From the notebook..............
**What a huge relief to see August depart and September arrive. September reinforces the feeling that football is here and cool Friday nights aren't far behind. Speaking of August, it's definitely frustrating seeing so many players suffer from leg cramps in the stiffling heat which brings me to my probing question...........Why are we starting football on August 20th? I recently received a comment stating that starting early brings in much needed funds to the schools. Great, but how would pushing the season back two weeks affect the gate? I haven't heard any suggestions to shorten the season but rather use some common sense in moving the starting date back so Jamborees aren't played just two weeks after July expires.
**Each week I do my best to select a featured game of the week to cover and report on. A few factors weigh heavily in making that decision such as quality of the teams, are they contenders and whether those squads get much media coverage. Jackson Academy's visit to Presbyterian fits two of those factors but does Jackson Academy really need any more media attention than they already receive? There are so many schools particularly in classes AA and A that receive very little, if any, media coverage and sometimes that coverage is so vanilla that the reader comes away not knowing much about a team after reading an article. Southern Sports & Travel has been able to expand coverage duly in part to contributing writers and generous newspaper publications who lend their skills to give much needed attention to a growing segment of the MAIS.
**This past Friday I made the four hour drive to Monroe to cover the Washington at River Oaks matchup and I left with two glaring observations. The first.......if there is a better football player in the MAIS than River Oaks senior Vincent Moore please bring him to my attention. I don't say this flippantly because I pride myself in having credibility and throwing out words like "the best in the MAIS" can quickly lead to a big loss of credibility if I'm called out and can't back something up. Moore displayed his versatility against a very good Washington team in so many different aspects of the game in the Mustang's 27-24 win. A dominating receiver with great hands and speed can quickly transition into a return specialist who can break a game open in a heartbeat or a defensive back capable of laying a huge hit on an opposing player. Did I mention Moore is equally effective as a tailback or running the shot-gun at quarterback? This young man has the size, speed, intelligence and skills to garner lots of attention from D-1 schools and if that attention doesn't come it will be an indictment of college recruiting rather than Moore's God given skills on the football field.
The second observation.........River Oaks silenced many doubters after defeating a big, physical Washington team. I have River Oaks at Trinity circled on my calender.
**Hardly a week goes by that something humorous doesn't happen on a Friday night. I remember vividly heading to Holly Springs on I-55 last season and after approaching a tricked out car in the right lane I decided to pass and take a gander at the drivers work of art. As I pulled up on the side I noticed two young guys slid deeply down into their seats with barely their heads showing with the radio blasting just enjoying life and acting all fly. I then turned my attention to the car directly in front of the two hipsters and noticed a long chain attaching the bumpers and an elderly lady towing the two at 55 mph.
A few weeks back while at the Copiah Jamboree I approached some MRA players that were kneeling in the end zone waiting to take the field. With the intense heat most coaches wore shorts as I did myself. I approached one of the young men and asked him to point out MRA head coach Mac Norwood. He quickly pointed to him as he walked in front of us and said "That's him with the little knotty legs" which I thought was humorous until I noticed him looking at my legs as if the comparison was similar. I quickly told the kid that he too would be an old guy with knotty legs one day.
**Thanks for all those who text updated scores each Friday night. This past Friday was a challenge due to my side-kick not making the trip to Monroe with me. Caring for two ailing parents has taken my wife from our usual Friday night routine with regards to posting live scores as they become available. After the conclusion of the River Oaks/Washington game I had 97 unread text messages with scores. I hope to do a better job this week.
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See ya somewhere........