Football 2017

PageO Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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Bulldogs hungry to reach next level

PageP Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Greenwood has knocked on the door of a state championship appearance in recent years, and Clinton Gatewood believes he has the group to finally kick it in.

After losing in back-to-back North 4A title games, a young bunch of Bulldogs took a small step backward last season — ending things at 8-4 after a secondround playoff loss to Pontotoc.

Gatewood said the work to get back in the hunt for the school’s first state title game appearance since 1988 started just days after the 35-14 defeat.

“We hit the weight room the next week, and these guys have worked hard at getting stronger — something we had to do,” said the eighth-year Bulldog head coach. “We feel like we have a good chance to take that next step.”

GHS has been incredibly successful under Gatewood, who is 64-23 in his seven years with five Region 3-4A titles, including a run of four straight, and a 30-3 mark in region play. But the head man of the Bulldogs wants more.

“I am putting a lot of pressure on myself this year. We just have to stay focused and stay together as a family and continue to work hard,” Gatewood said.

Despite his program’s success in recent years, Gatewood believes GHS is overlooked from a statewide perspective.

“The Delta generally doesn’t get a lot of respect, but we are out to change that. They won’t be able to doubt us anymore if we make a run to the state championship.” lccbkpb The bulk of this unit is back.

The one missing link is a mighty big one — running back Rico Owens, who ran for 1,910 yards and 17 touchdowns on 233 carries last season. Juniors Walter Ivory and Lavell Nelson will be counted on to fill Owens’ shoes.

“We like both of these guys. We expect them to pick up right where Rico left off,” Gatewood

said.

Freshman Tyler Beckworth (59, 180) will also see action at running back, while senior Carl Jones (6-2, 220) could see his first action in the backfield as a power back.

To make matters better as the Bulldogs seek to replace Owens, the entire offensive line is back, including a pair of mammoth bookends at the tackles — Kwatravious Johnson (6-8, 360) and Christian Henderson (6-5, 285).

Joining them up front are senior Marcus McDaniel (6-0, 235) and Quenterrius Banks (6-2, 280) and junior Charles Brooks (6-0, 270).

Senior Zyrain Carradine (6-2, 260) and sophomores Braidon Hodo (6-1, 260) and Edward Anderson (5-10, 230) will also help out on the line.

“Expect us to pound the ball with a big, experienced line,” said Gatewood. “These guys are physical and ready for a big year.”

Junior Jaylen Stanley (6-1, 210) returns at quarterback after being forced to move from defensive end last year after an injury to starter Tranleson Tribblett.

Stanley completed 25-of-52 passes for 274 yards with two TDs and one interception while Tribblett missed five games.

“Jaylen was thrown into a situation where we simply asked him to manage the offense and be an athlete back there. He has progressed as a passer, and we have experience at wide receiver to

help him,” Gatewood said.

Sophomore Dezarian Perez will see action as the back-up quarterback.

Kobe Chambers (5-7, 150) had a team-high 24 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman last season. Junior Cardaryl Johnson (5-11, 180) is also back after catching eight passes for 127 yards and three scores in 2016.

Others expected to help out at receiver are: freshman Dylan Metcalf (5-11, 180), sophomores Quantarius Silas (6-1, 195) and Zachary Westbrook (6-2, 180) and senior Quindarius Andrews (6-0, 170). abcbkpb The Bulldogs return eight starters — led by senior tackle Jalen Bedell (6-2, 303). He earned All-Commonwealth honors in 2016. The Delta Streets Academy transfer finished with 70 solo stops, 50 assists and 17 tackles for loss, which included 10 sacks.

He also had five fumble recoveries in his first season at Greenwood.

He is joined up front by Jones, who can be the third defensive end in recent years to make a big name for himself at GHS. The first two are Bennie Higgins, now playing at Louisiana Lafayette, and Marquiss Spencer, now at Mississippi State.

“Carl is a beast up front, but he will likely move to outside linebacker at the next level because he doesn’t have the kind of size big schools are looking for at defensive end,” Gatewood said.

“But what he does have is the speed, quickness and talent to make an impact in college.”

Jones had 89 stops last season with eight sacks. He said following in the footsteps of Higgins and Spencer is pushing him to be better this year. His goal for this season is 25 sacks.

“I feel like I can do that,” Jones said. “I feel like I am that kind of player.”

Other returning starters are: defensive backs Thomas Smith, a 5-11, 190-pound senior, Travor

Randle, a 5-9, 165-pound sophomore, and Marcus Leflore, a 5-10, 175-pound junior; senior linebacker R’Tavis McGee (6-4, 185) and sophomore defensive end Quiontavious Lymon (6-2, 260).

Senior Demargo Tate (5-10, 185) will start at cornerback.

Providing depth up front will be Brooks and Banks.

McGee (6-4, 185) is the lone returning starter at linebacker.

Those expected to play at the other two spots are freshmen Davis Anderson (6-1, 180) and CeMardre Taylor (5-9, 160), and juniors Vontedric Gary (6-1, 185) and Jaquan Moses (5-10, 210) and senior Xavier Dean (5-9, 175). _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo It could be both Leflore and Randle in the secondary, says Gatewood. Both had their ups and downs at the safety positions last year.

“Both have worked hard to improve their craft and have learned the game. They have embraced a leadership role with

the defense and are able to cover each other’s backs out there,” said the GHS coach. p`ebarib Region 3-4A got much tougher this year with the addition of Clarksdale and Rosa Fort and with Gentry gaining a proven winner in head coach Tavares Johnson. He came to Indianola in the offseason after guiding Simmons to back-to-back Class 1A state crowns.

The non-conference slate is tough, too. The Bulldogs face 5A foe Cleveland Central, the merger school between East Side and Cleveland; Greenville-Weston, a 6A member with new head coach Sherrod Gideon; and Louisville, a regular 4A playoff program with a state championship as recent as 2013.

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the mammoth bookends for the Greenwood offensive line. They helped pave the way for a 1,900yard rusher last season in Rico Owens.

Expect the Bulldogs to pound the ball between the tackles even more this season with growth and development of those two linemen.

Johnson, a four-star product, plays left tackle. He committed to Mississippi State last December but has seen his Johnson recruiting stock rise since then.

He was unranked by recruiting services last year but is now a three-star prospect who holds offers from Alabama and LSU. Johnson, nicknamed “Dolla Bill,” has also accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour High School All-American Game in January.

Steve Robertson, co-publisher of Gene’spage.com and MSU affiliate for Scout.com, said the GHS

standout is by far the No. 1 offensive tackle recruit in the state. A couple of Mississippi recruiting analysts believe Johnson could wind up ranked as the No. 1 player in the state (currently ranked fifth) by the time this season is over.

Johnson and Bedell both came to GHS last year after playing eight-man football at Delta Streets Academy. They are first cousins — which can lead to some intense battles in the trenches during practice.

“They talk smack to one another. It can get heated,” Gatewood said. “In the spring, they wouldn’t stop until they drew blood. We won’t likely have them going at it during the season.”

Johnson admits things have gotten heated in practice but said it’s “just about competition.”

“We’ve been going at it since we were young kids,” he said. “It’s really about pushing each other to be the best we can be.”

Even though Johnson is just in his second year at Greenwood, Gatewood has known him for a long time.

Growing up, Johnson spent a lot of time at his grandmother’s house which happened to back up to Gatewood’s home.

“He was just a big ol’ kid,” Gatewood said. “He was like 6 feet in the fifth and sixth grade. The next time I got the opportunity to see him play actually wasn’t until he was with me.”

One year after the move to GHS, Johnson is the first Bulldog to ever make the Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen all-star football team. “When I was younger, me and my friends would talk about it, saying ‘one day I want to be a Dandy Dozen,’ but I never thought I’d be the first.”

Unlike the other two, Henderson has been in the GHS program for four years. He is committed to Louisiana Tech, but an MSU offer could come before the season is out. He caught the eye of State offensive line coach John Hevesy this summer at camp in Starkville and is hoping that an offer from State might be coming his way at some point.

Henderson said going against top linemen like Bedell and John-

son has made him raise his game.

“I get to go against the best in the state every day, so when Friday night rolls around I am than Henderson more ready,” he said. “I think we all push each other, in the weight room and on the field.”

Bedell is considered to be one of the stronger players on the GHS team. He benches 415 pounds and squats 540 while pushing his 300-plus pound frame to a 4.7second 40-yard dash.

“He is quite agile for his size.

He can rush the passer or stuff the run,” said Gatewood. “He has great strength and explosion. He will always draw a double-team block. I think he is by far the best defensive tackle in the state.”

Last year, Bedell had 70 solo stops, 50 assists and 17 tackles for loss en route to earning AllCommonwealth honors. With ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pÉÉ BIG BOYSI=m~ÖÉ=R

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GHS to rely heavily on three D-I linemen

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

At 6 feet, 2 inches and 303 pounds, Jalen Bedell isn’t the biggest of Greenwood’s three Division I-caliber linemen, but he may be the nastiest.

