Week Nine Recap

Southern Sports & Travel

The Central Hinds Cougars picked up their third straight win on Friday night with a 20-0 shutout of Tallulah. More importantly the Cougars have positioned themselves to qualify as a wildcard team from the south AA region with two games remaining.
In Raymond on Friday night the Cougars posted two first quarter scores behind quarterback Jordan Currie’s 2 yard run and a 1 yard plunge from junior tailback Hunter Farrior. Pate Demuth added both PAT’s as the Cougars took the 14-0 lead into halftime.
The lone second half score came in the third quarter when senior tailback Jordan Townsend went in from 3 yards out to put Central Hinds up 20-0. The PAT failed.
The Central Hinds rushing attack has been in full mode the past few weeks. In last week’s win over Columbia the Cougars posted three 100 yard rushers and against Tallulah two went over the 100 yard mark on the ground.
Tailback Jordan Townsend topped all rushers with 105 yards and a touchdown, tailback Hunter Farrior added 102 yards and a score, sophomore quarterback Jordan Currie had 58 yards and a touchdown and junior fullback Lee Douglas picked up 59 yards.
Central Hinds as a team eclipsed the 300 yard rushing mark for the second consecutive week.
Next up for head coach Bobby Allen’s Central Hinds squad is a road trip to face Porter’s Chapel before ending the regular season at ASC.
Central Hinds improved to 5-4 with the win.

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The Columbia Cougars won their fourth game of the season at home on Friday night over the Ben’s Ford Eagles 54-24. Since a 0-11 season in 2007 the Columbia football program continues to improve as they have eclipsed last season’s win total with two games remaining.
On Friday night before a homecoming crowd the Cougars found themselves surprisingly down 6-0 after Ben’s Ford struck early in the opening quarter. Columbia answered with two scores of their own in the quarter behind the running of sophomore tailback Josh Broom and would take a 35-24 lead into the half.
The Cougars pitched a shutout in the second half en-route to the 54-24 win. Broom led Columbia with 274 yards on 15 carries and 6 touchdowns as the Cougars racked up 441 yards of offense on the night.
The Columbia defense was led by senior linebacker Josh Price with 7 tackles, sophomore defensive back Robert Whitehead had 6 tackles and junior cornerback Tanner Pace had 4 tackles and two interceptions.
Columbia improved to 4-5 overall and will host #2 ranked Brookhaven on Friday night in a district 4AA contest.
Ben’s Ford (1-6 & 0-3) will be at Wayne.

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The Leake Rebels rebounded after two straight losses with a 42-0 thumping of Newton. The Rebels jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and by halftime led 42-0. Quarterback Grant Wilson was 10/13 for 190 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Both of those went to tailback Caleb Burns who also added two rushing touchdowns. Sophomore tailback Brad Hunter led the Rebel ground game with 85 yards on 8 carries and two touchdowns as Leake piled up 478 yards of total offense to just 71 for Newton.
Cannon King led on the defensive side of the ball with 7 tackles.
Leake improved to 6-2 and will host Kirk Friday night before finishing the regular at district 3AA foe Lamar.
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Bowling Green halted a two game losing skid with a 62-0 win over ASC in Franklinton. The Buccaneers (6-3 & 3-0) put out 321 yards of total offense and held ASC to -24 on senior night. Senior tailback David Fulks rushed for 132 yards on 6 carries, senior quarterback Cash Cooley added 71 yards on 6 carries and sophomore tailback Keith Paul Dufrene ran for 85 yards on 3 carries and added 4 touchdowns. Bowling Green will be idle next week and will travel to Brookhaven in week eleven for a huge game that will determine the district 4AA title.
ASC (1-8 & 0-3) will host Silliman Friday night before finishing the season at home against Central Hinds.
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The River Oaks Mustangs nailed down the district 6AA title at home on Friday night with a convincing 54-12 win over Cenla Christian. The game was practically over by the half as the Mustangs ran out to a 47-6 lead at the midway point. The win was their seventh straight since a week two loss at AAA Washington. River Oaks upped their record to 8-1 & 3-0 and will enjoy an idle week before finishing the regular season at Claiborne in two weeks. Cenla dropped to 1-8 & 0-2. The Lions will close out the 2009 season with two home games, Riverdale and Prairie View.
River Oaks running back Henry Biedenharn led the Mustang’s ground attack. The sophomore rushed for 105 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Ryan MacGregor added three touchdowns. MacGregor ran for 52 yards on 3 carries and two scores and was 3/7 passing for 111 yards with a 42 yard touchdown strike to Vincent Moore.
Cenla’s two scores came on a Chance Terrell 13 yard hookup with Dar’Tavies Green and a 75 yard kickoff return from junior wide-out Reagan Lane.

