Week Two Recap

Starkville 28 East Rankin 7

Starkville notched their first win of the 2013 season by defeating East Rankin 28-7 in Starkville last night.

Starkville scored 28 straight points after falling behind to East Rankin 7-0 in the second quarter. Sophomore quarterback Houston Clark sprinted 62 yards in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7.

Clark would connect with John McReynolds with a 22 yard touchdown pass to give the Vols a 14-7 lead in the third quarter and a Hunter Peoples 24 yard pick six pushed the Starkville lead to 21-7.

Tailback Grant Wolfe added a 58 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Starkville evened their season mark to 1-1.

Grant Wolfe led Starkville with 144 yards rushing on 21 carries and a touchdown.

Houston Clark added 91 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown.

Starkville will visit Washington next week while East Rankin (0-2) heads to Meridian to battle Lamar.

Marshall 48 Oak Hill 42 OT

Dakota Dailey scored five touchdowns including a 2 yard run in overtime to give Marshall a 48-42 win over Oak Hill in Holly Springs last night.

The junior quarterback finished the night with 116 yards rushing on 23 carries and four touchdowns and went 17/23 for 237 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Marshall tailback Devin McGreger rushed for 38 yards and had 7 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown. McGreger also had a 67 yard kick-off return for a score.

Samuel Harrell led Oak Hill with 105 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.

Marshall (2-0) will be at Tunica next week while Oak Hill (1-1) hosts second ranked Tri-County.

Ben’s Ford 46 Amite School Center 21

Sophomore tailback Aaron Taylor rushed for 210 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Ben’s Ford to a win in Liberty last night.

Junior quarterback Destin Pittman went 7/16 for 107 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns and Bryan Johnson had 4 receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Jordan Thomas led the Ben’s Ford defense with 10 tackles and Daniel Pittman accounted for 8 on the night.

Ben’s Ford (2-0) will host Columbia next while ASC (1-1) travels to Christian Home School.

Washington 35 Leake 7

The Washington Generals got their 2013 season underway in convincing fashion by blowing out Leake 35-7 in Madden.

Junior tailback Landon Zepponi rushed for 157 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns and wide-out Colton Haynes had 2 receptions for 46 yards and a score to lead the Generals.

On defense Bobby Elliot and Roman Fratesi each had an interception while B.J. Dadlani contributed with a fumble recovery.

Washington (1-0) will host Starkville next while Leake (1-1) will try and rebound against Manchester.

Benton 46 Russell Christian 6

Kent Manor rushed for 167 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns as Benton routed Russell Christian 46-6.

Storm Davis rushed for 55 yards on 6 carries and a touchdown and on defense Jerry Vanlandingham led the Raiders with 9 tackles.

Benton (1-1) will host Sylva Bay in a big Class A showdown next Friday night.

Adams Christian 20 River Oaks 18

Torrey Smith rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown to lead ACCS to a 20-18 road win over River Oaks.

On special teams play Tre Fleming added a 54 yard punt return for a touchdown.

Brandon Ross led the Rebel defense with 14 tackles while Matt Rhymer added 13.

ACCS improves to 2-0 and will host Centreville next while River Oaks (1-1) heads to Glenbrook.

Trinity punishes Centreville in blowout win

Southern Sports & Travel

There were a few stark contrasts in pregame warm-ups prior to last night’s match-up between Trinity and Centreville. One squad dressed 17 players, the other nearly double that count. One squad ranked second in Class AA, the other ranked second in Class A.

After the opening possession of the game everyone sat up in their seats and took notice that the 2013 version of Trinity football will have to be reckoned with this season and the obvious conclusion following their stunning 44-18 beating of Centreville was that Trinity will have a major say-so in Class A football.

“We were embarrassed by Centreville last year,” said second year Trinity head coach Josh Loy. “We had a lot to prove, we are flying under the radar a little bit with our numbers and people aren’t talking about us so we wanted to come out and play our game.”

The Saints set the tone on the first possession of the evening with a 10 play, 78 yard scoring drive under the direction of senior quarterback Michael Whitley.

Whitley went 4/5 passing on the drive and at the 7:30 mark hit tight-end Quinton Logan with a 7 yard strike to notch the first points of the night.

Whitley then bulled his way in on the 2-point conversion to give Trinity an 8-0 lead.

It was the perfect storm in the worst of ways for Centreville and it began with a mishandled kickoff that resulted in the Tigers beginning their first offensive possession at their own goal line.