Bedell, an interior defensive tackle, is committed to Southern Mississippi.

He holds offers from USM and Memphis, but SEC schools have stayed away mainly Bedell because of his height, GHS coach Clinton Gatewood says.

“Jalen will play with an attitude, a chip on his shoulder, because some people are doubting what he can do at the next level. Whoever winds up with this kid is going to be elated,” Gatewood said.

Height is not a problem for the other Bulldog linemen — Kwatravious Johnson (6-8, 361) and Christian Henderson (6-5, 288),

PageQ Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageR Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

Young Mustangs aren’t lowering expectations mfiilt=^`^abjv

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

This is the youngest team Tripp McCarty has had in his four years at Pillow Academy.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent to work with, though.

The Mustangs lost four starters on the offensive line and the bulk of their playmakers, including the 2016 Commonwealth Player of the Year John Madison Brooks.

Defensively, things are a little better, but McCarty is still trying to fill a lot of holes left by the graduation of 12 seniors.

The Mustangs have six seniors on their 32-man roster and 18 sophomores.

“We’re not making any excuses, although we have plenty of them.

We are young and inexperienced in some spots, but that’s why we practice — to work past all of that,” said McCarty. “This is no doubt our youngest team by far here. But I love our talent level.

We feel like we’ve got a lot of good players on this roster.

“We won’t use youth as an excuse; we will just roll with it.”

The fourth-year PA coach said he and his staff have tried to use a rigorous practice schedule in an effort to make up for the lack of game experience the best they can with practice work.

The Mustangs have made strides in each of McCarty’s first three years. The first year saw the Mustangs post their first winning season in four years. The next year the Mustangs ended a four-year postseason drought, and then in 2016 PA notched its first playoff victory in five years before losing to eventual State AAAA Division II champion Lamar School.

Regardless of youth, McCarty said his goal is to take the next step and claim the school’s first state championship since 2010.

“The ultimate goal is the same every year,” he said. “We wouldn’t do all the work we do as players and coaches if our priority isn’t a championship.” lccbkpb The Mustangs return just three starters, but junior Lake Giachelli gives the team plenty of experi-

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ence at quarterback. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder got some valuable experience last year behind Cole Whitfield.

Giachelli ranked second on the squad in rushing with 508 yards and seven touchdowns on 107 carries. He completed 48 of 109 passes for 621 yards for five touchdowns and four interceptions.

McCarty said sophomore Shane Houston Stephens (6-1, 160) has looked good as Giachelli’s backup and will get some game snaps.

Seniors Luke Fondren (6-0, 190) and A.J. Woodard (5-11, 175) and junior Floyd Melton (5-10, 165) will play running back.

Senior Eli Burton (5-10, 165) is the only wide receiver with starting experience. He ranked second on the team in receiving last year even though he played in only five games due to a broken collarbone — finishing with 259 yards and three touchdowns on 18 receptions.

McCarty believes senior Bailey Vaughan (6-1, 170) could have a big year at receiver after catching just two balls last year. Others working at receiver who are expected to help out are freshmen Jaden Simcox (5-11, 160), Hagan Wilson (5-11, 160) and Jordan Sykes (5-11, 160).

Woodard and Melton will also see action at receiver.

Up front, the Mustangs have a lot of bodies, but as of last week, not many of those players had stepped up to warrant a starting spot, according to McCarty.

Senior Hunter Upchurch (5-10,

230) is the lone returning starter on the line. Senior Matthew Ruscoe (5-11, 215) has some playing experience.

“Those two will show up somewhere on both lines,” McCarty said. “We will be playing a lot of folks up front, trying to find the best combination to help us win.”

The rest of the crew battling for playing time are green. They are sophomores Wade Smith (6-0, 235), Ross Carpenter (6-0, 235) and Noah Woodard 6-0, 240), and juniors Deandre Hoover (5-10, 235) and Dewayne Jones (6-0, 210). Juniors Phillip Rustom (6-0, 210) and Harris Long (6-0, 260) are also in the mix up front along with sophomores Shea Long (510, 175) and Hunter Taylor (6-2, 260). abcbkpb Fondren is back after earning All-Commonwealth honors in 2016 after averaging nearly 15 tackles per contest from his middle linebacker post. He had six tackles for loss and three interceptions, one returned for a score, from his linebacker post.

But Fondren has moved to defensive end/outside linebacker in the Mustangs’ new 5-2 alignment.

Hoover is back at tackle after holding his own in the trenches last season as a sophomore.

Upchurch is back along the Dline.

A couple of sophomores, end Jon Floyd Dunn (6-1, 195) and nose tackle Seth Hollis (5-9, 210), could be starters. Sophomore Josh Moor (6-2, 210) is also in the mix up front along with sophomore Victor Simon (5-9, 225).

Sophomore Steele Robbins (5-10, 155) is working at defensive end.

McCarty said he can see a scenario where Pillow starts as many as six sophomores on defense.

Sophomores Ethan Clark (6-0, 175), Jacob Bush (5-11, 195) and Sam Harris (5-10, 155) are battling for starting nods at linebacker.

Fondren and Woodard are expected to move around a good bit on defense.

Burton has moved from cornerback to safety, with Melton start-

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ing at one cornerback spot. The other corners are Wilson, Sykes, sophomore Alex Lindsey (5-10, 150) and junior Peyton Townsend (5-10, 145).

“We certainly will have a dropoff in experience, but we may actually be better off speed-wise.

We feel like we will put 11 guys on the field who can get to the football. If you can’t run, you will have a hard time playing defense for us,” McCarty said. _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo Coming off a knee injury that held him back last season, A.J. Woodard appears primed for a big year.

He has worked hard to increase his speed and is expected to get touches at running back and wide receiver.

McCarty said it helps that Woodard is very coachable and eager to show what he can do.

Burton hoping for big senior year

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Having to watch his team from the sideline for five games last season was tough on Pillow Academy’s Eli Burton.

Burton, the ultimate competitor, wanted to be out there, wanted to help his team in any way he could. But he suffered a broken collarbone against Lee Academy on Sept. 2 and was out of action for six weeks and missed five games while his injury healed.

Burton “It was a helpless feeling for sure,” Burton recalls. “I wanted to be there for my team.

It was almost like I was letting them down.”

Burton announced his return to play on Oct. 21 with authori-

ty as he hauled in eight catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-14 rout of Jackson Academy. He finished the 2016 season as the Mustangs’ second-leading receiver in just five games played with 259 yards and three TDs on 18 grabs.

Burton, a 5-foot-10, 165pounder, is hoping for a healthy and productive senior season, which kicks off Friday at Indianola Academy. He will be called on to make plays on both sides of the ball, but it’s on offense where he might do the most damage.

“Eli has worked really hard at his craft. He is a polished route runner with really good hands,” PA coach Tripp McCarty said.

“It didn’t take long after his return to the lineup last year for folks to figure out they might need to double up on him.

“We expect big things again from him this year. He’s a warrior. What he lacks in size, he

makes up for with effort.”

Mustang quarterback Lake Giachelli has been friends with Burton for a long time and believes they have great chemistry on the field.

“It’s like we’re just playing catch out there on the field. It’s fun like we’ve always had together,” said the junior signal caller. “In big moments, Eli is always the one I am looking to.

He will go up and get a bad pass and make you look good.

“And he has the athleticism to get past defenders once he has the ball and make big plays. You can just count on him to do big things when the ball is in his hands.”

Burton polished his skills over the summer by attending five football camps. He believes he can take those camp experiences and the confidence he gained at them to the field on Friday nights this fall.

“I feel like I learned a lot at these camps,” Burton said. “I

learned that I can play and matchup against a lot of high school players out there.”

Burton is hoping this season to gain the attention of some juco schools or smaller four-year programs as he wants to play at the next level.

Millsaps College, a Division III program in Jackson, is pursuing Burton already.

“I will have to work on my speed and strength to make it at the college level, but I am prepared to put in the work,” he said.

Burton is as good in the classroom as he is on the field. He carries a 3.9 GPA into his senior year at Pillow Academy.

“He’s not only a good student but is also real involved on campus,” McCarty said. “He represents our program quite well, on and off the field.” n `çåí~Åí=_áää=_ìêêìë=~í=RUNJ TOPT= çê= ÄÄìêêìë]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK= cçääçï= çå= qïáíJ íÉêW]_áää|_ìêêìëK

“He is a versatile athlete we can move all over the field to get him in one-on-one matchups. On defense, he is a little undersized for linebacker, but he will play some around the line of scrimmage as well as in the secondary,” said the PA head coach. p`ebarib The Mustangs open up Friday against defending State AAA champion Indianola Academy.

Two of the next three games have PA facing Madison-Ridgeland Academy at home and playing at four-time defending State AAAA, Division I champion Jackson Prep.

The Mustangs will play only three conference games, with the big one coming Oct. 13 at archrival Washington School. n `çåí~Åí= _áää= _ìêêìë= ~í= RUNJ TOPT= çê= ÄÄìêêìë]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

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two offseasons in the GHS weight program and another year of experience under his belt, Bedell appears primed for even bigger things in 2017. Henderson sure thinks so, and he should know.