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Central Private won their third straight game since losing to Trinity in week six. The Rebels thumped WCCA 33-6 to improve to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in district 5AA play.
Central Private raced out to a 33-0 lead through three quarters of play on a cool night in Central. Senior tailback Bobby Muse accounted for four touchdowns and 263 yards rushing on 23 carries as the senior continued his torrid pace. Muse now stands at 1,818 yards rushing on the season with 28 touchdowns for a 202 yard per game average. Another senior, fullback Travis Richard, also hit pay-dirt with a 5 yard touchdown run and senior defensive back Steven O’Bryant led the Rebel’s defense with three interceptions.
Sophomore tailback Tip McKenzie scored the Rams lone touchdown on a 5 yard burst in the final quarter.
Central Private will have an idle week to enjoy before hitting the road in week eleven for their biggest game of the season at Centreville. The game will determine the district 5AA champions.
WCCA (4-4 & 0-3) will regroup this week and hit the road to take on Huntington before closing out the regular season hosting Silliman in another playoff implication battle.

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The Oak Forest Yellow Jackets recorded their second straight shutout win Friday night in Amite with a 16-0 victory over MRA. The Jackets have won 3 of their last 4 games to pull their season mark to 5-4 overall.
Against MRA junior Denton Hanson rushed for 111 yards on 18 carries and junior James Peterson scored the lone offensive points on the night on a 3 yard run just before halftime. The first points of the game came on a first quarter safety to put Oak Forest up 2-0 with just over one minute left.
The Jackets carried a 10-0 lead into the final quarter and the final points of the night came with 1:58 left in the game as senior linebacker Tyler Langlois returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown.
Oak Forest had 209 total yards in the defensive battle with MRA, all those were on the ground. MRA had 139 total yards, 84 yards rushing and 55 yards in the air.
Myers Verden led MRA with 70 yards on 13 carries and quarterback Houston Myhan was 11/20 for 55 yards and two interceptions.
Next up for Oak Forest (5-4 & 1-2) is a visit to district foe Jackson Prep while MRA (5-3 & 4-1) will host Lee in a district 1AAA matchup.

Lamar crushes Winston on the road

Southern Sports & Travel

The #1 ranked Lamar Raiders kept their perfect record in tack with a 36-0 shutout on the road over the Winston Patriots.
Lamar took a 7-0 first quarter lead on a Witt Haggard 1 yard run followed by Tyler Robert’s PAT. The Raiders added 16 points in the second quarter. John Clinton McElroy hauled in a 27 yard pass from Haggard plus a Robert’s PAT to push the lead to 14-0. Tyler Roberts added a 24 yard field goal and senior wide-out Bo Bidgood completed the first half scoring with a 15 yard touchdown reception from Haggard. The PAT failed and Lamar took a 23-0 lead into the half.
Lamar tacked on two more scores in the third quarter. Witt Haggard hit Michael Marcello with a 7 yard strike and linebacker William Fulton returned an interception 30 yards for the final score of the night.
Witt Haggard finished the night 20/27 and 276 yards passing with 3 touchdowns. Haggard also added a rushing touchdown. Bo Bidgood had 15 catches for 192 yards and a score.
Lamar improved to 8-0 overall and has two games remaining, at Simpson and at home against Leake. Both are district games.
Winston slipped to 4-4 and will travel to Canton next followed by a district game at Oak Hill in week eleven.

