterback Brandon Austin tossed the two-point conversion pass to Taylor to make it 14-0 with 4:49 remaining in the opening period.
The drive was highlighted by Clark’s 44-yard run up the middle to the Rebel 1-yard line.
On Parklane’s third series, following yet another Rebel punt, Stutzman hit Taylor with a pass over the middle at the Rebel 25. From there, the split end ran it in for a 59-yard touchdown reception with 1:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Taylor’s PAT put Parklane up 21-0.
Following another three-and-out drive by the Rebels, Parklane drove to the Rebels’ 43-yard line before senior backup quarterback Hunter Authement threw a 36-yard pass to Taylor Smith, giving the Pioneers a first-and-goal at the Rebels’ 7-yard line.
On the next play, Authement ran around the left end for a touchdown with 11:33 to go in the second quarter.
The extra point was good to make it 28-0.
A short ACCS punt gave the Pioneers possession at the Rebels’ 35-yard line with 4:38 remaining in the first half.
Three plays later, Clark scored on a 1-yard scoring burst up the middle to go up 35-0 with 3:32 remaining before halftime. Taylor added the extra point.
Clark set up his own touchdown with a 21-yard run around the left end to the Rebels’ 14-yard line.
Junior linebacker Will Laciura led the Pioneers with seven tackles, and Daniel Guedon led the Rebels with six stops.
Parklane will host Oak Forest Academy in Class AAA South Conference action next Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Brookhaven stays perfect with win over Simpson

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
Winning streaks often take on lives of their own but what most often gets lost amongst the headlines are the quality of teams that compile those victories. Case and point, top ranked Brookhaven’s past two opponents both entered into the matchup with the Cougars undefeated and both left the field leaving little doubt which was the superior team.
On Friday night the defending AA State Champions won their 21st straight game but more importantly they earned a win over another top five team, their second in as many weeks. Brookhaven showcased their balance and quick strike capabilities in a 34-18 win over 3rd ranked Simpson in Mendenhall.
The Simpson defense, which led the MAIS in points yielded at 4.4 ppg, did its’ job on Brookhaven’s first possession. Eli Duran picked off a deflected Chandler Rogers pass attempt at the Simpson 38 yard line.
Brookhaven forced the Simpson offense into a three and out and benefitted from a 7 yard punt to set up shop at their own 49 yard line for their second possession of the opening quarter. Two plays later senior quarterback Chandler Rogers sprinted around the right side of the Simpson defense and 51 yards later he hit pay-dirt. Tyler Trout nailed the PAT to give top ranked Brookhaven an early 7-0 lead.
Simpson took over on their second possession of the night at their own 23 yard line but could net just two yards and were forced to punt. Brookhaven found themselves with a short field to work with again midway through the first quarter following a Jacob Busby 27 yard punt that made it out to midfield. (Above) Brookhaven tailback Jennings Mills (#10) gets wrapped up by Simpson linebacker Tyler Pagart (#54)
Jennings Mills picked a hard five yards to the Simpson 45 yard line to start the drive. Rogers then connected with junior wide-out Bubba Keene for 22 yards down to the Simpson 23 yard line. Brookhaven increased their lead on the next play as Rogers victimized the left side of the Simpson defense with a 23 yard scamper for a touchdown. Tyler Trout added the PAT to push Brookhaven’s advantage to 14-0.
Simpson’s woes continued on their third possession as tailback Cade Eiland coughed up the football and Brookhaven linebacker Cody Henley recovered it at the Simpson 45 yard line.
Brookhaven moved to the Simpson 14 yard line but stalled. Tyler Trout gave the Cougars a 17-0 lead after a 31 yard field goal.
The Simpson offense got on track following Trout’s field goal. With Cade Eiland running out of the “wildcat” formation the Cougars produced a ten play drive that started at their own 26 yard line. With Eiland rushing on eight of those plays Simpson marched to the Brookhaven 9 yard line but hit a brick wall. Three plays later Brookhaven stopped Eiland for no gain on a 4th and goal from the 5 yard line to retake possession and end Simpson’s only threatening drive of the first half.
Unlike Simpson’s first three possessions of the first half the Cougar’s got themselves back in the contest quickly to start the second half. Cade Eiland exploded with 65 yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage for Simpson’s first score of the night in the third quarter. John Reed Robinson’s PAT failed.
With Simpson’s score there appeared to have been a huge momentum shift. Simpson defensive end Mark Herrin wrapped up Chandler Rogers for a sack and loss of five yards on a second and 8 from the Brookhaven 38 yard line but that appearance of a momentum shift evaporated quickly as Rogers nailed wide-out Sidney Chaffin on a 3rd and 13 with a perfectly thrown pass on a sideline route that went for 67 yards and a score. Trout added the PAT to increase the lead to 24-6. (Above) Simpson tailback Cade Eiland (#2) gets stopped for a loss by Brookhaven defensive lineman Bailey Hodge (#52)
Brookhaven wide-out Bubba Keene then put the game out of reach after the Cougar defense forced the Simpson offense into a three and out. Keene took a Jacob Busby punt and sprinted 76 yards to up the lead to 30-6. The reliable Tyler Trout added the PAT to give top ranked Brookhaven a 31-6 cushion at the midway point of the third quarter.
Simpson cut into the Brookhaven lead shortly before the quarter expired as junior tailback Cade Eiland scored from 16 yards out. An unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt left the deficit at 31-12.
Brookhaven’s final score would come on a Tyler Trout 24 yard field goal halfway through the final quarter.
Simpson reached the endzone in the closing minutes of the game on an Eiland 9 yard burst.
Chandler Rogers was 9/16 passing with a touchdown and an interception. The senior also rushed for 123 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns.
Sidney Chaffin had two receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Cade Eiland led Simpson with 211 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
With their 21st consecutive win Brookhaven improves to 6-0 and will host Centreville next Friday night.
Simpson suffers its’ first loss and falls to 5-1. The Cougars will travel to Madden next week for a huge District 3AA battle with undefeated Leake.
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Post game comments from Brookhaven head coach Herbert Davis and senior wide-out Sidney Chaffin

Simpson gets a crack at top ranked Brookhaven
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
Midway through the 2010 MAIS football season the Brookhaven Cougars are right where they expected to be. The defending AA state champions have reeled off twenty straight wins dating back to last season and easily handled what most thought would be their stiffest test in a 42-13 thumping of 5th ranked Central Hinds last week. But now as the Cougars have entered their strongest stretch of the 2010 schedule comes along another challenge, 3rd ranked Simpson.
On the surface this week’s matchup with Brookhaven is just another game for the Simpson Cougars. After all, it’s a non district game that has no effect on Simpson’s battle with District 3AA opponents. But if you scratch around that surface just a bit you know you’ll find a football team with something to prove. Last season Simpson and Brookhaven met at Brookhaven in week six, both at 5-0 and highly ranked. After battling to a 14-14 halftime score Brookhaven came out and shut Simpson down in the second half and earned a decisive 37-14 win. Brookhaven’s defense limited the Simpson rushing attack to 112 yards on the night. That fact alone doesn’t sit well with a traditional power such as Simpson that prides itself in being dominant on the ground.
Besides the obvious similarity between the two schools in that they have both established themselves as premier AA football programs another interesting tidbit is that both head coaches have now led their Alma Mater to state championships. Simpson head coach Billy Wayne Hankins guided the Cougars to three straight AA titles in 2003, 04 & 05 while Herbert Davis accomplished the feat for Brookhaven last season.
The similarities end there. Brookhaven has the premier player in the MAIS in quarterback Chandler Rogers. The senior has a 28-4 record as the starting signal caller for the Cougars and is on track to be one of the most prolific players in Mississippi High School football history this season and after five weeks of play Rogers has racked up 18 touchdowns. Rogers earned the Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year last season but was inexplicably left off the Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen list this season.
While Simpson may not have a prolific signal caller they do possess one of the better tailbacks in the MAIS in junior Cade Eiland. Eiland rushed for 1,424 yards as a sophomore and is averaging 145 yards a game this season. His speed allows him to reach the corners quickly and with the addition of 20 lbs in the off season Eiland can absorb and inflict damage between the tackles.
The atmosphere Friday night in Mendenhall will be electric. Playing at Simpson has always been one of the toughest venues for opposing teams but Simpson’s visitors on Friday night will pose the toughest challenge for a defense that is allowing an MAIS best 4.4 points a game.
Below are audio interviews with both head coaches.