“He is the strongest guy I know, but he has such quick hands and uses good technique. That’s a dangerous combination for a Dlineman,” said the Bulldog offensive tackle.

There is no doubt GHS opponents will have to game-plan around Bedell and his two counterparts on the offensive side.

Gatewood is just glad he doesn’t have to worry about that.

“We are blessed to have these three guys for sure. It’s very unusual to have three D-I linemen like this in one given year.” n `çåí~Åí= _áää= _ìêêìë= ~í= RUNJ TOPT= çê= ÄÄìêêìë]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK= cçääçï= çå qïáííÉêW]_áää|_ìêêìëK

PageS Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

Panthers have new head man

Elzy senior fun player to coach

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to other schools. It is what it is. We lost with them, and we can win without them.”

Williams is one of a handWhen a coach has a player like Emmanuel Williams ful of seniors on this year’s on his football team, it just roster.

“It’s that time for us to makes the coach want step up and handle our more.

“Emmanuel is a fine business. I want it to be my young man on and off the senior year that we help field. I’d like to have a few turn Elzy football around,” more like him,” said Elzy he said. “We are stronger, first-year head coach Shel- faster and smarter. It all don Hodge. “He has worked starts with fundamentals. hard over the summer, and Everybody is buying into he carries himself in a what the coaches are showing us. respectful manner.”

“Coach Hodge has tons of Williams is a senior wide receiver/defensive back for experience, and he knows the Panthers, who open football. He can help us out their 2017 season Friday in the long run. He tells us to take them one night at home game at a time. We against Leland can’t think about High School. any game other As a junior, than the one we play Williams (6-2, 160) Friday.” had 18 receptions Williams said his for 239 yards with summer employone touchdown in ment job — working Elzy’s 1-9-1 camwith the city’s recrepaign. He has been Williams ation program — a part of the Elzy family since the fourth did him some good.

“It definitely taught me grade and has been on the football team since his patience. Working with younger kids will teach you freshman year.

“I believe for us to turn that,” he added. “My goal is things around and have a to play junior college ball good season, we need loyal- and get a trade. I enjoy conty to the school, the school struction. I’m an outdoors district and the football person, so being outside team,” said Williams. “I and using my hands is believe we can turn it something I’d like to do.”

Can the Panthers turn it around from what I see on the practice field. Coach around this season?

“We have enough skill Hodge has brought in a more disciplined attitude. position players to get the He’s very serious about job done. We need the offeneverything we do on and off sive and defensive lines to progress and play well,” he the field.

“If a guy wants to play on said. n `çåí~Åí=`~äîáå=píÉîÉåë this team, he will give them every chance to do so. We’ve ~í= ÅëíÉîÉåë]ÖïÅçããçåJ had some guys leave and go ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

Every head coach wants to put his or her stamp on a program. Veteran coach Sheldon Hodge is no different.

After being hired during the spring session of the 2016-2017 school year at Amanda Elzy as its next football coach, Hodge’s message was plain and simple.

“We are going to have discipline, and what I mean by that is doing things the right way. We are going to go to class, stay drug free and be accountable for our actions — that’s on and off the field,” said Hodge. “A person can make a mistake, but sometimes that person deserves a second chance.

“As far as the football goes, we knew we had to work on discipline and the fundamentals of the game.

The wins will take care of themselves in time, but if we don’t do it with discipline and accountability, what are we accomplishing?”

Hodge spent last season at Gentry High School as a consultant. Before that, he was at John F. Kennedy High School in Mound Bayou for eight years as its head football coach and athletic director.

Hodge, who has remained a Greenwood resident over the years, recruited Amanda Elzy players while he was an assistant coach at Mississippi Valley State in the 1990s.

“It was like coming home when I accepted this position,” he said. “I had recruited Elzy for 12 years during my tenure at Valley. I’ve known a lot of these kids and their parents for years. They are adjusting to me and my staff. They honeymoon has been going well thus far.

“I hope they are learning from us.

We want to develop trust between the players and coaches. The kids will lose confidence in the coaches if

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we are not held accountable for our actions.”

The Panthers posted just a 1-9-1 overall record and an 0-5 mark in Region 3-3A in 2016 under former coach Andrew Davis, who is now an assistant at Gentry High School.

Elzy went 1-10 and 0-5 in Davis’ first year on the job in 2015.

“We want to develop a program that gives back to the community and one where the community is proud of us,” said Hodge. “I’m not intimidated by struggle. We are looking to fix things, not just a quick fix.

We’ve got to build this program back up.” lccbkpb Hodge inherits a team with its starting quarterback returning in junior Devin Donley. He struggled at times last season throwing the ball but showed he has the athleticism to do the job.

“The type of system we are running will not focus on the passing game but will concentrate on the running game. Devin is well suited to

run this offense because of his ability to run the ball,” Hodge said. “He can handle the responsibility of the option and checkoffs. He has an athletic mind, and he gained experience last season. Having him back is going to be a plus for us this season.”

In unofficial numbers from last season, Donley was 56-of-132 for 666 yards with six interceptions and three touchdowns. He ran for one TD as he gained 79 yards on 32 carries.

Sophomore Dephabian Fant and senior Jamario Turner will get the bulk of the carries in the backfield.

Turner played sparingly as he suffered an injury after the third game of the season. He ran for over 230 yards in limited action.

Senior Emmanuel Williams and sophomore Smithdarrius Wright are the leading receivers.

“If we need to throw the ball, we know we can with Devin at quarterback and the receivers we have, but I want to see us establish the run.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pÉÉ PANTHERSI=m~ÖÉ=T

New coach having to balance his time

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

James Cheatham is learning that time is precious.

Cheatham has taken over the head coaching duties at Delta Streets Academy from T. Mac Howard, the headmaster and founder of the school.

Cheatham also teaches at Delta Streets and serves as the student pastor at First Baptist Church. His wife, Alicia, and he have four children — Lucy, 9, James Andrew, 7, Anna, 5, and Mary Alice, 2.

“I’ve been here for three years as student pastor at First Baptist, and I’ve been teaching a Bible class at Delta Streets the last two years. Some of the guys who attend the school have become involved with our youth group,” said Cheatham.

“I feel like I’m following God’s calling by being a pastor and coach. I can teach young men in both jobs about building relationships and pour into them.”

Cheatham said he’s now working full-time at the school and part-time with the church.

“The church was in agreement with this, and T. Mac and I

worked it out so I don’t have to come in until 10 each day,” he added. “This way I get to spend time with my kids.”

Cheatham hails from Rolling Fork and attended SharkeyIssaquena Academy. Upon graduation, he went to school at Mississippi College, where he met his wife. He spent three years in Texas, where he coached six-man Cheatham football, and at Center Hill Middle School in Olive Branch for two years where he coached basketball and football.

Since Howard got football started six years ago, the Lions have been in the 8-man football league in the MAIS. This will be their first season playing 11-man football.

“The guys are getting it.

They’ve been around it enough to know what has to take place.

Eight-man football is about offense. If you have speed guys on the outside, scoring is not a problem,” Cheatham said. “We are focusing on defense. We’ve done a

abiq^=pqobbqp= ^`^abjv=

lot of tackling drills, and we work on fundamentals and conditioning. I believe we’ve got to be in good shape to play on this level.

We only have 21 guys, so a lot of them are going to go both ways, and we will play just about everybody.” lccbkpb Cheatham has four returning players he will rely on heavily on offense.

The foursome is led by Dominick Brown, the lone senior.

He ran for 595 yards and 12 touchdowns on 52 carries as a junior. He also scored once on a reception and another time on a kickoff return.

Brown, who will play running back, will be joined by junior Cameron Ervin and eighth-grader Jaylin Lewis in the backfield.

There is a two-man battle at quarterback between Braxton Lewis and Emmanuel “DJ” Alston. The Lions will run from a spread formation.

Working at receiver are Johnathan Brown, Jakevian McCaster, Jaylin Lewis, Howard Whitehead, JyVeon Nelson and Louis Hall.

Working up front are Isaiah Blackmon, Willie Green, Jakarri-

an Hemphill, Markavious Hays, Edgar Swims, Michael Addison, Narada Smith, Anthony Poindexter, Mario Winters, Davion Austin and Kosek Silas. abcbkpb Cheatham will run from a 5-3 formation.

“I’d rather have teams beat us with the pass than the run. Our goal is to shut them down up front and make them one dimensional,” he said.

Brown will likely play middle linebacker and could see some time at safety.

Cheatham said most of the offensive linemen will also play up front on defense, while the receivers will see time in the secondary. _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo Cheatham said his breakout player could easily be Brown, but whoever wins the quarterback battle between Braxton Lewis and Emanuel Alston and is able to guide the team in the spread formation could be that player.

“Both of them will play somewhere on the field, but the one who becomes the starter could have a big impact on this team,” he said.