Centreville rolls past Trinity

By Darron Thomas, Southern Sports & Travel

The Centreville Tigers rolled to a 27-6 win over the visiting Trinity Saints on Friday night behind Zach Sinclair’s 194 yards rushing and four touchdowns. With the win Centreville improved to 6-3 with two district 5AA games remaining on the schedule. After rumblings had begun to spread about the demise of the defending state champs Centreville made a bold statement in front of their home crowd that their best football may still be ahead of them. (Above) One of Zach Sinclair's 29 carries on the night.
In one of the more physical battles of the season Centreville’s defense allowed Trinity to move on their first possession from their own 32 yard line to the Tiger 3 yard line. The Trinity 12 play 65 yard drive was highlighted by a Givonni Dent pass to Brandon Daggs for 23 yards to the 16 followed by a 13 yard scamper from tailback Kent King that positioned the ball at the 3 yard line and a first and goal for the visiting Saints. The tone for the game would be set by Centreville from this point on. The Tigers held Trinity to a one yard gain on first and second down followed by a Dent keeper that produced nothing. With 4 minutes left in the opening quarter Trinity running back RJ Fleming was stopped on 4th and goal again at the one yard line.

(Above) Trinity's first drive was stopped at the Tiger 1 yard line.
Centreville had great success in running the ball against the smaller Trinity squad. The Tiger’s second possession of the game started in the final minutes of the first quarter and would chew up 99 yards and 15 plays into the second quarter as senior tailback Zach Sinclair punched in a one yard score with 9:36 left in the opening half. Gavin Travis added the PAT as the Tigers went up 7-0.
After a Trinity three and out Centreville made good on another drive as they moved from their own 38 yard line down to the Trinity 17 in ten plays. Zach Sinclair finished off the 65 yard drive with a 17 yard dash off the right side to put the Tigers up 13-0. Travis added the PAT to put Centreville on top 14-0 with just over four minutes left in the half. (Above) Trinity tailback RJ Fleming
Trinity went backwards on their following possession as the Tiger defense dug in. Centreville’s Ragan Reynolds and Patrick Love sacked Saints quarterback Givonni Dent on a 3rd and 14 from the Trinity 17 yard line all the way back at the 8, forcing the Saints to punt with just over two minutes left in the half.
Centreville got the ball at the Trinity 29 yard line following the punt and appeared to be about to score again to end the half but a Tyler Towles 3rd and 16 completion to Colby Lockwood at the Trinity four yard line was fumbled and recovered by Brandon Daggs who returned it back out to the ten yard line.
The physical play intensified in the second half as each team would trade punts until Trinity’s possession with 4:15 left in the third quarter. The Saints took advantage of good field position that had them starting a drive from their own 42 yard line and marching 58 yards in six plays with RJ Fleming hurdling everyone from one yard out to put the Saints on the board at the 2:50 mark of the quarter. The PAT failed leaving Trinity with a 14-6 deficit. (Above) Centreville quarterback Cliff Hurst steps up in the pocket.
The momentum swung even more on Centreville’s following possession. The Tigers turned the ball over on a 2nd and 8 from their 33 yard line as Tyler Towles mishandled the snap and Trinity recovered at the Tiger 34 yard line.
Trinity was unable to capitalize on the turnover and was forced to punt after a series that included an incredible 12 yard run by Kent King who side-stepped several Centreville tacklers, a Dent mishandled snap, an incomplete pass and a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty to push the ball back to the Tiger 43.
Centreville started at their 20 following a Saints punt. Zach Sinclair went around the left end for a 21 yard gain to the Tiger 41 yard line. A 22 yard gain by Sinclair was wiped out by a holding penalty on the following play that pushed the ball back to the Tiger’s 26 as the quarter ended. (Above) Centreville's Zach Sincair breaks free from Trinity's Eric James #11.
Two plays into the final quarter Centreville faced a 3rd and 22 from their own 29 yard line. In what would be one of the most critical plays of the game Cliff Hurst dropped back to pass and was immediately pressured by the Saints defense. Hurst scrambled to his right and spotted wide-out Jamie Dezendorf coming back to the ball and hit the senior with a 31 yard strike at the Trinity 40 yard line with 11:07 left to play. Three plays later Zach Sinclair rumbled 32 yards for his third touchdown of the night that capped off an 8 play 80 yard drive at the 9:44 mark of the quarter. Gavin Travis added the PAT to put Centreville up 21-6.
Centreville’s final score came on a 6 play 54 yard drive that culminated on a fourth and two from the 8 yard line when Sinclair bulldozed his way in for his fourth touchdown on the night. A failed PAT left the Tigers up 27-6 with just over four minutes left in the game.
Trinity’s final possession ended when Givonni Dent’s pass attempt was intercepted by Colby Lockwood at the Tiger 35 with two minutes left.
Centreville ran three plays and took a knee to end the contest. (Above) Centreville head coach Bill Hurst addressing both teams after the game.
Sophomore running back/qb Cliff Hurst had 161 yards rushing on 18 carries along with 1/1 passing for 32 yards. Tyler Towles was 2/3 for 32 yards.
Centreville rolled up 361 yards rushing on the night to Trinity’s 157.
On the defensive side of the ball sophomore defensive lineman Michael Pate had 11 tackles for the Tigers. Senior defensive end Patrick Love had 8 tackles and three players; senior Beau Field, sophomore Tyler Towles and freshman Randy Bell each had 6 tackles.
Centreville moves on to face Adams Christian in Natchez next week in an important district 5AA matchup before closing out the regular season at home against Central Private in a game that could decide the district title.
Trinity will look to rebound after three straight losses by hosting Tallulah next Friday night.