Brookhaven head coach Herbert Davis

Simpson head coach Billy Wayne Hankins

Jackson Prep Invitational
@ Choctaw Trails, Clinton, MS
Monday Sept. 20, 2010

Jackson Prep won both the Boys and Girls team races. Prep's Girls dominated their event beating Silliman by 48 points. Madison Lowey of Jackson Prep won the girls individual championship with 13:02. Columbia Academy gave Prep a run in the Boys race, but Prep pulled away to a ten point victory. Columbia Academy Sophomore Jon Luke Watts took first place with a Columbia Academy record 17:54 in the boys race. Watts is undefeated in three MAIS Cross Country meets this season.

Girls results:
Individual Winner - Madison Lowery, Jackson Prep, 13:02
Team Results:
1. Jackson Prep - 27 Pts.
2. Silliman - 75 Pts.
3. PCS - 82 Pts.
4. MRA - 134Pts.
5. Canton - 157 Pts.
6. Jackson Academy - 176 Pts.
7. Trinity - 226 Pts.
8. Indianola - 229 Pts.
9. Pillow - 251 Pts.
10. Christ Covenant - 252 Pts.

11. Glenbrook - 349 Pts.
12. Lamar School - 366 Pts.
13. Lamar Christian - 369 Pts.
14. Benton - 409 Pts.

Boys Results:
Individual Winner - Jon Luke Watts, Columbia Academy, 17:54
Team Results: (Top-ten)
1. Jackson Prep - 42 Pts.
2. Columbia Academy - 52 Pts.
3. PCS - 67 Pts.
4. Jackson Academy - 82 Pts.
5. Chamberlain-Hunt - 130 Pts.
6. MRA - 202 Pts.
7. Lamar Christian - 245 Pts.
8. Lamar School - 258 Pts.
9. Silliman - 264 Pts.
10. Trinity - 279 Pts.
11. Winston - 284 Pts.
12. Christ Covenant - 294 Pts.
13. Porters Chapel - 312 Pts.
14. Pillow - 360 Pts.
15. Tri County - 364 Pts.

Stutzman TD reception propels Pioneers
Courtesy of The Enterprise-Journal
This was a Homecoming game few could either expect or predict.
The Parklane Academy Pioneers recovered an East Rankin fumble at the Patriots’ 46-yard line with 1:02 to play and held on for a 10-6 victory in Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Region 2-AAA action Friday night at Parklane’s Cowart Stadium.
It was the third consecutive victory for Parklane (3-1, 1-0).
The Patriots’ began their final drive of the game with 2:37 left to play in the game.
On fourth-and-three from the Pats’ 35-yard line, East Rankin quarterback Justin Laster completed a pass to senior wideout Tanner Chamblee for an apparent first down at the East Rankin 46.
But Chamblee coughed up the ball as he went down. The ensuing pileup of players had to be sorted out by the game officials, who awarded Parklane possession. The Pioneers ran out the clock from there.
“It was a heartbreaking loss to a very good football team,” East Rankin head coach Matt Butts said. “I don’t mean to sound cocky, but we came here expecting to win. We played as physical as they did, and it was very exciting toward the end because we had a shot at winning the game.”
The Patriots defense kept East Rankin in the game throughout. After rushing for 273 yards against Starkville Academy last week, Parklane senior quarterback Brandon Austin was held to 77 yards rushing on 19 carries. Sophomore running back Joseph Clark added just 23 yards on 11 touches. The Pioneers were held to 203 yards total offense.
Parklane head coach Bo Milton was impressed with the Patriots’ defense.
“We knew coming in they had a good defense,” Milton said. “You have to give them credit, they didn’t let us pop a lot of big plays. We caught them playing man-to-man on the touchdown pass, and we had a touchdown called back on a penalty. Our offense did what it had to do.”
Parklane had a 51-yard scoring pass from Austin to Jordan Taylor with 1:19 remaining in the first quarter nullified by an illegal block in the back penalty.
A 20-yard opening kickoff by East Rankin and Seth Davis’ 19-yard return gave the Pioneers a first down at the Patriots’ 40-yard line. But Austin threw a pass on the first play from scrimmage that was intercepted by East Rankin at its 11-yard line.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Pioneers struck quickly. One play after a Patriots’ punt, Parklane sophomore backup quarterback Zach Stutzman rolled to his right and hit a wide-open Taylor Smith sprinting down the Parklane sideline for a 57-yard touchdown pass with 9:53 remaining in the second quarter. Taylor’s extra point gave the Pioneers a 7-0 halftime edge.
“They were pressing, so we went over the top to Taylor,” Stutzman said.
The Patriots opened the third quarter with an 8-play, 69-yard drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Jacob Weldon with 8:22 to go in the third quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked, and the Pats trailed 7-6.
On its ensuing series, Parklane drove 57 yards in eight plays to the Patriots’ 1-yard line. But on a third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Austin tripped and fell at the 5-yard line, ending the drive.
Taylor kicked a 25-yard field goal to give the Pioneers a 10-6 lead with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter.
East Rankin drove to the Parklane 40-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but Pioneers’ junior linebacker Zach Smith intercepted a Laster pass at the Pioneers’ 32-yard line with 11:34 to go.
The Pioneers will travel to Adams County Christian next Friday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Lamar pounds Canton 48-13

By Dennis Watson

It was a happy homecoming Friday night for Lamar. Big plays were abundant as the Raiders rolled up more than 460 yards of total offense. On the flip side, the defense only allowed a little more than 200 yards en route to a 48-13 victory against the Canton Academy Panthers in the MAIS Division 3-AA opener for both teams.
The first 13 points of the game were scored by both squads' special teams. John Clinton McElroy took back a 30-yard punt return to give the home team the early advantage. Chris Reed answered right back as he ran the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to give the Panthers the lead, 7-6.
Lamar (2-3, 1-0) countered back as backup quarterback Barrett Dudley connected with Dusty Wiesner for a 11-yard touchdown and following a successful 2 point conversion, the Raiders took the lead 14-7, one that they wouldn't relinquish. The Raiders would then score another 14 straight points, after quarterback Tyler Harris scampered in from 5 yards out, and Will Dungan took an interception 75 yards to pay dirt, both coming within 30 seconds of each other. The Raiders took a 35-7 lead to the locker room.
Lamar scored first in the third quarter when Harris hooked up with McElroy for a huge 74-yard touchdown reception. Reed added another score for Canton, and Gane Duggan capped off the scoring with a 77-yard touchdown rush to put the final nail into the coffin.
"I was real pleased with the way our guys came out and fought for this victory," said coach Mac Barnes. "However, there are still some things that we desperately need to work on and this bye week comes at a good time."
Harris finished 14 for 21 and 216 yards and two touchdowns, both to Wiesner. Michael Marcello chipped in with 70 yards on the ground for Lamar. Will Fulton led the way for the defense collecting 10 tackles and a sack.
After a bye week, Lamar travels to Oak Hill.