The Trinity defense allowed just two yards and forced the Centreville offense into a quick three and out and the Saints would reap the benefits with advantageous field position following a 26 yard punt by Centreville.

Trinity responded with a 6 play drive capped by Michael Whitley’s 15 yard hookup with senior wide-out Jacob Sandrock.

Trinity’s 2-point conversion attempt failed but with 3:32 remaining in the opening quarter the Saints held a 14-0 lead.

Centreville’s troubles would continue.

Trinity safety Arzell McCoy picked off a Casey Haygood pass at the Tiger 45 yard line and returned it to the 27 with 2:31 left in the quarter.

Four plays later Trinity tailback Demarcus Fleming went in from a yard out and Michael Whitley would connect with Arzell McCoy on the 2-point attempt to increase the lead to 22-0 with 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Trinity cashed in on another Centreville miscue in the second quarter.

Conner Pressgrove’s fumble recovery at the Centreville 47 yard line would result in a 7 play drive that ended with Michael Whitley connecting with Jacob Sandrock for 17 yards and a score with 6:19 left in the half.

Whitley’s pass to Quinton Logan on the 2-point conversion pushed the lead to 30-0 before a shocked Centreville home crowd.

Centreville got on the board at the 4:49 mark of the quarter when Ian Ball scampered 53 yards but the tone of the night had been set and Trinity’s offense was clicking on all cylinders.

The Saints responded with a 7 play, 90 yard drive that was full of highlight film material.

Facing a 3rd and 6 from his own 14 yard line, Michael Whitley connected with wide-out Jacob Sandrock who made a diving grab at the Saint 41 yard line.

Whitley’s scramble and pass to Demarcus Fleming would move the Saints to the Centreville 34 yard line and two plays later Whitley plowed in from 5 yards out with 31 seconds left in the half.

Trey Hall’s plunge on the 2-point conversion increased Trinity's lead to 38-6.

The Saints took their biggest lead of the night at 44-6 on Michael Whitley’s 7 yard pass to Quinton Logan with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Centreville notched two fourth quarter scores.

John Marcus McDowell went in from 6 yards out at the 11:16 mark and Casey Haygood hit Jordan Clark with a 22 yard touchdown strike with 3:11 remaining.

On the night Trinity quarterback Michael Whitley went 19/24 for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards and another score.

“He’s smart,” said Josh Loy. “He makes good decisions with the football and he keeps getting better and better.”

Senior wide-out Jacob Sandrock had 6 receptions for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Junior tailback Trey Hall picked up 51 yards on 10 carries and sophomore tailback Demarcus Fleming rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.
Centreville quarterback Casey Haygood went 8/19 for 123 yards and a touchdown and an interception.
Mark Curry picked up 48 yards on 10 carries.

Trinity (2-0) will host Central Private next Friday night while Centreville (1-1) travels to Natchez to battle ACCS.

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Post Game with Trinity Head Coach Josh Loy

On this date...........

>>On this date in 2012 Marshall Academy quarterback Dakota Daily was named the Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week after leading the Patriots to a 54-21 win over Tunica. Daily rushed for 100 yards on 5 carries and a touchdown and went 8/9 passing for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns.

>>On this date in 2010 Class A Trinity topped Class AAA East Rankin 21-9 in Pelahatchie.

>>On this date in 2010 Vincent Moore of River Oaks blocked a 17 yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds remaining in regulation to preserve a 27-24 win over Washington.

>>On this date in 2004 Simpson shut-out Silliman 38-0 en-route to a perfect 14-0 season and their third state championship.

Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week

Madison-Ridgeland Academy quarterback Caleb Shufelt is the Week One Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week. 
The 6’2”, 178 lb. senior led MRA to a 54-12 season opening win over Glenbrook by going 19/23 for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns and rushing for another.

The MRA offense generated 609 total yards in their blowout win last week.

Shufelt accounted for 17 touchdowns and 1,559 yards last season while splitting time as the Patriot signal caller.

Patriot head coach Forest Williams could not be reached for comment.

**Photo by Bob Smith/RobertSmithImages.net

JA Wins Big in Season Opener

By Bryan Eubank

The JA Raiders made a statement in their season opener at The Brickyard on Friday night by taking down the Northeast Lauderdale Trojans 35-7 in the third straight meeting between the two teams. The win helped extend the Raiders home win streak to 37 in a row. It also marked the 150th win for Coach David Sykes in his coaching career.