Cross Country "Shout Out"

Columbia Academy's Channing Stringer won his 3rd straight MAIS Cross Country meet and broke Columbia Academy's 5K Cross Country Record with a time of 17:44.

The senior is a two time All MPSA Cross Country recipient.

Columbia Academy Invitational Cross Country Meet
@ Columbia Water Park, Columbia, MS
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Columbia Academy Boys placed three runners in the Top-10 in tying Jackson Prep for the Columbia Academy Invitational Championship. However, Jackson Prep took top honors on the tie-breaker. Columbia's Channing Stringer finished first and remained undefeated in MAIS competition this season with a outstanding time of 17:44. Jon Luke Watts finished third with 18:54, and Isaac Hitt took ninth with 19:35.
Jackson Prep also took the Girls title. MRA's Tavyn Lovitt finished first in a time of 13:09.

Results:
Girls: ( 2 miles)
Individual Winner: Tavyn Lovitt, MRA -- 13:09

Team Top-10:
1. Jackson Prep - 41 Pts.
2. MRA - 52 Pts.
3. Simpson - 66 Pts.
4. Silliman - 84 Pts.
5. Trinity - 127 Pts.
6. Jackson Academy - 138 Pts.
7. ACCS - 223 Pts.
8. Cenla Christian - 271 Pts.
9. Prentiss Christian - 297 Pts.
10. Lamar School - 300 Pts.

Boys: ( 5K / 3.1 miles )
Individual Winner: Channing Stringer, Columbia Academy -- 17:44

Team Top-10:
1. Jackson Prep - 47 Pts
2. Columbia Academy - 47 Pts
3. Jackson Academy - 57 Pts
4. MRA - 109 Pts
5. Silliman - 141 Pts
6. Chamberlain Hunt - 154 Pts
7. Trinity - 179 Pts.
8. Lamar School - 210 Pts.
9. Cenla Christian - 278
10. Lamar Christian - 289

Leake at Simpson Week Seven (Turn Volume Up)