Big plays thrust Presbyterian to road win

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
Presbyterian Christian did two things that the past four opponents who traveled to Amite to take on Oak Forest couldn’t do, score points and more importantly earn a win. The 5th ranked Bobcats put together a balanced attack and held 4th ranked Oak Forest scoreless in the second half to top the Yellow Jackets 18-7 and improve to 4-1 and 1-0 in district play.

(Above) Presbyterian's James Akers (#5) on a successful 2 pt conversion
Presbyterian took the opening possession of the game and cut through the Oak Forest defense like butter driving 75 yards in four plays to take a quick 7-0 lead just 1:08 into the first quarter. Quarterback Brandon Sullivan connected with wide-out Cade Martin for 19 yards out to the Bobcat 44 on a 2nd and 9 and another 15 yards were added as Oak Forest was assessed a personal foul after the reception. With Presbyterian set up at the Yellow Jacket 39 yard line Tyler Young ripped off nine yards to the Oak Forest 30. On the next play Brandon Sullivan struck Cade Martin with a 30 yard touchdown pass to cap of the four play drive at the 10:52 mark of the opening quarter. Dylan Dearman added the PAT.
Oak Forest had success moving the football on their first possession as the Yellow Jackets used four different ball carriers to push the line of scrimmage from their own 20 yard to the Presbyterian 49 with just under six minutes remaining in the quarter but the Bobcat defense began to stiffen. Facing a 2nd and 6, Oak Forest quarterback Chris Gill was sacked by Presbyterian linebacker Micah Griffin for a loss of 5 yards back to the Yellow Jacket 46 yard line. Gill faced pressure on third down and managed to scramble four yards but the Jacket drive was thwarted.

(Above) Presbyterian quarterback Brandon Sullivan (#15) gets heavy pressure from Oak Forest sophomore Rhase Riggins (#54)
Presbyterian looked to cash in on the game’s first turnover as Oak Forest tailback Josh Hughes put the pigskin on the ground and Blake Graves recovered at the Bobcat 41 yard line with 9:34 remaining in the half.
After picking up 36 yards in seven plays Presbyterian stalled at the Yellow Jacket 25 yard line and Dylan Dearman’s 42 yard field goal attempt fell short.
Oak Forest tied the game on an 80 yard, six play drive that was capped off by Blake Gill’s 5 yard keeper around the right end at the 3:45 mark of the second quarter. Homero Natal’s PAT knotted the game at 7-7.
Following a scoreless and very physical third quarter Presbyterian broke the game open with 4:05 left in the game. After the Oak Forest defense appeared to have halted a Bobcat drive at the Yellow Jacket 44 yard line Presbyterian punter Dylan Dearman made the play of the game as the senior caught Oak Forest napping and scampered 42 yards all the way down to the Oak Forest 2 yard line to set up a Blake Graves score with 3:34 remaining in the game. Presbyterian did the unthinkable on the PAT attempt as holder James Akers took the snap and scrambled into the end zone to give the Bobcats a 15-7 lead on the road.
Presbyterian’s defense held Oak Forest at bay and took over possession following an unsuccessful 4th down attempt from the Jackets at their own 19 yard line.
Dylan Dearman increased the lead with a 42 yard field goal with 1:44 remaining to give the Bobcats an 18-7 cushion.

James Akers sealed the win as the senior defensive back intercepted an Oak Forest pass with 1:13 left in the game.
Presbyterian picked up 292 total yards on the night including 177 on the ground and 115 through the air.
Quarterback Brandon Sullivan led Presbyterian as the junior southpaw was 7/14 for 115 yards and 1 touchdown.
Oak Forest had 240 yards of total offense, all on the ground.
Senior tailback Josh Hughes led the Jackets with 97 yards on 5 carries.
Presbyterian will host Heritage next Friday while the Oak Forest Yellow Jackets (3-2 & 0-1) travel to Columbia.

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Post game comments: Presbyterian Bobcats head coach Joey Hawkins

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Photos courtesy of Lee Wheeler

Trinity swamps Eagles
Courtesy of The Vicksburg Post
For the better part of two quarters, Porters Chapel hung tough with Trinity, the defending Class A champions.
But Trinity scored three touchdowns off PCA turnovers and got a 94-yard kickoff return from Tip McKenzie to open the second half, and went on to blast the Eagles 47-7 on Friday night.
“Turnovers against a good team, you can’t do that,” PCA coach John Weaver said. “We had them on the ropes, we really did. You’ve got to play perfect. I know 47-7 looks ugly in the paper, but I really am proud of my guys.”
It’s the third straight loss for the Eagles (2-3), who have been outscored 127-26 in those defeats. PCA dented the scoreboard first thanks a drive extended by three Trinity penalties. Peter Harris took the dive handoff one yard to cap a 12-play, 71-yard drive and PCA quieted the home crowd with an early 7-0 lead, slicing more than seven minutes off the clock in the process.
“They did a very good job of keeping the ball away from us,” Trinity coach David King said. “We had to make several adjustments. We had a few more athletes, but it was a much closer game than the scoreboard indicated.”
Trinity (5-0) needed only three plays to cover 59 yards after a couple of long runs by Kent King. Quarterback Givonni Dent found McKenzie for a 34-yard TD strike to knot the game at 7-all.
Trinity took the lead for good after recovering a fumble on the next PCA drive. The Saints took over at the Eagle 20 and King scored on a 10-yard run to put Trinity up 14-7.
PCA, which moved the ball effectively between the 20s in the first half, put together another long drive behind the passing of Jonah Masterson and the running of Jake Boyd. The nearly six-minute drive ended on the Trinity 5 when Masterson’s pass was picked off, but a fumble on the return gave PCA the ball again in the red zone. Then Masterson threw his second pick to end the threat.
King then ripped off a 45-yard run and Dent capped a three-play, 94-yard drive with a 44-yard TD toss to McKenzie to put Trinity in command 22-7 at the break.
In the second half, McKenzie’s TD return put Trinity up by three scores. Masterson hit Boyd for a 37-yard completion to the Trinity 48. But one of four fumbled shotgun snaps by the PCA offense ended the drive. A few plays later, King took a handoff 35 yards to paydirt to give Trinity a commanding 35-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“They are a better team,” Boyd said. “There is a reason why they’re the number one team in the state. But we’re going to get back on the chalkboard and get back to work with Prentiss coming here next week. I think we’re not where we want to be, but we’ll get there. I have faith in my team. We’re going to come back and blow the roof off, the next five games. We’re going to make the playoffs and walk in there with our heads held high. We’ll see these guys again.”