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p`ebarib The Lions, who open Friday night at Benton Academy, will compete in District 2A with Columbus Christian, Strider Academy and Deer Creek School.

“I don’t know much about those teams, but as I keep telling our guys, just go out and give it your best each game. We want to play physically and mentally strong and be disciplined. I believe we can be competitive if we do things the right way,” Cheatham said.

Delta Streets opens district play Oct. 6 at Columbus Christian. After an open date, the Lions visit Strider on Oct. 20, and close out district play at Deer Creek on Oct. 27. n `çåí~Åí= `~äîáå= píÉîÉåë= ~í ÅëíÉîÉåë]ÖïÅçããçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

Expectations growing for Rebels

PageT Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

Going 7-4 and making it to the playoffs would make most head coaches happy, but Carroll Academy third-year head man Bo Milton says times are changing in Carrollton.

“We are a lot better program than when we started this thing in 2015. We have continuity with the players and coaches. We have laid the foundation with a solid season last year. We went 7-4, but that is no longer good enough.

Our expectations are always going to be better than the previous year,” said the veteran coach.

The Rebels qualified for the

playoffs as they went 2-2 in District 2-AA. They knocked off Oak Hill and Columbus Christian in district play but fell to Deer Creek School and Winona Christian, a 41-12 setback in the regular season finale. The two teams were paired up for their first-round playoff game.

The Stars came out on top 3926, breaking out to a 25-6 lead in the first half. Carroll rallied to pull within five in the second half, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

“We don’t go into a game saying we are going to lose. That is not our bar anymore. My expectations are to win every game and to be a complete and good football

team at the end of the season,” Milton said.

This year’s roster has 28 players on it, which includes 11 seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores and one freshman on the squad.

“After we lost that playoff game, we went to work in the weight room. We knew we needed to get stronger. Our guys are in a lot better shape right now than when we ended 2016,” Milton added. “With 28 on the roster, we can now practice 11 on 11 instead of having coaches on the field filling in the holes. we graduated six from last year’s team and we picked up 12 from the ninth grade. Our junior high program

has 25 players, so the numbers are up. We’ve even seen a spike in the peewee program.” lccbkpb The offense for the Rebels will start with senior quarterback Colby Holly. As a junior in Carroll’s run-oriented scheme, the 510, 175-pounder rushed for 1,147 yards and 20 touchdowns on 159 carries. When CA did throw the ball, Holly was 31-of-65 for 429 yards and three scores.

“It all starts with him. He is a big-play threat and is capable of breaking the big play with his speed,” said Milton. “He is not the type of quarterback who is going ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pÉÉ CARROLLI=m~ÖÉ=V

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CA counting on versatile, athletic Holly for big plays

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

One player, four positions. That pretty much sums up how valuable Colby Holly is to the Carroll Academy football team.

“Colby is a big-play threat. He’s capable of breaking the big play at any time,” said CA thirdyear head coach Bo Milton.

“He plays quarterback, outside linebacker, and does the place kicking and punting for us. If he goes down, we don’t have four players who can replace him.

“He’s a lot stronger this year. Colby is a tenacious player. He’s not the type of player who is going to step out of bounds. He wants to deliver the blow, even at quarterback. If he’s willing

to hit someone when he’s running the ball, I’m not going to discourage him from doing it.”

As a junior, Holly stepped into the starter’s role at quarterback after sitting o u t almost the entire 2 0 1 5 c a m paign with a broken back.

Holly “I wore a back brace for eight months. I pulled some tendons and cracked vertebrae during the summer when we were at 7-on-7 drills at Delta State,” Holly said, who stands 5-10 and weighs 175 pounds. “I never played

quarterback until last year.

I was always a slot receiver or running back. Coach Milton came to me with the idea of playing quarterback. Our offense is set up to run the football, so it seemed like a good idea.

“Bubba (Porter) and me both ran for over 1,000 yards. Bubba could get the three and four yards a pop and even break loose for a big gain, and I was able to get outside.”

Holly ran for a team-high 1,147 yards and 20 touchdowns on 159 carries (7.2 yards per carry). He completed 31-of-65 passes for 429 yards with three TDs and five interceptions. As a cornerback, he recorded 57 tackles, picked off four passes and recovered one fumble. Holly made the

2016 All-Commonwealth team as the all-around player.

He will likely carry a bigger load this season with Porter recovering from a neck injury he sustained in a auto accident during the summer.

“We’ve got Hunter Robertson returning, and Jeb Beck is back from an injury,” Holly said. “We’ve been working on throwing the ball a little more this season. We will still run the ball, but if we can mix it up and keep them off balance it will only help us on offense. The game plan will determine what we do.

“I’m working on my reads, my execution and my timing with the receivers. I also know I need to keep a good atti-

tude. This is my senior season, and as the quarterback, I’m expected to be a leader on this team.”

Holly has been with the Carroll football team since he was a freshman. Before that, he was in the Brandon Public Schools system.

His parents are Chris and Tara Holly. She played basketball and ran track at Carroll, and his dad “played everything” at Cruger-Tchula Academy.

“They have been two of my biggest influences,” he added.

Holly helped lead the Rebels to a 7-4 overall record in 2016, which included a 39-26 Class AA first-round playoff loss to Winona Christian School.

“We didn’t play as well as we could have. We got

down 25-6 and had to fight our way back. We got to within five points,” said Holly. “We felt good going into the game. We knew what they were going to do since we played them a week earlier.

“I expect us to be good this season. We’ve got some young guys on the line, but they have been working hard this summer.”

This being his senior season, Holly knows it could be his last one on the football field.

“I’d love to get the opportunity to play next year, but if not, I’m going to attend welding school. I realized the other day this is my senior year. I don’t want it to end. It’s gone by so fast. I really love being a part of this team,” Holly said.

Lone senior for Delta Streets will have his hands full

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

Delta Streets Academy will boast just one senior on its 2017 football team this season — Dominick Brown.

Brown has been at the school since it opened, and he was in the seventh grade. He’ll be counted on to play running back on offense and linebacker and safety on defense.

“I will just have to step it up and be a leader this season. I want to be a good example for the younger players, and I can hopefully show them how to do the same things when I’m gone,” said Brown.

Brown started playing junior high football for the Lions under

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`çåíáåìÉÇ=Ñêçã=m~ÖÉ=S ------------------------------------------------------Championship teams run the football and play good defense,” Hodge said.

Working on the offensive line are Dontrez McMillan, Santarius Delaney, Tyrone Reedy, Christopher Glass, Demarcus Streeter, Kevontae Boone and Perion Jones. Boone could

T. Mac Howard, the founder and headmaster of Delta Streets Academy. Howard served as the head varsity coach the last three seasons but has stepped aside to concentrate on school duties.

James Cheatham is in his first season as head coach.

“I have learned so much since I’ve been here under Coach Howard.

He didn’t just teach me about football.

He’s taught me how Brown to be a better person, led me to Christianity and how to study the Bible. I have a new perspective on the Bible. I don’t regret my deci-

also see time at tight end. abcbkpb Hodge is known as a defensive-minded coach.

“My philosophy with defense is to keep the ball in front of you at all times.

We start every practice with tackling. We have to be able to tackle,” he said.

“I want them to go until they hear the whistle blow. They need to learn how to shake off blocks and make the tackle.”

Hodge will serve as his own defensive coordinator. He plans on running a

sion to attend Delta Streets,” said Brown.

Cheatham has quickly found out Brown’s importance on the team.

“Dominick is going to do so many things for us this season.

Not only is he a good football player, but he’s a leader on and off the field,” said Cheatham. “We are counting on him a great deal.”

As a junior, Brown (6-0, 175) ran for 595 yards on 52 carries and scored 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had three 2-point runs, caught one touchdown pass and returned one kick for a score.

On defense, he had over 50 tackles.

“I know I will have to carry a big load this season. I feel like we have the guys who can make a

4-4 scheme. “I feel like this defense will give us the best chance to win.” _ob^hlrq= mi^vJ bo Hodge has tabbed Wright as his potential breakout player this season.

“Smithdarrius is a kid who can play anywhere on the field,” said Hodge.

“He is one of the best overall athletes on the team.”

Wright is a sophomore safety and wide receiver for the Panthers. p`ebarib

difference and get the job done,” added Brown. “There is a lot of potential on this team. We know it won’t be easy jumping from eight-man to 11-man football. It’s going to be different. In eightman, when you get outside with the ball, it’s pretty much a touchdown. In 11-man, there are more defenders to take on.

“We’re all excited about the challenge. We have 21 guys out.

We all believe we can make the playoffs. I’d really like to be a part of that before I graduate.”

Brown said with him, Emmanuel Austin and Cameron Ervin, he feels like they will be able to move the football. Also, they are set at quarterback with Braxton Lewis and his younger brother, Johnathan Brown.

The Panthers get the luxury of playing their first two games at R.R. Pickett Stadium as they entertain Leland High School Friday and host cross-county rival Leflore County on Aug. 25.