Mustangs win sixth straight

Southern Sports & Travel

The River Oaks Mustangs won their sixth straight game on Friday night with a convincing 27-6 road win over the Riverfield Raiders. The Mustangs last tasted defeat in week two on the road at Washington 24-7.
Friday night in Rayville the home-standing Raiders got out to an early 6-0 lead when linebacker Brad Rogers took a fumble 58 yards to pay-dirt. River Oaks grabbed their first lead on a 15 yard run by junior tailback Vincent Moore, followed by a Corey Talley PAT as the Stangs took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter.
Moore would add to the River Oaks lead with a 16 yard burst before the half and Talley added the extra point as the lead grew to 14-6.
The third quarter included Vincent Moore’s third touchdown of the night as he punched in a 2 yard run. The PAT failed and the quarter ended with River Oaks on top 20-6.
The door was closed on Riverfield in the final quarter when River Oaks quarterback Ryan MacGregor ran in from 12 yards out and Corey Talley added the PAT for a deciding 27-6 margin.
Vincent Moore led River Oaks on the ground with 61 yards on 11 carries and 3 touchdowns. The junior also had 3 catches for 19 yards. Sophomore quarterback Ryan MacGregor rushed for 70 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown and was 6/10 passing for 72 yards.
Linebacker John Rocket led the Mustang defense with 8 tackles, 3 special team tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. On offense the senior had 3 catches for 53 yards and two carries for 10 yards.
River Oaks is currently the #4 ranked team in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten Poll. The Mustangs improved to 7-1 & 2-0 and will next host Cenla Christian in what will be the final district game for River Oaks and the final regular season home game.
Riverfield fell to 6-2 overall and will take on Porter’s Chapel in Rayville on Friday night.

From the notebook…………

Okay fasten your seatbelts. The biggest three weeks of the season are nearly here. Three district races could very well come down to the final week. Bowling Green travels to Brookhaven in week eleven, Winston is at Oak Hill and Central Private travels to Centreville that same week. But wait…..week ten has #1 Lamar making the trip to Mendenhall to take on Simpson in what could be another district deciding title game. What’s stopping these four scenarios from materializing? If Simpson slips up this week at Canton, Bowling Green somehow is on the losing end of what would be the biggest upset in school history should they lose to ASC this Friday night or should Brookhaven fall at Columbia in week ten. The Oak Hill/Winston game is set but the Patriots are the better team. All four squads are prohibitive favorites in those games but anything can happen.
Marshall can nail down the district 1AA title on Friday night at Indianola but the Colonels are playing well and Marshall could be in for a nail-biter. If the Patriots take care of business, North Delta will need a week eleven win over Kirk in Batesville to be district runners up and Indianola will more than likely qualify as a wildcard team.
In what most consider the weakest district in AA the Winston Patriots and Oak Hill Raiders will play in week eleven for the district 2AA crown. Winston will be favored in that matchup and Oak Hill would finish runners up and secure a playoff spot with the possibility of finishing with a 3-8 overall record.
The second weakest district is 6AA. No disrespect to the River Oaks Mustangs who are clearly one of the better teams in AA this season but Glenbrook is struggling, and Cenla and Prairie View have been out of the picture for some time.
How does district 5AA shake out at season’s end? Centreville’s game with Trinity this week will shed much light on whether the Tigers will make a serious run at another title. If the champs earn a home win over the Saints this Friday night I think they will finish on top in the district race but it won’t be easy. They’ll travel to Natchez to play Adams Christian next week before finishing at home against Central Private. All signs point to Central Private winning their second straight district title. The Rebels host a battered WCCA squad this Friday night and have an idle week before the Centreville game. I still think Centreville has yet to play their best football and with that in mind I have them edging Central Private in week eleven. A wildcard team will come from this district. Adams Christian should be the favorites but I'm going to tread against the current and predict Silliman will earn a south wildcard bid when all is said and done. The Wildcats host ACCS Friday night and if they play defense as they have since week three they’ll stand a good chance of finishing 6-4 overall and 2-2 in district play.
District 4AA has the makings of a gut wrenching final week for Brookhaven and Bowling Green. Brookhaven is on a serious roll and is one of the two best teams in AA football. Bowling Green has dropped two straight and seems to be fading a bit but all one has to do is look at one glaring statistic……..Bowling Green has won 3 of the last 4 games at Brookhaven including two wins last season, each by two points. Central Hinds will finish strong after a grueling schedule. The Cougars could finish at 7-4 overall and 2-2 in district play and qualify as a wildcard squad.
In what was earlier considered the toughest in all of AA football, district 3AA has turned into a two team race. Leake and Canton have faded leaving a week ten Lamar at Simpson game deciding who enters the playoffs with a number one seed. All won’t be lost for the Leake Rebels as they should qualify as a wildcard team. Caution to Lamar fans…….Mendenhall is a tough place to play.
I’ll admit that I’ve already filled out my playoff brackets but I’ll also admit that the chances are slim that they play out exactly as I see them.
This season there have been lots of conversations about the current playoff structure and whether it should be modified. What has fueled the topic is the reality that a 3-8 team will qualify for the playoffs as district runners up while better squads in tougher districts stay at home. The overwhelming conclusion has been that the power point system or some type of seeding be used for all teams to qualify with the exception of district champions. The issue will continue to grow as November nears.
Did you know that four of the top five rushers in AA football come from one district? District 5AA has Bobby Muse (1,555 yds) of Central Private, Zach Sinclair (1,107 yds) of Centreville, Brandon Sanders (1,000 yds) of Adams Christian and Tip McKenzie (914 yds) of WCCA.
Basketball season gets underway at the end of the month. The Southern Sports & Travel Top 5 polls are posted.