Rebels pull away late from Prairie View
Courtesy of The Bastrop Daily Enterprise
On paper, it didn’t look like much of a contest: Adams County Christian, undefeated and playing at home, against the 1-3 Prairie View Academy Spartans.
The Spartans didn’t look at the paper, and took a lead against the Rebels early in the third quarter before costly late turnovers gave the Rebels the ball in good field position as they pulled away for a 42-25 win in MAIS play in Natchez.
“The effort was there, as good as its ever been,” Spartans coach Reagan Morrison said. “We just had some costly mistakes at the worst possible time and they took advantage of them.”
Brandon Goodson had two first-half touchdown runs for the Spartans, a two-yard dive
in the first quarter and a six-yard run in the second. Curtis Blakely’s 24-yard run with 4:28 to play in the second quarter pulled PVA within one point.
On the Spartans first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Goodson ripped off a 58-yard run to give the Spartans a 25-20 lead over the Rebels.
Morrison said if the Spartans had been able to take advantage of the lead, he felt the Spartans could have forced ACCS out of their power running game.
“It’s no secret they like to run the ball,” Morrison said. “If we could have gotten one more in on them, we could have forced them to do things they aren’t comfortable with.”
A short touchdown run midway through the third quarter gave ACCS the lead, which they stretched with touchdown runs of 28 and 34 yards by Brandon Sanders providing the cushion in the final frame.
Despite the disparity in records coming into the contest, Morrison said he wasn’t surprised at all by the effort and outcome.
“We had a great week of practice and had a great attitude going into the game. When they scored on us in the first quarter, I heard some of the same things I’ve been hearing from them all year. I don’t have to say anything to them. I’ll hear them say, ‘We gotta answer. We gotta answer,’” Morrison said. “If we can eliminate those mistakes and do a better job of tackling, we’re going to continue to win our share.”
The Spartans continue a three-game road swing next week at River Oaks School.

From the notebook……..
**Four weeks into the 2010 season and there are 15 undefeated teams amongst the three classes in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings. That will change over the next few weeks as some big matchups approach. This week #2 DeSoto and #5 Marvell battle in out in a huge single-A clash while in AA #5 Central Hinds visits Brookhaven and will be looking to end the top ranked Cougar’s nineteen game winning streak.
**I received some updates from River Oaks senior Vincent Moore who suffered a fractured fibula in a week three win over Porter's Chapel. Moore has garnered lots of attention from college recruiters and is still hopeful he can return when the playoffs roll around in November. “I fractured the fibula in my left leg and had surgery on Thursday September 9th at P&S Surgical Center in Monroe, LA. Doctor Sol Graves (former LSU quarterback) performed the surgery and the recovery time is supposed to be anywhere from 8-12 weeks from the day of surgery. So, if everything goes perfect, I should be back in time for some playoff games,” said Moore. On the college recruiting topic and how the injury may affect his prospects Moore said, "Yea I have talked to most of the coaches who were recruiting me throughout the spring and summer and they all have made it clear that this injury will not affect my future with their school. So really the only disappointing thing about the situation as far as recruiting goes is that the possibility new(maybe bigger/better) schools coming along and finding me over the course of the season is probably gone."

All the people I have spoken to about Moore have confidently stated that they wouldn’t be surprised if he is back on the field in November, he’s just that kind of person. One bit of good news is that senior tailback Teshadi Talton is said to be close to 100% following a knee sprain suffered a few weeks back. Talton rushed for 87 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown in the Mustang’s 40-0 win over district foe Glenbrook.
**Big “Shout Out” to the folks at Indianola. I made the trip last Friday to cover the District 1AA opener between the Colonels and North Delta. While Indianola fell short in losing 24-13 they have plenty to be proud of. It was my first visit to an Indianola football game and what a great atmosphere they have created for football on Friday nights. I was a bit surprised with how large their stadium is and the stands were 80% full. It’s fun covering a game with a huge vocal crowd and student section along with a great sound system to boot. At some places it’s like being at a wake but kudos to Colonel supporters and fans for making Friday nights exciting.
**This Friday night I’m making the short drive to Amite to cover the Presbyterian at Oak Forest matchup and I’ll have my partner with me for the first time since week one. My wife has been caring for her parents recently but with God’s grace both are doing well. She receives between 150 and 200 updated scores on Fridays nights and posts them on Southern Sports & Travel. I did my best the past three weeks to post scores as they became available but it was a challenge. This past Friday night I solicited the help of my son who lives south of Seattle, Washington. I forwarded scores to him and he in turn posted them. Unfortunately by the time the Indianola/North Delta game had concluded I had 97 texted scores that I hadn’t sent him. How’s that for technology……Indianola to Seattle to Bogalusa!
**I’m currently working on compiling touchdowns leaders and top rushers in the MAIS. It’s a big undertaking but I’m hopeful that I can provide that in the coming weeks.
**Southern Sports & Travel is in need of more sponsors and advertisers. The website is not a for profit endeavor but expanding and improving coverage in the future isn’t sustainable at current levels. For sponsorship or advertising rates please email aafandaman@yahoo.com or call 985-750-3455.

CP Rebels Fall to Oak Forest
By Patrick Tate
Sometimes, like in the movie "Rudy" or "Rocky" the outnumbered, undersized, athlete can put together a tough performance and overcome the odds and be victorious. Friday night was not the case in Amite, LA as the CPS Rebels ran into an immensely talented bunch of Yellow Jackets from Oak Forest. Oak Forest came out with a stout will and steadfast determination as they defeated the Rebels by the final score of 42-0.
The Yellow Jackets who rushed for 332 yards on the evening were led by Alex Rimes who toted the ball 13 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Most of the damage coming in the first half. A total of 9 different Yellow Jackets carried the ball for OFA. Ryan Riggins scored the second Jacket touchdown on the night on a 28 yard run before Chris Gill hit Parker Morgan on a 34 yard touchdown pass for a 19-0 OFA lead. Gill would then trot 40 yards into the endzone right before half to up the lead to 24-0.
Central Private was able to intercept a Gill pass as Jonathon Moak got his second pick in two games.The second half of the game started with the Yellow Jackets recovering a lateral in the end zone for another score. Drew Misita recovered for OFA. Another big play put six more on the board for the Jackets as Josh Hughes dashed 26 yards into the endzone and a 39-0 lead. Omeara Natale finished the scoring for OFA with a 34-yard field goal.
A long night finally came to an end for CPS but the Rebels return to action in a big district contest against arch-rival Silliman Institute on Friday night at 7:00

Photo of the Week

Great action shot of a peewee contest between Central Private and Bowling Green. The photo is courtesy of James Partin of Central, LA. Garrett Partin (#25) in red is James' son and seems to have been the victim of a slight holding penalty.

Central Hinds overruns Bowling Green in district opener
For Southern Sports & Travel, By Greg Biggs
The Bowling Green Buccaneers came sailing into Cougar field with domination on their mind but unfortunately very quickly their ship began to leak profusely. The Buccaneers won the toss and elected to receive and promptly went three and out. After a good punt by Seth Fauntleroy, Central Hinds started at their own 24 yard line. The Cougars began with a hand off to tailback Hunter Farrior to the right side and senior offensive linemen Nick Mitchell and Austin Sills wiped out the defensive line and Farrior raced 76 yards untouched for a Cougar touchdown. The Buccaneers responded with another three and out and Fauntleroy had another good punt to the Cougar 21 yard line. On this series quarterback Jordon Currie faked the hand off and kept the ball to the right side and Mitchell and Sills cleared out the defensive line again and 79 yards later Currie had scampered into the endzone for another Central Hinds score. So the sinking of the Buccaneer's ship was on. The first half also included another touchdown run from Currie and a touchdown pass to senior wide-out Cody Parkman. HALFTIME: Central Hinds 28 Bowling Green 0
The second half was very much a reflection of the first as Currie threw another touchdown pass to junior wide-out Pate Demuth and sophomore Landon Corkern ran 43 yards for the final score of the evening. The Cougars totaled 453 yards of total offense with 304 yards rushing. The Cougar defense was just as stingy as the Buccaneers only totaled 177 yards and 56 yards passing.