Three weeks later, Hodge faces one of the former teams he coached, as well as one of his former players, in the Greenwood Bulldogs and Clinton Gatewood. Hodge was head coach of the Bulldogs from 2003-2006, compiling a 9-31 overall

record with one playoff appearance in 2004. He was an assistant coach at Mississippi Valley while Gatewood was on the football team from 1991-1995.

Region 3-3A play gets started on Sept. 29 with a road tilt at Charleston High School. The Panthers host Humphreys County on Oct. 6 and go on the road the next two weeks to face Yazoo County and Ruleville. Elzy closes out the regular season Oct. 27 at home against J.Z. George.

“Of course, we all know it starts with the linemen. It’s going to be different from previous seasons, but we’re looking good in practice and the guys are working hard,” said Brown, who is also a member of the basketball team at DSA. Brown said after leaving Delta Streets, he wants to study biology and become a doctor.

“I really want to be able to give back to the school and T. Mac for the things they have done for me,” said Brown. “I’d like to serve one way or another in this community. If I can teach kids one day at Delta Streets, I’d really like to do that.” n `çåí~Åí= `~äîáå= píÉîÉåë= ~í ÅëíÉîÉåë]ÖïÅçããçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

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PageU Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

cêáÇ~óë=^åÇ=p~íìêÇ~óë=qÜáë=c~ää Pillow Academy Mustangs Friday Nights

Greenwood High School Friday Nights WBZL103.3

Indianola Academy Colonels Friday Nights

Southern Miss Saturdays

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State Ole Miss Miss Saturdays Saturdays

PageV Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

Jags have questions that must be answered gKwK=dblodb

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

Ben Burton is entering his fourth year as the head coach of the J.Z. George football program.

In his first three seasons at the helm, the Jaguars have produced records of 7-6 in 2014, 5-8 in 2015 and 8-5 in 2016. In each season, Burton’s teams have made it to the second round of the playoffs, however, losing each time.

2017 is a new season for Burton and the Jaguars, and with it are many questions yet to be answered as the season opener approaches Friday night at Coffeeville High School.

“Here’s what I see so far. We have some kids, not all of them, that don’t want to work hard and put in the time and effort it takes to get to the next level. It has improved over the years.

Several years ago, the work Burton ethic here was not very good at all. Our job as coaches is to help change that mentality. We’ve got to keep battling and pushing to overcome.

“We don’t want to be the doormat for every school when they are selecting a homecoming opponent. We can’t go back to where we were years ago. We’ve made great strides each year. We’ve had two winning seasons and made the playoffs all three years.

“However, I’m partly to blame for not having much experience

returning this season. I put a lot of my trust in the older guys and didn’t play many younger guys.

We only have five seniors this year and only two of them played last season.”

The Jaguars went 7-4 during the regular season and 3-1 in Region 2-2A in 2016. They opened the playoffs with a 47-7 thrashing of East Union, but fell 35-0 to powerhouse Calhoun City next week. lccbkpb After primarily using a spread formation last season, Burton has turned the offensive coordinator reins over to Wylie Rhodes.

“We’re going to use what we have. We will be a run-first team.

I care less if people know what we are going to do. We will slow it down and play ball control on offense,” Burton said. “I want us to be physical up front and in the backfield. If we can average four yards a play and use up 15 plays a series, I’m satisfied. We’re going to make sure we use the same system in the junior high all the way up.”

Burton said Montavis Jenkins, known as “Hulk” to his teammates, will play fullback and be the primary ball carrier for the Jaguars.

As a junior, he ran the ball 86 times for 415 yards and scored seven touchdowns. As a team, J.Z. George ran the ball 286 times for 1,891 yards and 24 rushing scores.

“He is a downhill runner. He can be a 1,000-yard back, but he’s got to get in shape. He’s a load to bring down when he gets rolling,”

said Burton.

The Jags moved the ball well at times in the passing department.

Malik Christian, a junior this fall, completed 87-of-146 passes (59 percent) for 1,074 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2016. He also ran the ball 101 times for 333 yards and five scores.

Burton feels Christian like he has playmakers in the backfield and at receiver. He listed JJ Rias, Quientirus Purnell, Tyrus Thomas, Josh Johnson, Keyshawn Daniels, PJ Archie and Malik Branch as players who will contribute either in the backfield or at receiver.

“In the spring game against Choctaw County, we gained about 120 yards and had three first downs in just 10 plays. We didn’t score, but I wasn’t concerned with the score. I wanted to see if we could move the football,” Burton added.

For the Jags to have success on offense, they will need solid from the offensive line. Burton has two returning starters in Josh Wiggins and Jarvis Jackson. Others vying for starting roles are Eddie Lester, Will Turner, Bailey Coggins, Cory Clay, Jordan Ball and Demetric Clark. abcbkpb Burton likes the interior of his defensive front as they will play either a 5-2 or a 4-4.

“We can be solid up front with

the linemen and linebackers we have.

“The secondary is going to be a work in progress,” he said.

Clay, Tarik Townsend, Nick Bruce, Wiggins, JJ Rias, Chris Rias, Turner, Jenkins, Jacob Johnson, Daniels and Marquinn Watt are working across the front and at linebacker.

One weapon Burton has is at punter and kicker. Wiggins, an all-state selection in Class 2A last year as a punter, will handle those duties once again as well as the place-kicking and kickoff chores.

With his leg strength, he can put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs, which keeps opposing teams from having a return. He averaged 40.1 yards per punt as a junior. _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo After giving it some thought, Burton pinned Chris Rias as his potential breakout player for the 2017 season.

Rias is a 6-3, 200-pound junior who will play fullback, wingback and Rias defensive end.

“He has it, the it factor. Chris has the work ethic I’d like to see all my players have. He put in the time over the summer, and he is without a doubt the hardestworking player on this team. He just wants to get better. He comes to work every day. He may not have all the talent, but he makes up for it with the hard work he

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puts in,” said Burton. p`ebarib The schedule and district are quite different this season for the Jags. Noxapater, whom they play on Aug. 25 in the home opener, and Winona are the only two teams returning from the 2016 schedule.

J.Z. George also moved up from the Class 2A ranks to Class 3A this season. The Jaguars are now in Region 3-3A with Ruleville Central, Charleston, Humphreys County, Yazoo County and Amanda Elzy.

“We all know who’s the team to beat — Charleston. Yazoo County will be solid, but if we can stay away from injuries, and play oldschool football, we have the potential to make some noise in the district,” Burton said.

The district opener is Sept. 29 at Ruleville.

They host Charleston Oct. 6. n `çåí~Åí= `~äîáå= píÉîÉåë= ~í ÅëíÉîÉåë]ÖïÅçããçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

Lineman gives Jaguars a true weapon at punter for the 8-5 Jaguars last season.

“The progress Josh made J.Z. George head coach from his sophomore to junior season was Ben Burton knows huge. There has he has a pretty never been any good football player doubt about his in Josh Wiggins. physical abilities.

He just didn’t realHe just needed to ize Wiggins would grasp the game and be one of the best realize he has the punters in the tools to be an excelstate. lent player,” said Wiggins, a 6-footWiggins Burton, who is in 4, 230-pound senior, was named to the his fourth season at the Mississippi Association of helm of the J.Z. George proCoaches Class 2A All-State gram.

“What he did last season team as a junior. He averaged 40.1 yards per punt as the punter was amazing.

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

`~êêçää

`çåíáåìÉÇ=Ñêçã=m~ÖÉ=T ---------------------------------------------------------------------to run out of bounds. He enjoys contact. He is bigger this year. We are expecting a lot from him.”

The Rebels will likely be without the services of fullback Bubba Porter, who sustained a neck injury in a car accident over the summer.

Porter rushed for 1,011 yards and nine touchdowns on 160 carries. He also was a mainstay at linebacker on defense as he recorded 75 tackles, had three quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery.

Junior Jeb Beck and senior Hunter Robertson will be in the backfield. Robertson ran for 483

He gets so much height on the ball. He has good leg strength and his technique has really improved. He’s a weapon for us in that area,” added Burton. “He also can put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs. He had somewhere between 10-15 touchbacks last season, which helps our defense when a team has to start on the 20.”

Wiggins doesn’t just handle the kicking and punting duties for the Jaguars. He also plays on the offensive and defensive lines.

“He’s everything to us this season. It would be

yards and seven scores on 72 carries. Senior Noah Collier will also see some time in the backfield. As a junior, he ran for 314 yards and three TDs on 34 carries.

Senior Josh Galey, who is returning from a knee injury in 2016, and sophomore Morgan Mims will line up at receiver.

Jacob Randall, a senior, will play tight end.

The offensive line will be anchored by senior center Andrew Montgomery (6-1, 285).

He will be joined across the front by sophomore left tackle Reese Fulton, sophomore left guard Logan Hodges, junior right tackle Foley Daves and either junior Colton Reed or sophomore Hogan Costilow at right guard. abcbkpb “Our defense is going to be athletic. We had six seniors graduate,

awfully hard to replace a guy who plays four positions,” added Burton.