See ya somewhere…………

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Anonymous said...
What exactly do you have against District 2AA? Admitted there is probably not a potential AA State Champion but these teams have played some very good oponents. Winston is probably the best team in the division, but that will be decided on the last week of the season. Oak Hill is much improved over the past few weeks and will give there remaining opponents (Kirk, Marshall, and Winston) all they want in those games. Oak Hill has not been healthy all season, but they are getting some players back that are real producers for that team. Oak Hill may end up 3-8 and make the playoffs. But I believe they will finish with a flourish. Potentially finishing 6-5 or 5-6. The other point is that why does it matter if a 3-8 team makes the playoffs. Public schools have made the playoffs with similar records in the past. The schools did not draw up the divisons, nor did they make the schedules. The higher ups in the political MAIS made all of those decisions. So I'm sure this district along with the teams made up of 15-18 year old kids would like you to withdraw this obvious displeasure you have for them.

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Darron Thomas said...
There is no displeasure for those kids, that's a big over-statement. This is an opinion article on a topic that didn't just surface this season. I would pose this question.....is it fair for teams that have higher power-points to be left out of the playoffs? No disrespect was intended towards any particular team. I respect your opinion.

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Bret Rutland said...
I'm not sure it's fair to post a write up about the obvious. Comparatively speaking, that is the weakest district. I say that because the other districts, especially those in the south have a much more difficult strength of schedule and the records reflect it. Central Private, Brookhaven, Centreville, and Bowling Green all have extremely difficult schedules and still have managed to lose no more than three games. And the two teams with three losses (Bowling Green and Centreville) could have very easily won the games they lost, and more importantly are still in a position to make a lot of noise in the playoffs. I'm not saying that a team from district 2 will not do the same. But thus far, if you look from top to bottom in each district, they are the weekest district. It is nothing against the kids whatsoever, the the number of quality teams that are in the other districts. Imagine if you had a district with Lamar, Brookhaven, Simpson, Bowling Green, River Oaks, and Central Private all in the same district. Would anyone argue that this would be the best district? Now imagine a district with 6 teams that, going in to district play, had not won a game. How could you not say that was the weakest district?

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Anonymous said...
If the MAIS wants to fix this problem, they need to realign and have only 4 districts in AA. There are 28 teams in AA. Have 4 districts made up of 7 teams in each. Then they can either take the top 4 in each district. Or they can take the top 3 in each district and then 2 wiildcards with the best power point ranking. Just a suggestion.

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River Oaks riding high

Southern Sports & Travel

The River Oaks Mustangs silenced many doubters last Friday night with a 27-25 win over single-A #1 Trinity. The two point win was the first over Trinity since 1997 and propelled the Mustangs two spots to #4 in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten poll.
Ryan MacGregor put River Oaks up with 8:57 remaining in the opening quarter. The sophomore went in from two yards out on a quarterback sneak. Corey Talley added the PAT to give the Mustangs an early 7-0 lead. Three minutes later another sophomore, running back Davis Harris, hit pay-dirt on a 19 yard run that increased the lead to 13-0. The PAT failed.
Trinity got on the board with 25 seconds left in the opening quarter on a 4 yard run by RJ Fleming to trim the deficit to 13-6. The PAT failed.