JA got off to a quick start when Duncan Maxwell rumbled 86 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. The Raiders scored on three of their next four possessions. Daniel Kennedy (11 yard run) andDuncan Maxwell (59 yard run) scored on the ground while David Ford grabbed a Colin Welsh pass for the final score of the first half.

JA wasted no time in scoring in the second half either as Sam Thomas forced a fumble that Peyton Adamsscooped up and ran 42 yards to daylight.

The lone Trojans score came in the 4th quarter as Stevie Sanders capped off a 9 play – 84 yard drive with the clock running.

Duncan Maxwell finished with 230 all purpose yards and two touchdowns (178 yards on 8 carries, had 1 catch for 45 yards and a punt return for 7 yards). Peyton Adams was the leading tackler (8 tackles – 4 solo, 4 assists) and had 2 pass break ups and a fumble recovery for a TD.

The Raiders travel next to St. George’s Independent School. Kickoff is at 7:00pm in Collierville, Tennessee. The Countdown to Kickoff Pregame Show will start at 6:00pm on SuperSport 930.

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Photo by Sarah Jane Lowery

BA Falls to Centreville in Opener

Submitted to Southern Sports & Travel

Going into the 2013 season opener Coach Tripp McCarty knew his Brookhaven Academy Cougars had some big shoes to fill from last year’s championship season.  Earlier in the week McCarty commented, “We’ve put in the work over the summer, these kids have been dedicated and now we have to go and perform under the lights on Friday night.”  Sounds like a simple plan, but for your opening opponent is perennial powerhouse Centreville Academy on their home turf led by their junior standout quarterback Casey Haygood who passed for three touchdowns and ran for another on the night giving the Tigers a 35-14 victory.

The BA Cougars took first possession but their drive stalled out and they were forced to punt the ball away to Centreville who started their first drive of the evening on their on 21 yard line.  Haygood went to work mixing runs with short passes mounting a 79 yard charge in just under 4 minutes concluded with a 10 yard touchdown strike to Daniel Hollingsworth.  Brock Andrus added the PAT to give the tigers a 7 – 0 lead at the 4:27 mark of the first quarter.

Again, on the Cougars next possession after picking up one first down, they were forced to punt the ball back to the Tigers who took over at their own 25 yard line.  Facing a 3rd and 1 at their 34 yard line, tailback Mark Currie ripped off a 44 yard run putting the Tigers in business again as the first quarter ran out with CA leading 7 – 0.  The Tigers pushed deep into Cougar territory and facing a fourth down and goal to go at the one yard line, Tyler Caston inched over the goal line for the touchdown run.  Andrus added the PAT and the Tigers led 14 – 0 early in the second quarter.

The teams traded possessions and the Tigers found themselves on the Cougar side of the 50 yard line and on the move again with just under 4 minutes to play in the half when BA senior defensive back Ethan Harris picked off a Haygood pass to stop the Tiger drive deep in Cougar territory.  The Cougars could find no momentum off the turnover and had to punt the ball back to the Tigers with 2:22 to play in the half.  Haygood went back to work and eventually hooked up with Colby Shaw on a 22 yard touchdown pass, Andrus add the kick to give the Tiger a 21 – 0 lead going into the locker rooms at half.

Hoping to turn the tide, the Cougar defense had to stop the Tigers on their opening possession of the second half.  Haygood would have none of that marching his offense down the field on a 72 yard drive and calling his own number on a 1 yard TD run to put the Tigers up 28 – 0.  Haygood would add another 25 yard touchdown pass to Shaw and a 35 – 0 lead to end the scoring on the night for Centreville.

The Cougars looked to find some positives to build on for the night and put together a 69 yard drive of their own and finally found pay dirt on a Connor Dorman 8 yard scamper.  Landon Nettles added the PAT bring the score at to 35 – 7.  BA would hold the Tigers on downs forcing a punt then mounted another drive of 66 yards capped off by a Heath Hickman to tight end Carter Culbertson pass play for a 12 yard touchdown.  Nettles added the PAT and cap the scoring for both teams on the night.

Offensively for the Cougars Connor Dorman led the ground attack with 65 yards on 8 carries and Landon Nettles added 52 yards on 15 attempts.  Hickman was 6 for 9 passing for 43 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively for the Cougars, they were led by senior cornerback Bailey Warren who had 9 tackles to his credit.  Ethan Harris added 7 tackles and an interception.  Connor Dorman also tallied 4 1/2 stops on the night for BA. 