Senior tailback Hunter Farrior continues to bring a bruising style of rushing as he ran for 108 yards on 9 carries for over 10 yards a carry which is about his average. Also junior quarterback Jordan Currie now has rushed for 531 yards on 47 carries and is 15 for his last 24 passes and has 8 of those 15 completions for touchdowns. This game was a great precursor for an exciting game coming September 17 against the defending AA Champs Brookhaven Academy.

Central Hinds improves to 4-0 while Bowling Green slips to 1-3.

Lamar falls short to Heritage

For Southern Sports & Travel, By Daniel Balint

It was another tough night for the Raider faithful as they saw their Lamar football team come up 5 yards short of tieing the game as time expired. Lamar entered Columbus trying to even up their record but could not get it done as Heritage was just a little too much. Lamar took the opening kick and drove 53 yards on 8 plays but came up empty after their 10th turnover of the young season. Center Logan Knight and QB Tyler Harris had a miscommunication and the early snap resulted in a Heritage takeaway. The Lamar defense held strong though and forced a 3 and out after Heritage QB Brandon Bell failed to pick up a first down on 3 consecutive QB runs. The Raider offense failed to produce on drive 2 and went 3 and out. Heritage came after the ensuing punt and blocked it, recovering in the endzone for the first score of the night. After Hudson Bean's PAT, the Pats lead 7-0 with 6:05 to play in the 1st. A touchback set the Raider Offense up at its own 20 yard line. The Raider drive stalled after 6 plays and a fake punt came up a yard short on 4th and 9. It set up the Pats at Lamar's 40 yard line. The Lamar Defense was up to the task though. After 10 plays, Heritage drove down the field to the Raider 8 yard line but was held on downs and Lamar took over deep in their own territory. Starting the 2nd quarter, Lamar changed things up a bit from the standard spread shotgun formation and shifted to the pistol offense, a first for the Lamar offense. The change seemed to work as the Raiders took their longest drive of the night. Tyler Harris and JC McElroy led the charge down the field as the Raider Offense went 9 plays and 92 yards for a score. The drive was capped by Tyler Harris' speed option keeper, as he scrambled for 40 yards to the house. The XP was good and we're tied at 7 with 5:02 to play in the half. After the score the Heritage Offense came back with a vengeance but was denied on only Lamar's 2nd takeaway of the season as CB Chase Davis made a sparkling interception in the endzone for the touchback. The ensuing drive for Lamar stalled at their own 40 yard line after a turnover on downs. It set up Heritage very nicely at Lamar's 40. The defense was up to the task again for Lamar as they turned away Brandon Bell and the Patriot offense. The result was another interception, the 2nd for Bell, this time courtesy of Charlie Nosco, again in the endzone. That closed out the first half with the score tied at 7.
The start of the 2nd half saw Heritage take the 2nd half kick back to their own 30. The Pat's offense drove down the field behind Brandon Bell and Wr Zach Taylor. The drive stalled however at the Raider 19 and Heritage settled for a 36 yard field goal from K Hudson Bean. With 9:08 to go in the 3rd, Heritage leads 10-7. After a touchback, the Raider offense would respond going 80 yards on 7 plays for a touchdown as Tyler Harris found Gane Duggan on a quick hitch that turned into a big play as Duggan broke a couple tackles and scampered in from 31 yards out. The Roberts PAT was true and Lamar takes the lead with 6:29 to play in the 3rd, 14-10. The Heritage offense was forced 3 and out and punted on their next possession. The end result of the following Lamar drive was another turnover as Tyler Harris took a blind side sack by Heritage CB Miller Pucket. Pucket grabbed 4 sacks off the edge on the night. The turnover set up Heritage at their own 38 and they capitalized going on the longest drive of the night, 14 plays and 62 yards. Bell capped off the drive with a QB sneak from 2 yards out. The Bean kick was wide left and with 10:15 to go in the 4th, Heritage had the lead 16-14. The touchdown was the first points the Lamar defense had given up in the 4th quarter all year. Lamar's next drive ended when Chase Davis attempted a fake punt and again came up a yard short. It seemed to be a trend in the game for Raider fans. Heritage set up shop in plus territory at the 42. The drive was rather wacky as it went 5 plays, the last 3 resulting in fumbles by Brandon Bell. Finally on the 3rd straight play with a fumble, the Raiders pounced on it. The Raiders had life late in the game with 6 minutes to play but was denied on 4th and 7. Heritage did Lamar a favor by scoring their final touchdown with :23 seconds left as QB Cade Lott took a naked bootleg 24 yards to the endzone. Score now is 22-14. Game over? Not quite. The PAT was botched and the holder scrambled for the pileon but was knocked out of bounds inside the 1. The last 23 seconds were some of the most exciting 23 seconds of the night throughout the state as Lamar's JC McElroy took the kickoff back 50 yards to the Heritage 40 yard line. With 10 seconds left and 1 timeout, the first down play was busted on confusion. This forced Coach Mac Barnes to call his last timeout. With the Heritage defensive umbrella opened, Lamar tried a screen to JC McElroy. Tyler Harris barely got the pass off before he was hit. McElroy made the reception and cut across the field and danced his way all the way down to the 5 yard line before he was finally brought down. No time left and Heritage has survived 22-14. The Patriots move to 3-1 on the year. Lamar fell to 1 up and 3 down. The Raiders go back to Meridian next week as Canton comes for a visit in the first division game of the year.

Cougar's streak extends to 19 games
For Southern Sports & Travel, By Brett Rutland
Brookhaven Academy opened the district 4-AA campaign Friday night against the Amite School Center Rebels, sporting the state’s longest winning streak at 18 games. And thanks to a dominating effort, the Cougars made sure that not only they continued the win streak, but more importantly opened the district race with a convincing win.
Brookhaven whipped the Rebels 41-8 to improve to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in district play. Amite lost its third straight game and fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in district play.
The Cougars took the opening drive and marched 71 yards in 5 plays before senior quarterback Chandler Rogers connected with fellow senior Sidney Chaffin on a 22 yard scoring strike. Cody Henley added the extra point for a 7-0 Brookhaven lead with 9:48 left in the opening quarter.

After forcing a Rebel punt, the Cougars responded with a 4 play, 59 yard drive that was capped off with Jennings Mills scoring on a 36 yard scamper, giving the visitors a 14-0 lead with 5:49 remaining in the opening period after Henley added the extra point.
Points proved to be easy to come by for the Cougars as they added two more scores in the first half. Mills added a 13 yard run at the 11:35 mark of the second quarter after the Cougars recovered a Rebel fumble. Henley added the extra point for a 21-0 Brookhaven lead. Then at the 8:49 mark, Rogers again connected with Chaffin, this time from 49 yards, pushing the Cougar lead to 27-0 at the break after the extra point failed. The offense picked up in the third quarter right where it left off in the first half as Mills scored on an 11 yard run with 7:29 left in the third. Henley added the extra point for a 34-0 Cougar lead. The final score of the night for Brookhaven came at the 2:35 mark of the third quarter as backup quarterback Gage Posey connected with Chaffin on a 39 yard bomb to push the Cougar lead to 41-0.
Amite’s only score came at the 5:13 mark of the fourth quarter as Bull Toler scored on a 15 yard run. Toler added the two point conversion, closing the scoring at 41-8.