(Right) Junior Vincent Moore
Junior running back Vincent Moore answered at the 9:41 mark of the 2nd quarter with a 2 yard touchdown run and a Corey Talley PAT put the Mustangs up 20-6.
In a high scoring first half that produced six touchdowns each team would trade scores before halftime. Brandon Daggs scored on a 23 yard run followed by Chas Moroney’s PAT as Trinity stayed close at 20-13. Then with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter Ryan MacGregor hit sophomore wide-out Walker Thurman for a 36 yard touchdown pass. Corey Talley’s PAT gave River Oaks a 27-13 advantage at the half.
Trinity held River Oaks scoreless in the second half and with 8:54 left in the 3rd quarter the Saints cut into the Mustang lead on a 15 yard touchdown pass from Givonni Dent to RJ Fleming. The PAT failed and Trinity trailed 27-19.
With Trinity down 8 points and 4:20 left in the 4th quarter Dent hit Chas Moroney with a 36 yard touchdown pass to bring the Saints to within 2 points at 27-25. Dent’s two point attempt to tie the game was intercepted by senior linebacker John Rocket and River Oaks held on to get a 27-25 win over Trinity.

(Right) Senior John Rocket
River Oaks had 356 yards of total offense to Trinity’s 295. Ryan MacGregor was 9/13 for 188 yards. The sophomore had two touchdowns, one by air and one on the ground. Vincent Moore ran for 67 yards on 10 carries, had 203 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Moore also had an interception and a blocked kick on defense. Linebacker Stephen Bragg had 16 tackles and a sack, and linebacker Harrison Holloway had 8 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
With the win River Oaks improved to 6-1 and has only Cenla Christian remaining in district 6AA play. The Mustangs will play at Riverfield this Friday night and will finish with Cenla and Claiborne.
If River Oaks gets by a tough Riverfield squad they’ll most likely finish at 9-1 and district champs. Head coach Robert Hannah is in his 16th season at River Oaks and has enough talent to make noise in November. Under the direction of Hannah the Mustangs have had only three losing seasons and possess one of the youngest teams this season among the top ten in AA football. River Oaks fans and supporters have lots to look forward to over the next two seasons.

Bobby Pagitt of Lafayette, Louisiana

Here you go guys! I shot this bull Monday the 21st @ 8:30 a.m. in New Mexico. He had approximately 20 cows with him. We cow called him in to about 25-30 yds where he locked up behind some thick brush and just sat there bugling and chuckling. He finally turned circled out in front of me and I came to full draw. He stopped at what at what I thought was 45 yds behind more brush and remained there for what felt like eternity still bugling. I could not hold my bow back any longer and was about to let down when he took a step forward. I put my 40 yd pin center mass and squeezed off on the release. I watched my arrow trace right towards where I was aiming but started to drop rapidly. Just at that time the bull began to duck and push off to run and the arrow slipped right behind and under his right shoulder. He literally committed suicide. The bull ran off 30 yds and looked back over his shoulder. Instantly his legs got weak and he started side stepping and stumbled to the ground! He was down within 40 yds of the shot. I admit I definitely got lucky, but I will take it! The green scored 338 2/8”!

Lady Spartans take State AA Crown

By Patti Gregory
The Prairie View Lady Spartans were crowned as the 2009 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class 2A state fastpitch champions on Saturday afternoon at Liberty Park in Flowood, Miss. Prairie View went through the double elimination tournament undefeated. Pictured with the championship trophy are front row: Seniors Laiken Russell, Caroline Oliphant, Kara Burchfield, Mallory Hall and Lena Kate Thompson. Middle row: Presley May, Leslie Spires, Victoria Billings, Molly Gregory, Kristen Oliphant and Kayla Tyson. Back row: Athletic director Don King, coach Ed Bain, Kristin Swain and coach Dan Smart.

Simpson crushes Leake 41-14

Southern Sports & Travel

The Simpson Cougars racked up 367 yards on the ground Friday night and punished the previously undefeated Leake Rebels 41-14 before a spirited crowd in Mendenhall. Tailback Kyle Munn accounted for 250 of those yards and 4 touchdowns as the senior continues to recover from a severe ankle injury that has hampered him over the past several games.

(Above) Simpson's Kyle Munn (#4) had 250 yards and 4 tds.