Haygood finished the night for Centreville 17 for 22 and 230 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and one TD run on the ground.  Mark Currie added 60 yards rushing on 5 attempts and Tyler Caston had 24 yards and a touchdown run.

After the game Coach McCarty commented, “We have to run the ball better on offense and do everything better on defense.”  He continued, “Give credit to Centreville, but we have to play better in all aspects of the game.”

The Cougars will face the Parklane Pioneers next Friday night on the campus of Brookhaven Academy and R.M. “Red” Stuard Field. 

Colts gets first win in AA football

Bayou defeats Carroll 25-0

By Kristy Kitchings

Friday night marked a new adventure for the Bayou Academy Colts as they traveled to Carrollton for their first regular season road game against the Carroll Academy Raiders in AA football action.

The 26-man roster posted 25 points on offense and held the Carroll Academy Raiders scoreless in the matchup.

The Colts defense set the tone of the game with a Cole Hutchinson fumble recovery on the Raiders first possession to give the ball back to Bayou but the Colts could not capitalize and get any points on the board. The Colts first score came at the 8:10 mark of the first quarter when senior quarterback Tyler Kitchings connected with sophomore John Thomas Davis for a touchdown pass to give the Colts the 6-0 lead.  Weber Herbison’s point after was good and the Colts lead 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Davis Dalton started the second quarter off with a midfield interception but once again the Colts failed to capitalize and convert the turnover into points. Possession switched back and forth between the Colts and Rebels until the end of the first half and the Colts retired to the locker room with 7-0 lead.

Bayou returned to the field in the third quarter ready to put more points on the board. At the 4:10 mark in the third, Kitchings scored on a quarterback keeper but the point after was no good and the Colts extended their lead 13-0.  On the Rebels next possession, Herbison intercepted a Rebel pass to give the ball back to Bayou. Kitchings connected with senior Chantz Arbuckle for a touchdown pass and Herbison’s point after was blocked but the Colts tacked on six more points to extend their lead 19-0 to close out the third quarter.

The final quarter of play kicked off with a touchdown pass from Kitchings to Herbison for six points.  The point after was no good and the Colts pull away from the Rebels 25-0. Another defensive fumble recovery from Davis Dalton gave the Colts another offensive opportunity to add points but the Colts could not take advantage and ended the game with a final victory, 25-0.

“We came out and established some physical presence early in the game. Our defense played well all night and our offense did some really good things. Carroll has some pretty big guys and I was extremely proud of our effort,” Hicks said. “

Kitchings led the Colts up and down the field on offense completing 9-15 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns including one rushing touchdown.

The Colts were led on defense by juniors William Hood and Dalton and sophomore Turner Davis and Ashton Ouzts.  Also contributing on defense were Jordan Coopwood, Josh Duraj, and Andrew Rodgers.

The Colts start their season off with 1-0 record and will be at home Friday night to play host to DeSoto Academy. Kick off is set for 7 pm. 

Simpson rallies to edge Parklane in season opener

Southern Sports & Travel

In football the margin for error is small, particularly when engaged in a dogfight. Parklane committed a costly and uncharacteristic error late in the third quarter against Simpson last night in Mendenhall and it would ultimately be the difference as the Pioneers dropped a 14-13 road loss.

Simpson, the top ranked team in Class AA, battled back behind the rushing talents of senior tailback Daniel Taylor who dialed up 189 yards and a touchdown on the night and a staunch defense that limited Parklane quarterback Brady Lea to 55 yards passing.

“It was a playoff type atmosphere tonight against a playoff type caliber team,” said first year head coach Winston Mullins.

Parklane drew first blood in the contest as the Pioneers took their second possession of the night and produced a 9 play, 77 yard scoring drive that culminated on Brady Lea’s perfectly thrown strike across the middle of the field to sophomore wide-out Jack Dumas at the 3:13 mark of the opening quarter.

Zack McDaniel’s PAT gave the Pioneers a 7-0 advantage.

Simpson answered with a scoring drive of their own and it only took four plays.

The Cougars set up shop at their own 42 yard line and went to work. Daniel Taylor ripped through the Parklane defense for a 15 yard gain on first down to the Pioneer 43 yard line and then added 10 more yards to the 33 on the next play call.