Wiggins, who has also pitched and played in the outfield for the Jaguar baseball team since his freshman season, said he’s just following in his greatgrandfather’s footsteps.

“My great-grandfather (Peck Taylor) was the punter at the school when he played. I think he could have played somewhere, but he joined the Army. It makes it really special for me to be the punter on this team,” said Wiggins.

“Coach Burton worked

and with Bubba out, that makes seven starters from last year’s defense,” said Milton. “We’ve looked decent in practice and scrimmages on defense, and Coach (Chad) Crowe is keeping it simple with them.”

Several players from last season are changing positions. Holly will move from cornerback to linebacker, and Hodges will move from nose guard to end. Collier moves from corner to strong safety.

Montgomery will play nose guard, and Fulton will be at end.

Robertson, Beck and Randall will play corner, and Costilow, Mims and Reed will play linebacker.

Senior Austin Meriwether will play at safety, as will sophomore Logan Taylor. _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo Milton expects it to be Beck,

with me on my steps. Punting takes the right steps and hitting the ball on the foot. You mess those up and it's not a very good punt.

“I feel like I’ve gotten stronger, and I’m in better shape. I’ve gained a lot of experience the last two years, especially on the offensive line. I knew I needed to work on my foot work and hold my blocks better.”

Wiggins, who punted 15 times as a junior, made 11of-24 extra points. As a defensive lineman, he finished with 26 solo tackles, 36 assists and three fumble

who only played in one game after tearing his ACL early in the season. He ran for 58 yards on five carries in his only game action in 2016.

“He’s a big running back for us.

With Bubba sidelined, Jeb is going to have to step up and play well. I expect him to have a good season,” Milton said. p`ebarib The Rebels get started Friday with a home tilt against Desoto School of Arkansas, and then hit the road the next two weeks to play Lee Academy (Ark.) and Kirk Academy in Grenada.

District 1-AA play starts on Sept. 15 against Oak Hill in Carrollton. After two straight nondistrict games, they host Marshall on Oct. 6, visit Winona Christian on Oct. 13 and go to Central Holmes on Oct. 20.

recoveries.

He made the All-Commonwealth team as an offensive lineman, and he was also selected to the AllRegion 2-2A team as the kicker/punter and as an offensive lineman.

The Jaguars open their 2017 season Friday at Okolona.

“We made the second round of the playoffs last season, but we are expecting to do better. I think we can make it back to the playoffs and go a little farther. With this being my last year, I really want it to be special,” said Wiggins.

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“We have a very balanced schedule. We lost Columbus Christian but replaced them with Marshall. We’ve got some games that should benefit us financially and some that will provide a big test for us. We want to be challenged and not play a cupcake schedule,” said Milton.

With additions, coach excited about potential

PageNM Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

As hard as he tries, Leflore County High School head coach Eric House just can’t hide his enthusiasm as he talks about the upcoming season.

House and the Tigers open their 2017 campaign Friday night against crosstown rival Greenwood High School in the Cedric McSwine Classic. Even though it’s Leflore’s home game, the contest will be played at Bulldog Stadium starting at 7 p.m.

“We feel if the guys play up to their potential, we will be satisfied with the outcome,” the second-year coach said. “It was a transitional year for us last season. The kids were learning a new system, and they were getting used to my style as head coach.

“Our goals are high for this season. We are a senior-led team.

Our motto this season is, ‘Why Not Us?’ We play in the toughest district in 2A. It’s a good bet the state champion will come from this district, so why not us?”

House directed the Tigers to a 6-6 overall mark in his first season as head coach. He had served as defensive coordinator the previous year in Sherrod Gideon’s last year in 2015.

Leflore went 3-2 in Region 3-2A to qualify for the playoffs, falling 39-16 to East Webster. However, as House pointed out, the Tigers were only down 16-8 to the Wolves.

“We played a solid first half against a very good team in the playoffs. That’s what we are building on. We showed we can play with the big boys. We just have to learn how to do it over four quarters,” House said.

With a year under his belt as head man at Leflore, House feels the program is on the rise.

“We are better prepared physically and mentally for this season.

We know the obstacles we are facing,” he said. “Our athletic director purchased new weights and other equipment we need to help prepare us. The kids have trained harder this summer because they finally see the importance of offseason workouts.”

House brought in a new defensive coordinator in Charles

Robinson, who directed Simmons High School’s defense the last two years in its run to back-to-back state 2A titles.

Former coordinator Tim Johnson is now the head coach at Yazoo City High School.

“Coach Robinson is a great guy, and he has the experience of being a champion on the 1A level.

The competition level will pick up in 2A and it will be a new challenge, but the kids are adapting to his style on defense,” said House. lccbkpb This is where things got a little interesting over the summer for Leflore County.

Robinson wasn’t the only member of the family to join the Tiger football team. His son, Chandler, who has been Simmons’ starting quarterback the last two seasons, will likely be the starter for the Tigers, replacing threeyear starter DarRobinson ius McClung.

“Darius wants to win. It’s his senior year, and he wants nothing more than to go out a winner,” said House. “We are stressing to each player to do what it takes to accomplish our goals this season. I believe they are all buying into that.

“Chandler has shown tremendous arm strength and accuracy in practice, and he can step to the line and read a defense extremely well. He is 6-4, 220 pounds. He is a physical specimen.”

As a junior at Simmons, Robinson was 41-of-76 for 539 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran for 271 yards and six touchdowns on 53 carries.

McClung threw for 1,620 yards on 91-of-192 pass attempts with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a junior. He ran for 400 yards and four scores on 85 carries.

Working at running back for the Tigers are juniors Willie McCline and Royce Jackson, sophomore Maurice Edwards and freshman Kewon Wylie.

The wide receiving corps will be senior heavy with Willie Dixon, Jadarius Harris, Tyrone Payne

p`ebarib

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and Kobe Hilliard leading the way. House said freshman Kentavious Dixon could see playing time as well.

With his athleticism, McClung will likely see time at receiver and in the backfield.

Junior Will Gates and sophomore Charles Davis are working at center, while senior Demarius Winford, sophomore Emanuel Stanley and freshman Kevin Ervin are at guard. Senior Ray York, junior Trayshon Lowe and sophomore Kendarious Moore are at tackle.

Sophomore Kwalique Swinney is working at tight end. abcbkpb The defense will be led by senior ends Kedarius Edwards and Jacquan Greer, junior Avery Jackson and Edwards. Vying for time at tackle are Winford, York and senior Chandler Sandifer.

Working at linebacker are Stanley, Jackson, senior Joe McGee and sophomore Elmus Stockstill Jr. In the secondary are Harris, Robinson and senior Kaiser Hart at safety, while McClung, Payne, and juniors Ken Brown and Demoryia Dunham are at cornerback.

“Coach Robinson brings a toughness to that side of the ball.

He is a former military man, so he brings a great deal of discipline to the defense,” said House. _ob^hlrq=mi^vbo House makes no bones about it.

He fully expects Robinson to be Leflore’s breakout player this season.

“He has already proved himself the last two years at Simmons by winning two state championships. I showed him our schedule one day, and after he looked it

File photo/Andy Lo

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over, he basically looked at me and said it won’t be a problem. He plays with confidence. His release is quick. He’s going to be able to do things at the quarterback position a lot of people don’t normally see,” said House. “We had to change some things on offense to offer more of a challenge to him.

He’s going to be a special player for us.” p`ebarib Following the season opener vs.

Greenwood, the Tigers go across the county to take on Amanda Elzy, a team they beat 34-6 a year ago.

They stay on the road the next two weeks to face South Delta and Humphreys County, then

play three straight home games against Ruleville, Gentry and Region 2-2A foe Winona High School.

After an open date on Oct. 6, the Tigers visit Eupora on Oct. 13, host Calhoun City on Oct. 20 and go to East Webster on Oct. 27.

Those last three games are all district contests.

“I’ve heard people say this is the SEC of Class 2A. I feel like our kids are up to the task. I figure most of those teams, other than us playing East Webster last year, haven’t seen us play much. I hope they take us for granted,” said House. n `çåí~Åí= `~äîáå= píÉîÉåë= ~í ÅëíÉîÉåë]ÖïÅçããçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

Senior being a team player with position change

By CALVIN STEVENS péçêíë=têáíÉê

Darius McClung has been Leflore County High School’s starting quarterback since his freshman season.

That all will likely change this season.

With the addition of Chandler Robinson, a transfer from Hollandale Simmons High School, McClung’s time at quarterback will likely be cut down tremendously. Robinson (64, 220) has been Simmons’ starting quarterback the last two seasons in which the Blue Devils won backto-back Class 1A state

titles.

“The expectations are high for us this season. We have been working hard during the offseason, and I’ve been pushing myself.

Senior leadership is always important, and I want to McClung show that I can be a leader on this team,” said McClung, a 5-10, 165pound senior, who will see time at receiver and cornerback as well as some spot

duty at quarterback in certain packages.

“McClung wants to win, and we have been stressing to him and the other players to do what it takes to help this team win this season,” said Leflore County head coach Eric House.