Simpson set up shop on their own 25 yard line after Leake punted on their opening possession. Kyle Munn gave a preview of things to come on the Cougar’s first play from scrimmage as the senior scampered for 47 yards all the way down to the Rebel’s 28 yard line. Munn then busted through for 28 yards on the next play to give Simpson a first and goal at the Leake 2 yard line. Three plays later tailback Cade Eiland scored on a two yard plunge with 7:31 remaining in the opening quarter to cap off a 5 play 75 yard drive. Justin Griffin added the PAT as the Cougar’s took an early 7-0 lead.
A three and out by Leake and punt gave Simpson the ball at the Leake 47 yard line. Munn quickly went off left tackle for 12 yards and then quarterback Sam Cowart hit Cade Eiland for a 34 yard strike to set the Cougars up at the Leake 1 yard line. Kyle Munn then put the Cougars up 13-0 on a 1 yard burst up the middle with 4:30 left in the first quarter. Justin Griffin's PAT put the Cougar on top 14-0.
Leake then mounted a drive that started on their own 30 yard line and ten plays later found themselves on the Simpson 14 when the first quarter ended. A Grant Wilson keeper for five yards to open the second quarter set up a critical 3rd and 1 at the Cougar 5 yard line, but a Leake fumble was recovered by Simpson’s Will Ashley at the 7 yard line with 11:19 left in the half. On Simpson’s first play after the turnover Kyle Munn hit straight up the middle for 93 yards and a touchdown that seemed to take the air out of the Rebels. Justin Griffin added the PAT to give Simpson a 21-0 lead with 11:04 left in the quarter.
Simpson added to the lead at the 4:41 mark of the quarter as Munn scored his third touchdown of the half on a 37 yard run followed by a Justin Griffin PAT to give the Cougars a 28-0 halftime lead. (Right) Simpson's Cade Eiland drags the foot after a 34 yard reception at the 1 yard line.
Simpson opened up the second half the same as they started the game and drove to the Leake 31, but a Sam Cowart pass was intercepted near the Rebel goal line by Leake’s Caleb Burns who returned it back to the Simpson 48. Leake would get on the board on a 15 yard pass from Grant Wilson to wideout Jake Wall with 5:12 left in the quarter. Dylan Alford added the PAT to trim the lead to 28-7.

(Above) Simpson's Kyle Munn (#4) with a 1 yard plunge for a score.

Simpson answered in the 4th quarter as Kyle Munn earned his fourth score of the night on a 1 yard run with 11:27 left in the game. Griffin’s PAT increased the lead to 35-7. The final Simpson score came 11 seconds later when Cory Herrington intercepted a Grant Wilson pass and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. The PAT failed and with just over 11 minutes remaining Simpson enjoyed a 41-7 advantage.

(Above) Simpson's Mark Herrin (#44), Will Ashley (#60) and Brandon Bairfield (#71) open up a hole for the Cougar ground game.
Leake finished the night on a Grant Wilson strike to tailback Brad Hunter. Dylan Alford’s PAT settled the scoring at 41-14.
Simpson’s Jacob Busby rushed for 65 yards on 9 carries and Cade Eiland had 39 yards on 7 carries and a touchdown. Quarterback Sam Cowart was 2/5 for 46 yards on the night.
Simpson improved to 6-1 and sits atop district 3AA with a 2-0 mark. “Our offensive line played great tonight” said Simpson head coach Billy Hankins. “This is the first time this season we’ve put together a complete game offensively”. When asked about Kyle Munn’s performance Hankins said “Kyle is still not 100% healthy but he’s getting there. He had a solid game and had nearly 200 yards rushing in the first half”. Simpson is part of what most consider the toughest AA district in the MAIS. The Cougars have two district games remaining with a trip to Canton in two weeks, and if the Cougars prevail in that one it sets up a huge battle with #1 ranked Lamar visiting Mendenhall in week ten. “Lamar is a great team and we’re excited about the challenge” said Hankins.
Leake will look to regroup next week when they host a “hot” Copiah Colonel squad that’s coming off an impressive 27-10 win over Presbyterian. The Leake Rebels slipped to 5-1 and 2-1 in district play.
Simpson has leaped three spots to #5 in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten poll while Leake falls to #10.