Junior tailback Maverick Harrison would do the rest. Harrison powered to the Parklane 23 yard line on his second carry of the night and then did the honors by sprinting 23 yards to pay-dirt at the 1:48 mark of the quarter to get the Cougars on the board.

Andrew Berry added the PAT to knot the contest up at 7-7.

Simpson would get an opportunity to grab their first lead of the night in the second quarter after driving to the Parklane 7 yard line but the Pioneer defense stiffened.  Linebacker Cole Nunnery sacked Simpson quarterback Mason Herrin on third down for a five yard loss back at the Pioneer 12 yard line forcing the Cougars to attempt a 29 yard field goal. Andrew Berry’s kick went wide and with 7:04 remaining in the half the score remained tied at 7-7.

Simpson would mount a late quarter drive beginning at their 17 yard line and moving past midfield but Parklane defensive lineman Justin Reynolds recovered a Mason Herrin fumble at the Pioneer 47 yard line with less than two minutes left to halt the drive and any scoring threat in the half.

Parklane would regain the lead on their second possession of the third quarter. After forcing the Simpson offense into a three and out deep in their own territory the Pioneers took advantage of prime field position at the Cougar 43 yard line.

Senior Dan Gill went off the left side for a quick 15 yards to the Simpson 28 yard line followed by tailback Cole Smith’s tough five yards to the 23. After two straight Brady Lea incompletions Lea would deliver a fourth and five screen pass to Gill who advanced to the Cougar six yard line. Lea bulled his way in on the next play to cap a 6 play, 43 yard drive that took 2:11 off the clock.

A high snap and scramble for the football resulted in Parklane failing to convert on their PAT attempt and with 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter the Pioneers held a 13-7 lead.

Simpson’s next possession had all the makings of disaster. The Cougars moved 32 yards from their own 20 to the Pioneer 48 yard line but Parklane looked to have taken over the entire momentum of the game and the life out of the Simpson home crowd as Justin Reynolds recovered his second fumble of the night. This time a Mason Herrin fumble in the backfield recovered by Reynolds at the Simpson 43 yard line with 10:09 left in regulation.

In what would be a critical moment of the game the Simpson defense held firm in allowing Parklane just three yards in three plays and forcing a Pioneer punt to the Cougar 25 yard line.

It was now Daniel Taylor time.

Taylor ripped off a quick 17 yards on first down to the 42 yard line and added another 7 yards to advance the football to the Cougar 49.

After Maverick Harrison earned a short gain into Pioneer territory to the 47 Taylor would do the rest.

A tough power run up the middle netted the senior another 7 yards to the Parklane 40 yard line but the Pioneer defense held firm and allowed the tailback just five yards on two more consecutive rushes.

Taylor (Photo above) then swept around the left side on first down and hit the afterburners down the sidelines for a 35 yard touchdown sprint to knot the game at 13-13 with 5:32 left in the contest.

Andrew Berry then split the uprights to give Simpson their first lead of the night at 14-13.

“I was a little nervous,” said Berry. “But we came through, hopefully this will get us rolling for the season”

Parklane, facing their first deficit of the night, was afforded prime field position at their own 48 yard line as a result of a Simpson penalty on the Cougar’s PAT that forced Simpson to kick-off from their 25 yard line.

The Pioneers would go in the wrong direction and quickly.

A Brady Lea 26 yard scramble to the Simpson 28 yard line would be called back due to a holding infraction, pushing the Pioneers back to their own 30 yard line with less than four minutes to play.

Lea would then be held to no gain followed by a motion penalty on second down.

Three plays later, facing a fourth and 34, the Pioneers were forced to punt from their own 25 yard line.

Parklane’s offense wouldn’t touch the football again.

Simpson would hold on to the football for the remaining 4:10 to preserve a huge 14-13 opening week win over Class AAA fifth ranked Parklane in the first ever meeting between the two schools.

“This was one of the most physical games I’ve ever been in, said Daniel Taylor. “We were really pumped tonight, we still have a bitter taste in our mouths because of how our season ended last year.”

Taylor led all rushers with 189 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown. Maverick Harrison added 67 yards on 9 carries and a score and Andrew Berry picked up 31 yards on 4 carries.

“Daniel is a warrior,” said Simpson head coach Winston Mullins. “He is a guy that when the chips are on the line you want him to have the football.”

Parklane quarterback Brady Lea rushed for 62 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Lea went 5/16 for 55 yards and a score through the air.