Brookhaven’s defense delivered its most dominating performance up to this point of the season, limiting the Rebels to only 13 offensive plays in the first half for -18 yards. That trend continued into the fourth quarter when at one point, the Rebels totaled -59 total yards before finally putting together successful offensive drives.
“We dropped a lot of passes tonight that should’ve been touchdowns.” said Brookhaven coach Herbert Davis. “We haven’t been able to get our starters a great amount of playing time because of the way the first four games have gone and that concerns us a bit. We have to do a better job of executing offensively, not just at the skill positions but blocking as well. And our defense has to do a better job of getting in their gaps and sticking with their assignments. We’re getting in to a tough stretch of the season and we have got to be able to execute a lot better on both sides of the ball and put together a complete game.”
“Central Hinds comes in Friday and we won’t be able to get away with the mistakes we’ve been making against a good team like them.” added Davis. “They’re a big, physical team that’s going to run right at you so our defense has to be ready. We’ve got to do a better job of catching passes and holding blocks on offense too.”
Rogers led the Brookhaven offense, completing 9 of his 12 pass attempts for 167 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he picked up 23 yards on 3 carries. Mills was the leading rusher with 6 carries for 90 yards and three scores. Chaffin led all receivers with 4 receptions for 121 yards and three scores. Gage Posey completed four of his ten pass attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown and Eli Gatlin picked up 65 yards on 7 carries in support.
Bull Toler led Amite with 8 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Bailey Hodge led Brookhaven with seven tackles. Cody Henley and Alan Michael Allred followed with 6 stops a piece. Allred and Joseph Grice each recovered a fumble.
Brookhaven welcomes Central Hinds into R.M. “Red” Stuard Field Friday night for a key district 4-AA showdown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Photos Courtesy of Sherylyn Evans

Heritage shows toughness in beating Lamar
Courtesy of The Dispatch
The toughness Brad Butler has been looking for in the Heritage Academy football team surfaced in a big way Friday night.
Led by a strong defensive effort and a key fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter, quarterback Brandon Bell scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard plunge to help lift Heritage Academy to a 22-14 victory against the Lamar School.
"I thought both teams played hard," Lamar School coach Mac Barnes said. "I thought the difference in the game was their toughness. They broke tackles time after time against, and I really think their quarterback is an outstanding player. He is a tough player to tackle."
Bell led the Patriots, who played without senior running back John Laws Ferguson, with 110 yards on 24 carries. He also was 8 of 12 for 86 yards with two interceptions.
The key sequence came in the third quarter with Lamar School leading 14-10. The Patriots capitalized on a fumble to take over at their 38. Bell connected with Parker Dunaway on a 16-yard pass play to kick-started the push. Bell then added runs of 12, 8, and three yards before Stance Henderson had 13 yards on two runs and Zach Taylor added a 2-yard run to push the game into the fourth quarter.
Henderson gained 3 yards on third down to set the stage for a fourth-and-2 play with a little more than 11 minutes remaining in the game. Bell found Dunaway for a 2-yard gain that gave the Patriots just enough to keep the drive alive.
"I got to the end of the coaches box and looked at a manager and asked him, 'What do you think?' " Butler said. "He said, 'Coach, we got it.' I said, 'Are you sure or are you just wishing?' It was just enough. Those are some big plays on fourth down we got and I am looking at the time and looking at the score and wondering, 'Do we need to kick a field goal?' There are a lot of things going on and you only have 25 seconds to make a play call. When your guys are playing hard they make you look smart sometimes. They played hard enough to get that extra inch we need." Bell gained 3 yards on first down and then plunged ahead 1 more yard on the next play to help Heritage Academy take a 16-14 lead.
Bell, a junior transfer from Caledonia High, threw two interceptions but did a good job shaking off that frustration to lead his team down the field.
"Coach told me I just had to try my best and get back in there, and that's what I did," Bell said. "We just said we're going to have to suck it up and come out here and do our best."
Butler credited his players for their effort on a night when they overcame plenty of obstacles. He said the patriots took advantage of the Raiders in the rushing game just enough times to move the ball in key spots, especially in the second half.
"We came out and stayed with our game plan," Butler said. "The defense was lights out there when they had to. It's a big win for these guys. We had a lot of guys banged up and they showed their guts there at the end."
Cade Lott's 23-yard run in the final moments helped push the margin to eight points. A failed conversion gave the Raiders life -- and created some anxious moments for Butler -- but the score stayed the same.
Barnes congratulated Heritage Academy for helping to force two fumbles. He said his team didn't do a good job preparing all week and needs to grow up.
"They played well," Barnes said. "We have a lot of growing up to do if we are even going to think about making the playoffs (in Class AA)."
On the other hand, Heritage Academy, a Class AAA school, won its second game in a row coming back from a one-point loss to Winston Academy. The players talked earlier in the week about erasing the memory of losses to Lamar School and Madison-Ridgeland Academy last season that transformed a 3-0 start into a 3-8 finish.
One game won't secure a playoff victory, especially against a team in a different classification, but Heritage Academy will try to build on its run next week when it takes on MRA.
"We had a good week of practice this week, and we just have to work harder next week," Bell said.
Said Butler, "We just have to keep playing hard. We're smaller than about everybody we're going to play. I told them a long time ago that when you're undersized you have to play harder than everybody else. .If we're going to keep this thing rolling, we have to play harder than everybody we play each Friday night."