“Darius is taking all of this in stride. He is going to play some cornerback this season, something he hasn’t done in his first three seasons. He got an offer from Mississippi Valley as an athlete/defensive back about a week ago.”

At times the last two seasons, McClung has tried, or has, carried the load offensively for the Tigers. Leflo-

re’s offense, especially under former coach Sherrod Gideon, was geared toward the pass. Under House last season, the Tigers wanted to run the ball more, but a true running back was not available. McClung did most of the running on scrambles.

As a junior, he rushed for 400 yards on 85 carries and scored four touchdowns. In the passing department, he threw for 1,620 yards and nine touchdowns as he completed 91-of-192 passes with 11 interceptions.

That’s just a 47-percent completion percentage.

“I’ve always put so much pressure on myself. There’s

always room for improvement,” he said. “I look at football as a team sport. I am a team player and will do what is best for my team.”

As Leflore’s starting signal caller in 2015, McClung had a banner season as he threw for 2,336 yards and 25 touchdowns. He completed 137-of-305 passes (45 percent) with only 12 interceptions. The senior left-hander also ran for 214 yards and six touchdowns on 87 carries.

As a freshman in 2014 in Leflore’s shortened season because of the state takeover, McClung was just 33-of-83 for 240 yards

with one touchdown and 10 interceptions. He ran for two scores.

In his first three seasons, he has completed 261-of580 passes for 4,196 yards with 35 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions.

“We have some playmakers on offense who can go get the ball. I just want to be a part of this team and do what it takes to win,” said McClung, who is one of 15 seniors. “It’s the last shot for a lot of us, and we plan on going out and giving it our all.”

Leflore opens its 2017 campaign Friday night against Greenwood High School.

PageNN Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

East Miss. heads up group of tough teams jfppfppfmmf= gr`lp

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

The Mississippi juco football ranks will again be loaded this season.

Aiming to get back into the national championship picture, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College are No. 3 in the preseason poll produced by Street & Smith’s.

From the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC), Northwest Mississippi and Jones County are listed 13th and 19th, respectively.

According to the 2017 JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 preseason rankings, East Mississippi is No. 2, followed by Mississippi Gulf Coast sixth, Copiah-Lincoln 15th and Northwest 18th.

That gives Mississippi five teams ranked in one or both of those two juco polls. And the bad news for Mississippi Delta, which has 12 straight losing seasons, is that it has to play all five in 2017.

The Mississippi ranks should remain the most competitive, with NFL potential on every ros-

ter. Mississippi Gulf Coast had 13 athletes move on to Division I programs this past offseason, with four of them ending up in the SEC. According to 247Sports.com, Mississippi has seven of the nation’s top 20 juco prospects for 2018, including 6-foot-4, 200pound receiver Stephen Guidry at Hinds. He is ranked No. 1 overall.

At East, quarterback Vijay Miller and incoming defensive lineman Teair Tart-Spencer are listed among this preseason’s top sophomore players. Tart-Spencer (6-4, 295) is considered the best defensive tackle in the nation and the third overall prospect.

Miller, from Itawamba AHS, completed 64 percent of his passes with six touchdowns through the air last year as a freshman playing behind EMCC All-American and Florida Atlantic signee De’Andre Johnson while also leading the Lions with nine rushing touchdowns as the team’s goal-line signal caller.

Coach Buddy Stephens is set to challenge the NJCAA’s all-time

standard for highest winning percentage among football coaches with a minimum of 100 career games coached as well as being poised to break Bob “Bull” Sullivan’s all-time school record for most career coaching wins.

Stephens enters his 10th season in Scooba with a record of 87-12 (.879) and a North Division mark of 51-3 (.944).

Stephens guided last year’s EMCC squad to a fifth MACJC State/NJCAA Region 23 title and eighth MACJC North regularseason crown en route to a No. 2 national ranking in the final NJCAA poll. The Lions have also claimed three NJCAA national championships (2011, 2013, 2014) over the past six seasons.

Jones County posted a 6-3 record in 2016 in Steve Buckley’s first season as head coach.

The Bobcats are led by safety Deontai Williams, a Florida commit, and running back Scott Phillips, who recently committed to Ole Miss. Phillips had a teamhigh 1,112 yards rushing last season and was named NJCAA AllAmerican after finishing third in

MDCC seeking improvement

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Jeff Tatum refuses to give in.

The veteran football coach believes he can turn the Mississippi Delta Community College program around even though more than a decade of history tells us it can’t be done.

Tatum, a former Trojan quarterback, returned to his alma mater in 2013 in an effort to revive the once-proud Mississippi Delta program that won a national championship in 1993 with Tatum serving as offensive coordinator for an undefeated season.

He left Garden City Community College in Kansas to take over a program that won just four games the previous four seasons. Things have gotten a little better with a combined six wins in 2015 and 2014 before the team took a big step backward last season with a 1-8 mark.

Tatum admits his first four years back in Moorhead have been tougher than he expected.

“There is no doubt it has,” he said. “I think a lot of it is now the open recruiting in the state. The Delta players are no longer tied to us, and that hurts because there is so much talent here. We have got to do a better job of keeping the talent in the Delta, and we will.”

The good news for 2017 is that Tatum has a wealth of experience back since MDCC had just six sophomores on its roster in 2016. The Trojans return eight starters on offense and seven on defense.

Now for the bad news.

MDCC faces a brutal schedule that starts Aug. 31 at home against Copiah-Lincoln — the first of five opponents ranked in at least one of the two national preseason juco polls.

Co-Lin starts the season at No. 15 in the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 preseason. East Mississippi is No. 2, followed by Mississippi Gulf Coast sixth

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and Northwest 18th. Jones County is 19th in the Street and Smith’s poll.

“That’s just life in this league. It’s that way every year,” Tatum said of the brutal schedule. “Last year, the first eight teams were ranked when we played them.”

Greenwood will be well represented in Moorhead this fall with five former Greenwood High School standouts on the roster: running backs Antwoine Williams Jr. and John Derrick Smith, wide receiver Javion Jones, linebacker Cortaveon Mack and defensive back Jalen Stanley.

Both defensive guys, Mack and Stanley played a good bit as freshmen, while Smith saw action in four games, carrying the ball 10 times for 40 yards.

Jones played in three games with six catches for 56 yards.

Tatum said he was impressed with how well Jones came on at the end of the 2016 season and that Smith probably had the best spring of any of the Greenwood players.

Up front on offense, LaThomas Sharp (6-2, 300) anchors the line as one of four returning starters.

Two newcomers are battling for the starting quarterback nod: Josh Belton of Valdosta, Georgia, and Tyrique McAfee of Magee.

“We feel really, really good about these two,” MDCC offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Scott Anderson said. “(Belton) led his team to a

Georgia state championship, and (McAfee) is a really talented kid.”

The Trojans are trying to find ways to boost an anemic offense that ranked last in the state in 2016 with an average of 174 yards per game.

“We feel much better about things offensively because we have so many experienced guys who are bigger, stronger and more mature. Also, we think we’ve found something scheme-wise that best fits our guys and maybe is a little unique to our league in Mississippi.”

Kamerian McClendon has moved from linebacker to nose tackle. The 5-11, 255-pounder out of Bolton had a max lift on squats of nearly 600 pounds during summer workouts.

MDCC is counting on him to help anchor a line that ranked last in the state in 2016 by allowing 456 yards a contest.

The MDCC coaching staff — which includes three first-year guys in Will Coleman (DL), Edrick Thigpen (OL) and T’Daryl Grays (DB) — is excited about seeing how some of their talented newcomers blend with the veterans. The Trojans have welcomed two former FBS players in Texas transfer tight end Peyton Aucoin and Michigan State transfer safety Kenney Lyke, who played as a true freshman last season for the Spartans.

Lyke, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound product of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, was a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com. He was reportedly one credit short during the past spring semester of being eligible at Michigan State. He has said his goal is to land at an SEC school after his time at MDCC, potentially Ole Miss. The Rebels have already offered Lyke. Aucoin announced in April he was transferring after just one season in Austin. The 6-4, 255-pounder out of New Orleans finished spring drills on the third-team at Texas.

the country in yards per game with 123.6.

Jones County opens the season at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 at EMCC. Coming off back-to-back bowl games and consecutive top-10 finishes, expectations remain high at Northwest.

The Rangers are coming off a 93 season, a MACJC runner-up finish and its third bowl appearance in the last five years. The Rangers will have to replace a ton of talent on both sides of the ball this season, with 25 players inking with four-year programs in the offseason — 18 moving on to Division I. Northwest defensive end Dequan Newkirk (6-3, 260), an Auburn commit, is the top player in the nation at his position, according 247Sports.com. and fifth overall prospect for 2018.

Co-Lin is coming off a 6-3 season that saw the Wolves ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation.

The Wolves will have four players from Greenwood High School on their roster this season. Linebacker JaKaiszer Glass and running back Rico Owens signed

East Miss. Athletics

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PageNO Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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Dr. Smith wants to help you get back in the game and improve your performance!