Dan Gill led Parklane’s rushing attack with 63 yards on 7 carries.

Simpson (1-0) will travel to Clinton, LA next Friday to take on the Silliman Wildcats in a huge week two Class AA battle while Parklane (0-1) travels to Brookhaven. 

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Post Game with Simpson Head Coach Winston Mullins

GAME DAY, IT’S TIME TO ROLL

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Nominations for The Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week can be submitted by text at 985-750-3455, email at aafandaman@yahoo.com or fax at 985-732-9306. Nominations, along with game stats, must be received by Monday. Players of the Week will receive a 9 x 12 plaque and a prominently placed profile on the website for the week.

Coaches have been encouraged to have their statisticians send in game stats each week to help in recognizing outstanding performances. Stats sent in by others must be verified by a coaching staff member of that school. Mike Kelly has graciously volunteered his time to help gather data each week. Mike can be reached by text/cell at 225-413-0024 or email at mkelly@iberville-llc.com for information.

The summer ad campaign is wrapping up and it’s been a humbling experience to see the outpouring of so many MAIS members willing to help in the continuing effort to provide quality sports coverage for MAIS athletics. It’s not too late to purchase a sponsorship ad.

If you are the parent of a student who drives or will be riding along with others PLEASE remind them to BUCKLE UP!!!!

The 2013/14 MAIS athletic season will be the best yet………..

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LET’S ROLL!!!!!!!

Bobcats shut out St Patrick in season opening romp

Southern Sports & Travel

It seemed as though it was over before started.

Presbyterian kicked off the 2013 MAIS football season last night in Hattiesburg in grand fashion as the Bobcats hammered MHSAA 3A St. Patrick 41-0 before a large and appreciative home crowd.

Tailback Fate Eiland rushed for 158 yards on 8 carries and scored three touchdowns to propel a Bobcat offense that scored on four of its’ six first half possessions.

Presbyterian took the opening possession of the evening and after two bobbled snaps on their first two plays went right to work in producing a 7 play, 68 yard drive to take a quick lead.

Fate Eiland cracked off a 29 yard run to the Irish 38 yard line followed by quarterback Rand Henderson’s 10 yard hookup with Chris Herrin to the St. Patrick 28. Three plays later Henderson would find senior tight end Brendan Jones down the middle of the field for an 18 yard touchdown pass at the 8:22 mark of the opening quarter of play.

Troy Waites added the PAT to give Presbyterian a 7-0 advantage.

Presbyterian would force St. Patrick’s offense into a quick three and out on the Irish’s first possession and the Bobcats wasted little time in hitting pay-dirt once again.

Facing a fourth and two at their own 37 yard line, tailback Fate Eiland (Photo left) burst through an opening around the right side and sprinted 63 yards for a score. Waites added the PAT as Presbyterian doubled their lead to 14-0 with 5:02 still remaining in the first quarter. 

St. Patrick moved 36 yards to the Bobcat 44 yard line on the ensuing possession but Presbyterian defensive end Michael George recovered a Cliff Horn fumble at the 46 to halt the drive with 3:06 left in the quarter.

The turnover proved costly for St. Patrick as Presbyterian capitalized in rapid fashion.

Sophomore tailback Cameron Scott scampered 45 yards on first down to the Irish 9 yard line and then punched it in on the next play to increase the margin to 20-0.

Troy Waites’ PAT made it 21-0 with 2:47 remaining in the quarter.

Presbyterian took their first possession of the second quarter and made quick work of the Irish defense going 46 yards in just three plays as Fate Eiland plowed in from 1 yard out at the 10:19 mark of the quarter to give the Bobcats a 28-0 lead, one they would enjoy through intermission.

Eiland would bag his third touchdown of the night at the 6:44 mark of the third quarter on a 12 yard run to cap a 4 play, 41 yard drive.

Presbyterian’s final score of the evening came from the defense. Junior defensive back Jay Simpson picked off an Anthony Migues pass and returned it 73 yards with 4:20 left in the contest to give the Bobcats a 41-0 cushion.

Sophomore tailback Cameron Scott (Photo above) complimented Eiland’s 158 rushing yards with 56 of his own on 5 carries and a score and senior Chris Herrin added 15 yards on two carries. 
"Our defense and offense really played well tonight," said Fate Eiland. "We need to continue to improve and have a good week of practice next week to get ready for a tough MRA team."