North Delta cashes in at Indianola

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

In a huge District 1AA battle last night in Indianola the 6th ranked North Delta Green Wave scored 17 points off of six Colonel turnovers to hand 7th ranked Indianola a 24-13 home loss. Playing without starting tailback Tres Brasell, North Delta still managed to roll up 210 yards on the ground to earn an important district road win heading into an open week. (Above) Indianola tailback Cody Maxey fights for yardage
Indianola jumped out to a 7-0 lead on its’ first possession as the Colonels put together a 58 yard, 13 play drive that consumed 5:22 of the opening quarter. Dustin Roncali’s 19 yard kickoff return set the Colonels up at their own 42 yard line to begin their opening drive. Indianola quarterback Caleb Dodson scrambled for 12 yards on a 3rd and 5 from the North Delta 49 yard line and then hit wide-out Luke Hargett for a 20 yard pickup four plays later at the Green Wave 18 yard line. Dodson capped the scoring drive with a 3 yard keeper at the 6:38 mark and Zach Whitfield added the PAT to give the Colonels an early 7-0 advantage.
North Delta quickly moved into Indianola territory on their first possession as senior quarterback Bryan Nickle connected with Corbin Baker for 19 yards and a Nickle keeper had the Green Wave sitting at Indianola’s 47 yard line. Tailback John Cody Dalrymple plowed ahead for 9 yards to advance the ball to the Colonel 38 yard line but Dalrymple fumbled two plays later and Indianola linebacker Taylor Marlow recovered at the Colonel’s 35 yard line with 3:56 remaining in the opening quarter to kill the North Delta drive. (Above) Game changer: Bryan Nickle strips Indianola linebacker Taylor Marlow of the ball
Indianola looked primed to capitalize on the North Delta turnover as they marched 32 yards into Green Wave territory but the drive appeared to have stalled out at the Green Wave 33 yard line with 1:10 remaining in the quarter. Facing a 4th and 3 Caleb Dodson hit sophomore wide-out Trey Roberson with a perfectly thrown ball on a sideline route for what appeared to be a 33 yard touchdown strike but a Colonel motion penalty negated the play forcing Indianola to punt.
Indianola looked to add to their lead once again on their next possession when they took over at their own 18 yard line following a North Delta punt three minutes into the second quarter. Caleb Dodson connected with Trey Roberson for a big 50 yard gain to the Green Wave 32 yard line. Two plays later and Dodson hit tight-end Matthew Shamoun for a 21 yard pickup down to the North Delta 8 yard line but on a 1st and goal the Green Wave recovered a Cody Maxey fumble on the three yard line to squash the drive with 7:45 remaining in the half. (Above) North Delta's Bryan Nickle in the grasp of Indianola's Dalton Bills
North Delta proceeded to put together the drive of the night as the Green Wave took over after the Indianola turnover at the 3 yard line. In a drive that consisted of 17 plays and 97 yards, only one was a pass as Bryan Nickle hooked up with Chris Rodgers for a modest nine yard gain midway through the drive. The remaining 16 plays were Nickle, Chris Rodgers and John Cody Dalrymple grounding out 88 rushing yards that culminated on a Rogers one yard score with 10 seconds left in the half. Kyle Devazier’s PAT capped of the drive that consumed 7:35 and sent both squads into the locker-room at the half knotted up at 7-7. (Above) Indianola quarterback Caleb Dodson (#17)
In a wild 3rd quarter that included two Indianola interceptions and a fumble and a North Delta fumble, the only score came on a heads up play by Green Wave quarterback Bryan Nickle with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. After North Delta’s John Cody Dalrymple picked off a Caleb Dodson pass at the Colonel 47 yard line the Green Wave were looking to take their first lead of the night as they drove to the Indianola 23 but a Chris Rodgers fumble was recovered by Indianola linebacker Taylor Marlow at the 23. Marlow was attempting to advance the recovery when Green Wave quarterback Bryan Nickle stripped Marlow of the ball and raced 25 yards for a North Delta score with 2:13 left in the 3rd quarter. Kyle Devazier’s PAT gave North Delta a 14-7 edge.
After an Indianola three and out North Delta expanded their lead nearly three minutes into the 4th quarter. Chris Rodgers capped off a 7 play, 45 yard drive with an 11 yard run off left tackle for a score. Another Devazier PAT increased the Green Wave lead to 21-7 with 9:24 remaining in the game. (Above) North Delta quarterback Bryan Nickle
Indianola had lots of fight left in them and after Dalton Bills’ 31 yard kickoff return gave the Colonels excellent field position at midfield Indianola took only four plays and 1:05 to answer with a score of their own. Caleb Dodson hit Walt Grant for 15 quick yards on 1st down. Then two plays later Dodson found Luke Hargett for another 15 yards down to the Green Wave 20 yard line. Dodson hit wide-out Trey Roberson with a short crossing route that appeared to be for a short gain but the sophomore wouldn’t be denied as he broke three Green Wave tackles to reach pay-dirt at the 8:13 mark. Indianola’s two point attempt failed as Sy Pritchard hammered Dodson at the 5 yard line but the lead had been trimmed to 21-13.
North Delta took possession following the kickoff at their own 22 yard line with 8:09 remaining and methodically chewed up 43 yards in moving to the Indianola 35 yard line but more importantly burnt 5:25 off the clock. After a delay of game penalty on 4th down pushed the Green Wave back to the Colonel 40 yard line Indianola looked to make a final drive in a attempt to tie the game but Carson Bailey’s punt was mishandled by Caleb Dodson at the 10 yard line and recovered by North Delta’s Bryan Nickle. (Above) Indianola head coach Tommy Nester
North Delta cashed in on the Indianola fumble four plays later as Kyle Devazier nailed a 19 yard field goal with 1:38 remaining to give the Green Wave a 24-13 cushion.
North Delta senior defensive back John Cody Dalrymple iced the game with his 3rd interception of the night with 12 seconds remaining to preserve a 24-13 North Delta district road win.
With the win North Delta improves to 3-1 and 1-0 in district 1AA play while Indianola falls to 3-1 and 0-1.
North Delta will be idle next week before hosting Marshall in a week six district battle. Indianola travels to Washington next Friday night.
Bryan Nickle led North Delta with 78 yards on 16 carries and Chris Rodgers added 72 yards on 22 carries. Nickle was 6/9 for 104 yards passing.
Indianola quarterback Caleb Dodson was 16/19 for 199 yards but had 3 interceptions.
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Post game comments: North Delta head coach Dan Werner and quarterback Bryan Nickle

River Oaks focused on Apaches

By Cody Futrell

The River Oaks Mustangs (3-0) focus their sights on the first district 2-AA contest of the 2010 season this week as they host Glenbrook Academy.

River Oaks is coming off a convincing 43-0 victory over MAIS foe Porter's Chapel last Friday.

The Mustang defense came out with a bit of chip on their shoulders after allowing 24 points last week and they made quick work of the Porter's Chapel offense.

River Oaks allowed just six first downs and 61 yards of total offense (40 passing, 21 rushing) during the game.

Porter's Chapel rushed the football 24 times for an average of just 0.9 yards per carry.

"I think we came out and were excited to be there and to play," River Oaks head coach Robert Hannah said. "Our defense kind of felt like they had something to prove and the entire team played well."

On offense, River Oaks clicked from start to finish.

Quarterback Ryan McGregor completed 4-of-9 pass attempts for 96 yards and three scores while also rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Henry Biedenharn rushed 13 times for 117 yards and one touchdown while Alex Biedenharn carried the football seven times for 61 yards. By the end of the night River Oaks had amassed 224 yards on the ground and 320 yards of total offense.

Vincent Moore and Joseph Hakim only caught one pass each during the game but both were for touchdowns.

McGregor has impressed the River Oaks coaches with his progress from last season.

"He is getting better with his passing accuracy," Hannah said. "I think he and Hakim are making a pretty good combination right now."

This week Glenbrook will present a challenge to the defensive front of River Oaks. Tailback Willie Thompson has been lighting up opposing defenses so far this season.

"They have a talented quarterback and running back," Hannah said. "They are a lot like us. They like to spread it out and get the ball to different people."

Hannah believes the success for the Mustangs this week could lie in how well the defense improves.

"Pass coverage is something we need to get better at this week," Hannah said. "On offense we need to keep scoring."

Kickoff at Chip Luffy Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans who cannot make it out to the game can listen on the radio beginning with a pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. on KMLB 540 AM.