Presbyterian will travel to Madison next Friday night to battle third ranked MRA. The last meeting between the two was in 2008 with MRA shutting out the Bobcats 30-0.

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Post Game with Presbyterian Head Coach Joey Hawkins

Tri-County anxious to tackle new challenge

Southern Sports & Travel

David Blount has rebuilt the Tri-County football program from the ground up in his four seasons at the Flora, Mississippi school and in doing so posted one of the most successful four year runs in recent MAIS memory. Now, as the head coach enters his fifth season, the challenge changes but Blount welcomes it and also sees an opportunity to use the statements of naysayers as motivation for his squad as the opening night kickoff against St. Andrews draws near.

“I enjoy seeing all the talk on the internet,” said Blount. “Everything I see I store into memory or write it down.”

Tri-County moved to Class AA under the recent re-alignment and when the move up was made official it wasn’t long before chatter spread across internet sports boards predicting the doom of the Rebel football program, the same program that posted a 51-3 mark over the past four seasons and made three consecutive state championship appearances while capturing two straight state titles in Class A.

“I tell our kids every day that there are lots of people who don’t think we can compete at the AA level,” said Blount. “I’ll certainly use it as a motivational tool and hopefully we can prove them wrong.”

Lost in much of the internet chatter is the return of two critical spokes in the Rebel offense from last season, senior quarterback Trey Bozeman and junior running back Ryan Cothern. Bozeman, who has valuable field generalship capabilities, will be expected to rely on that experience to manage the game but the fuel that propels the Tri-County offensive engine is without a doubt in the rushing talents of Ryan Cothern.

Cothern, a 5’9”, 180 lb. speedster led the MAIS last season rushing for over 2,100 yards and 35 touchdowns as a sophomore and is widely considered one the premier backs in the MAIS.

Tri-County, ranked 5^th in the Southern Sports & Travel Class AA preseason rankings, will only go as far as Cothern can take them. “I expect more of the same from Ryan,” said David Blount. “The competition is going to be better but at the same time he’ll be playing more minutes than last season when he would routinely play just one half of football but I think he’s good enough that he’s still going to gain a lot of yardage and do some good things for us.”

Tri-County will run a multiple set offense with some pistol sets featuring Cothern and with nine starters returning on defense the Rebels have the ability to show different looks and capitalize on their experience.

Defense has been at the forefront of Tri-County’s enormous success since Blount’s arrival four seasons ago. In his first season the Rebel defense allowed 11.9 points a game and since then that number has dwindled considerably. In the past two seasons Tri-County has allowed just 5.3 and 4.7 points a game respectively, both were state championship years.

Tri-County has good reason to believe 2013 will be a successful season. Blessed with great overall team speed and the motivation sparked by naysayers could translate into another title run but the key to the Rebel’s hopes may also rest in an undersized and inexperienced offensive line. “We have some young guys who will have to prove themselves,” said Blount.

Tri-County’s move to Class AA has put them in District 2-AA amongst some quality squads. “I think top to bottom it’s probably the strongest district in Class AA,” said Blount. “They all have good coaches and they’re all quality programs. I think the strength of our district compared to the overall strength of some of the other districts puts ours the strongest.”

Tri-County will open the 2013 season on Friday by taking the short drive to Ridgeland where they’ll take on MHSAA 3A St. Andrews. “They struggled a little last year but they were real young,” said Blount. “I think they’re going to be a lot better this year, they have good size and speed at the skill positions. It should be a good challenge for us to open the season.”

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Simpson prepping for week one battle with Parklane

Southern Sports & Travel

Simpson Academy has had nine months to let their season ending 21-17 playoff loss to eventual state champion Brookhaven fester and on Friday night in Mendenhall the Cougars will have the opportunity to prove they are worthy of a Class AA preseason top ranking. The perennial power football program came up short in defending their 2011 state championship crown in that loss to Brookhaven but excitement abounds about the potential of this year’s squad.

The 2013 version will be without a familiar face on the sidelines as head coach Billy Wayne Hankins stepped down in May to take on the duties of headmaster at Simpson. Hankins led the Cougar program to four state championships and over the past four seasons compiled a 44-8 record and four consecutive district titles.

While Hankins will not be directing the squad any longer the program will be in steady hands as Winston Mullins steps into that role.

“Coach Hankins came to me in May when then headmaster David Granville had decided to take the Bayou Academy job and asked if I was willing to take over and I said of course if our current staff stays intact,” said Mullins. “I was all in. I ‘ve been coaching these kids since the seventh grade so they won’t have to adapt to a new system.”

Mullins, who is beginning his 13^th year at Simpson, doesn’t get an easy task to open the season as Class AAA and fifth ranked Parklane rolls into town. “Our schedule is unbelievable,” said Mullins. “The MAIS didn’t do us any favors.”

With seven starters returning on offense a seasoned tailback combination and offensive line will anchor one of the best power running games in the MAIS. Senior tailbacks Daniel Taylor and Andrew Berry will lead a deep stable of tailbacks that include seniors Hayden Benton and Austin Burney, juniors Patrick and Maverick Harrison and sophomore Landon Herrington.  Taylor led the running game last season with 1,155 yards while Berry contributed with 685.

The all-important quarterback position will be manned by senior Mason Herring who has been the backup the past two seasons and has three years of experience in the Simpson program. “If Mason can stay healthy we feel good about that position,” said Simpson head coach Winston Mullins.

The Cougars will run a multiple set offense but make no mistake what the objective will be………pound the football and control the line of scrimmage.

On defense Simpson is like most teams in today’s era of competing against spread offenses. “Now a days you really can’t say what type defense you run,” said Mullins. “Against a vanilla offense we run a 4-3 but these days vanilla offenses are rare. Back when I played and when I first started coaching if you started in a 50 or 40 defense you could stay in it but now with spread offenses and five wide-outs with an empty backfield it’s hard to run conventional defenses any longer.”

Five starters from 2012 fill positions on the defensive side of the football but if there is a weakness it may be in the Cougar secondary. The front seven is gifted with experience and lots of ability but it may take time for the secondary to come into its’ own. The task for Simpson’s secondary just got a little harder as senior defensive back Cade Caughman injured a knee in last week’s Jamboree action.

“Our expectations this season are the same as always at Simpson, we expect to get to the playoffs and try and win it”, said Mullins.

Simpson’s chances of winning their second state title in three years will more than likely depend on two areas; staying healthy and solid signal calling from senior quarterback Mason Herring. If Herring displays the leadership skills needed to lead the offense and minimizes turning the football over the Cougars could be a difficult match up in November.

“We have some guys who haven’t gotten many real game snaps but if they display the ability to manage the game and avoid mistakes I think we’ll be fine,” said Mullins.

The new Class AA and Class A playoff format has been received with widespread approval and Mullins echoed that sentiment. “I think it’s a good thing, I’m interested to see how it’s all going to play out. It allows a chance for the best two teams to meet in the state championship game whether they’re from the north or south.”

Bennett Mullins has years of coaching experience and this Friday night’s season opener against Parklane will be his first as a varsity head coach but Mullins doesn’t hesitate in saying that he’ll have those butterflies in the pit of his stomach. “It would have been nice to have known that the first game would have been against someone you know you could show up and whip but Friday night is going to be a dogfight,” said Mullins. “I will have a nervous excitement at kickoff but we’re excited and looking forward to the challenge against Parklane.”

Pick Em Contest back and better than ever

The Southern Sports & Travel Football "Pick Em" Contest is back and better than ever for the rapidly approaching 2013 MAIS football season. This season's winner will be the recipient of a $250.00 gift card.

Each week during the regular season ten games will be posted on the Southern Sports & Travel home page. Post season games will follow and the individual that accumulates the most correct picks at the end of the season will be awarded the $250.00 gift card to one of the merchant's listed below.

Lowe's

Home Depot

Best Buy

Academy

Wal Mart

Target

Outback Steakhouse

Olive Garden

Applebee's

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All picks must be emailed to aafandaman@yahoo.com and received no later than 6:00 p.m. each Friday. A tie-breaker will be posted at the end of the season should there be a tie.

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Week One Games

Bayou at Carroll

Wayne at Newton

WCCA at Adams

Leake at Copiah

Parklane at Simpson

Brookhaven at Centreville

Bowling Green at Columbia

Silliman at Oak Forest

Starkville at Lamar

Jackson Prep at Oxford High

Week Two Games

DeSoto at Bayou

Sylva Bay at Columbia

Trinity at Centreville

Washington at Leake

Adams at River Oaks

Riverfield at Central Hinds

Simpson at Silliman

Presbyterian at MRA

East Rankin at Starkville

Pillow at Indianola