CONGRATULATIONS TUNICA SENIOR TAILBACK FREEMAN GRAY ON SETTING THE NEW MAIS SINGLE GAME RUSHING RECORD

North Delta pulls out late win
For Southern Sports & Travel, By Brad Greer
After skipping his junior year of football, Jim Tom Copeland decided to rejoin his North Delta teammates just days before their home opening win over Tunica Academy last week and for the Green Wave it could not have happened at a better time.
With his team trailing 22-20 with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, Copeland used his lanky six-foot-four inch frame to snag a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Byran ' B' Nickle to give North Delta a 28-22 come-from-behind victory over Lee Academy Friday night in Clarksdale.
"B pretty much put the throw right on the spot just like he did most of the night and the offensive line gave him great pass protection. I just went up and got it," said Copeland of the game-winning reception. " Everybody on the team gave 100 percent and I was real proud of them the way we fought back after being down in the third quarter," said Copeland.
Copeland terrorized the smallish Lee defensive backs the entire evening by hauling in six receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wave back to a 22-7 third quarter deficit. Copeland's 17-yard scoring pass from Nickle narrowed the Colt lead to 22-13 with 5:03 remaining in the third period. Nickle was once again the catalyst for the Green Wave as the senor tallied up 296 total yards offense including a 64-yard gallop to close the Lee advantage to 22-20 with 9:31 remaining in the game. Nickle finished the night with 16 carries for 129 yards to go along with 167 yards through the air.
Lee (1-2), had one last gasp a victory after Copeland's game-winner catch but turned the ball over after Will Dunlap recovered a Ben Pierce fumble on the North Delta 45-yard line with 49 seconds to go in the game. The Green Wave was not out of the woods however as after taking a knee four straight times in a attempt to run out the clock, the Colts got the ball back with one second remaining only to have quarterback Blayke Hester's desperation pass fall to the turf as time expired.
The Colts were their own worst enemy in the first quarter as they fumbled twice deep inside Green Wave territory. Taylor Allen Flowers fumbled in the after being hit at the goal line to end Lee's opening drive of the game. Then on their next possession, Kasey Livingston pounced on a Bradley Willis fumble on the Green Wave 20 to halt another drive.
North Delta,(2-1) jumped out a 7-0 lead with 10:30 left in the second quarter on Tres Brasell's two-yard run that capped off a six-play 82-yard drive with Kyle Devazier adding his first of two successful extra point attempts. The drive was set up by pass completions of 36 and 27 yards from Nickle to Copeland. Brasell finished the night with 19 yards on four carries before sitting out the second half with a dislocated shoulder sustained in the second quarter.
Lee then took a 8-7 lead with 5:44 left in the second on a two-yard run by Taylor Tackett while Robert Bobo ran in the two-point conversion. The Colts added to their lead on the next series as Bobo picked off a Nickle pass at the North Delta 22 and returned to 34 yards to the Wave 44. Five plays later, Tackett took a screen pass from Hester and raced 15 yards for the score with one minute left before intermission.
Following the kickoff, North Delta marched down the field and threatened to score only to have Nickle fumble on the Colt five-yard line with three ticks left on the clock.
Lee extended their lead to 22-7 on the opening possession of the third quarter by marching 76 yards on nine plays capped off by Tackett's three-yard run and PAT attempt. Tackett finished the night with 37 yards on seven carries and two rushing touchdowns. The Colts rushed for 293 yards on the night with Willis leading the way with 23 carries for 120 yards. Hester added 10-of-12 passing for 103 yards and one touchdown
North Delta meanwhile registered 397 yards of offense with 230 coming via the ground game. Chris Rodgers had six carries for 50 yards while John Cody Dalrymple chipped in with 17 yards and three tackles and a fumble recovery on defense. Taylor Morris contributed with 15 yards on two totes. Dalrymple had one catch for 20 yards while Corbin Baker also caught one pass for 12 yards and led the Green Wave defense with ten tackles.
Pritchard followed Baker with eight tackles while Dunlap and Will Reynolds had seven and six stops each.
North Delta opens up District 1-AA play Friday night at Indianola starting at 7:30.

Hitting the Links with Shaq

Shaq hit the links at Carter Plantation in Springfield, LA this past Friday. He's in good company in the photo above. On the far left is my brother, Richie Thomas, and just to the left of Shaq is my cousin Ron Jenkins. The photo that is in most demand is Shaq in a golf cart.

Central Hinds takes critical road win
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The 6th ranked Central Hinds Cougars took advantage of six Lamar turnovers and left Grey Cobb Field in Meridian with a convincing 31-14 win last night to improve to 3-0 on the season. Junior quarterback Jordan Currie passed for three touchdowns and ran for another and an opportunistic Central Hinds defense converted three of the Lamar turnovers into touchdowns as the Cougars avenged last season’s 55-28 loss to the Raiders. The leg of Pate DeMuth put Central Hinds on the board early as the junior nailed a 44 yard field goal four minutes into the opening quarter. The Central Hinds defense quickly put the Cougars back into scoring position. Senior linebacker Lee Douglas picked up a Lamar fumble on the Raider’s 33 yard line and returned it to the Lamar 6 with 7:45 remaining in the quarter. Three plays later quarterback Jordan Curry hit pay-dirt from one yard out, followed by Pate DeMuth’s PAT, as the Cougar’s increased the lead to 10-0.
Lamar answered midway through the second quarter by mounting a 10 play, 60 yard drive that took just over three minutes. The Raiders took possession at their own 40 yard line following a Central Hinds punt. Following a Tyler Harris to Charlie Nosco connection for 8 yards, Michael Marcello’s 14 yard burst advanced the Raiders to the Central Hinds 34 yard line. Lamar’s drive seemed to have stalled at the Central Hinds 5 yard line and facing a 4th and goal but Tyler Harris nailed tailback Gane Duggan in the end zone with 3:31 left in the half and Tyler Robert’s PAT trimmed to deficit to 10-7. Central Hinds found themselves at the Lamar 49 yard line following Beau Lowery’s 12 yard kickoff return of a Lamar squib kick. Five plays later Jordan Curry hit wide-out Pate DeMuth with a 34 yard touchdown pass with 1:17 left in the half and DeMuth added the PAT to push the Cougar advantage back to ten points at 17-7.
The turnover bug struck Lamar once again on its’ next possession. Tyler Harris hit Charlie Nosco with a nice catch and gain on 1st down but Nosco fumbled after a Central Hinds hit and defensive back Pate DeMuth made the recovery at the Cougar 43 yard line with 1:07 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Cougar quarterback Jordan Currie picked up 28 yards on a 1st down scamper and then 4 more yards to set Central Hinds up at the Lamar 25 yard line with 52 seconds remaining. Central Hinds then cashed in on the Lamar turnover as Currie hit tight-end Lu Price with a 25 yard touchdown pass. Pate DeMuth’s PAT increased the Central Hinds lead to 24-7. Lamar appeared to be threatening before the close of the half after taking possession at their own 20 yard line and quickly advancing to the Central Hinds 44 yard line with 23 seconds left but Beau Lowery’s interception of a Tyler Harris pass ended the threat and the half with the Cougars on top 24-7.
Central Hinds was the recipient of another Lamar turnover at the 5:28 mark of the 3rd quarterback as linebacker Jordan Currie recovered a Raider fumble at the Cougar 36 yard line. Following a sack by Lamar linebacker Will Fulton that pushed the Cougars back to the 31 yard line Currie hit Pate Demuth for a short 3 yard gain and then wide-out Kyle McNair for 13 yards to the Central Hinds 47 yard line. Five plays later Currie hit Pate DeMuth for a 35 yard hookup with 40 seconds left in the quarter and a touchdown to cap a 64 yard, 8 play drive. DeMuth’s PAT extended the margin to 31-7.Lamar would reach the end zone again at the 3:15 mark of the 4th quarter on a Tyler Harris 18 yard touchdown pass to Gane Duggan followed by a Tyler Roberts successful PAT and a final score of 31-14.
Central Hinds improves to 3-0 and will enter District 4AA play next week as they host Bowling Green. Bowling Green defeated Central Hinds 28-7 in Franklinton last season.
Lamar slips to 1-2 and will travel to Columbus to take on Heritage. Lamar defeated the Patriots 49-12 in 2009.
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Post game with Central Hinds head coach Todd Montgomery

Video clips below