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PageNP Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

Will Devils show signs of progress? jfppfppfmmf= s^iibv= pq^qb

File photo/Andy Lo

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By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Riding a huge wave of excitememt around his hiring, Rick Comegy arrived in Itta Bena four years ago with a promise to change things.

After being fired at Jackson State, Comegy stepped in at Mississippi Valley State with a record of 164-86 over 22 seasons at Tuskegee, Cheyney, Central State and JSU. But his past successes have done nothing to help him at Valley. And not much, if anything, has changed in his tenure as MVSU’s head coach.

The Delta Devils still have the smallest athletic budget in the SWAC and nationally in terms of all Division I schools. The losses still greatly outweigh the wins — by a 4-30 margin. The Delta Devils have finished last in the SWAC East all three years under Comegy.

So is this the year Valley shows real progress?

“I sure feel like we will,” Comegy said. “Our guys are working hard, and we as coaches are doing the same to put them in the

best positions to win. These guys have taken their lumps, but I think they are ready to hand some out.”

The Delta Devils will have some experienced players after having just five seniors last season. Greenwood’s Booker T. Chambers announced he was leaving the program in the offseason to transfer to Delta State, but the former Greenwood High Schol standout is back in Itta Bena.

Chambers, the SWAC’s 2015 rookie of the year, ranked third on the team in receiving last season with 32 grabs for 366 yards and four touchdowns.

All three quarterbacks who played last season (Bray Austin, Slade Jarman and Thurston Rubin) have transferred out of Itta Bena in the offseason — leaving Comegy and his offensive staff scrambling to find depth at the position.

Comegy said he has brought in several new quarterbacks, including Dewayne Betts, a 6-2, 205-pounder out of Kipp High School in Memphis.

Valley has finished last in the

SWAC East four straight years and six out of the last seven years, so it wasn’t a shocker at the league’s media day when coaches and sports information directors voted the Delta Devils to again be last.

“That’s something we don’t worry about,” Comegy said. “We are focused on the things we can control, like getting better each day.” lccbkpb There is simly nowhere to go here but up.

Valley has ranked last in the SWAC in total offense for the last seven seasons and been last in points scored in four of those years — never ranking higher than eighth in scoring offense during that time.

In a league known for its offense, there is likely no coincidence that Valley has finished last in the conference in six of those seven seasons.

The Delta Devils must find a way for more production on this side of the ball to have any chance of turning things around. They will have to do so without last year’s leading receiver Joshua

Banks, who transferred after hauling in 48 catches for 625 yards and five touchdowns in 2016.

That leaves Jessie Bryant as the most seasoned pass-catcher with 17 grabs last year for 194 yards and two TDs. Due to the defections, Bryant is one of only three returning starters.

Another is lineman Alvin Solomon, a 6-2, 305-pound senior from Bessemer, Alabama. He is a preseason All-SWAC second team selection. abcbkpb At this point in preseason camp, Comegy said he is a little more comfortable with this unit because he has five starters back, including playmakers Mark Pegues, Patrick Harbin and Everett Nicholas, a preseason first-team All-SWAC pick at defensive back.

Nicholas, a 6-0, 190-pound senior safety, led the team in interceptions last season with four.

Pegues (5-11, 170) is the leading returning tackler with 62, which ranked second on the

Alcorn State again team to beat in East plrqetbpqbok= ^qeibqf`=`lkcbobk`b=

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Alcorn State is the overwhelming favorite to win the SWAC’s Eastern Division.

The Braves are picked to earn a spot in the SWAC championship game for a third straight year, according to an annual preseason poll voted on by league coaches and sports information directors.

Fred McNair’s Braves are eager to erase the bad taste left in their mouths coming off a 27-20 loss to Grambling State in the conference title game. If they can stay healthy, they might very well

get their chance.

Alcorn returns a lot of key players from a team that ranked third in both total offense and total defense a year ago and had Grambling on the ropes in the championship game.

That list of returning players includes senior quarterback Lenorris Footman and defensive end Michael Brooks Jr., who sported both of his championship rings at league media day in July.

He said he’s ready to earn a third.

“I’ve been working harder than ever,” he said. “Getting extra reps in the weight room, running at

night, just making sure I do everything I can to be in the best shape I can possibly be in when the season starts.”

None of the Alcorn State football players involved in an oncampus brawl in April will miss playing time when the season begins, McNair said during SWAC media day.

Seven of the 21 players arrested in relation to the fight were found guilty of simple assault, a misdemeanor, and ordered to pay $100 restitution. They were also subject to the school’s disciplinary board, which addressed each of the players individually.

Defending champion Grambling State is picked to win the West and make its third straight SWAC title game. This could be the final SWAC championship game with future league champions going to the Celebration Bowl.

Grambling had a SWAC-best 14 selections with eight firstteamers, led by preseason offensive player of the year Devante Kincade at quarterback.

On defense, Jackson State end Keontre Anderson is the preseason selection for player of the --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pÉÉ JSUI=m~ÖÉ=NR

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squad in 2016. Pegues also had two tackles for loss and one sack. p`ebarib With a change in the SWAC schedule this year, Mississippi Valley State will play four nonconference games instead of two.

Previously, each of the 10 teams in the league played one another in the regular season, allowing for head-to-head tiebreakers. Under the new schedule, SWAC teams will play seven conference games instead of nine.

Three of Valley’s four nonleague games will be tough as the Delta Devils face North Dakota State, Southern Illinois and Charleston Southern in the first four weeks of the 2017 season.

The most winnable non-conference contest comes Oct. 21 at home against Virginia Lynchburg, a small historically black college that disbanded its football program in 1954 but revived it in 2011.

The Delta Devils kick off the 2017 campaign at North Dakota State in the 19,000-seat Fargodome located in Fargo, North Dakota. NDS has been the most dominant FCS program in recent years. They had five straight national championships before losing 27-17 at the hands of James Madison last season in the FCS semifinals, snapping North Dakota State’s 22-game postseason win streak.

North Dakota State is paying MVSU a $240,000 guarantee for the game.

After a Sept. 22 game in Itta Bena against defending SWAC champion Grambling, MVSU plays at FCS member Charleston Southern, which has won backto-back Big South Conference championships.

In SWAC play, the only team the Delta Devils don’t play is Southern University. MVSU plays instate rival Jackson State, Comegy’s former team, Oct. 28 at Rice-Totten Stadium. n `çåí~Åí=_áää=_ìêêìë=~í=RUNJ TOPT= çê= ÄÄìêêìë]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK=

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PageNQ Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

Bulldogs looking to bust out jfppfppfmmf= pq^qb=

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

After years of going bowling and finding a nice niche, can Mississippi State do more?

Mississippi State has settled into a comfortable spot under head coach Dan Mullen. Considering the turmoil in the rest of the SEC West during Alabama’s reign of dominance, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — to a point.

Comfort can lead to complacency, and while that doesn’t appear to be happening, this is the year when Mullen could use a big campaign to show that it really might be possible to bust out.

Of course there are expectations — you don’t hire four new assistants to go along with the two others who came aboard last year unless the pressure is always on — but it’s not the same as it is at the other West schools like Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M and Alabama.

The Bulldogs are getting to a bowl game every year under Mullen — even if it was on a technicality last season — going 4-2 in the postseason with a 61-42 record overall under his watch.

If you look at preseason polls, nobody outside Starkville is expecting another breakout season, like the one in 2014 when the Bulldogs rose to No. 1 in the nation. MSU is picked sixth in the West in most preseason polls.

But none of that matters to Mullen.

“I like the attitude this team has. Even though we have only 12 seniors on the roster, I’m excited,” he said.

A total of 109 school records have been shattered under Mullen’s watch, and he is only five victories away from becoming State’s all-time winningest coach.

But just because Mullen has taken State to uncharted territory before does not mean he is going to rest on past laurels.

“My life has no finish line,” Mullen said. “We’re always trying to get better in everything that we do. Every single day we’re trying to improve and reach our potential to be the best that we can be.

“There’s still a lot ahead of us.

We’ve not won the West, an SEC Championship or a national championship yet, so there’s still an awful lot ahead for us on the table of goals we want to achieve as a program.” lccbkpb Nick Fitzgerald offered promise last year, when he threw for 2,423 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and ran for a teamhigh 1,375 yards — the third most by a quarterback in SEC history — and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore. He produced three games with at least 300 yards passing, doing so against Massachusetts (305), Samford (417) and Arkansas (328).

However, Fitzgerald’s completion percentage left something to be desired. He closed completing 54.3 percent of his passes on 361 attempts in 2016.

Mullen wants to see more.

“The biggest strides we need to see in Nick are his consistency in throwing the football, the accuracy, the decision-making, when he’s getting the ball out, how he’s throwing, what type of throw it is,” said the ninth-year MSU head coach. “Those are skills that are developed over a very long period of time. And the more you can develop them, the more successful you’re going to be as a quarterback.”

The backs are in place to play a bigger role with a strong rotation in place, but they need the line to come through. It’s great to have a

quarterback who can dominate with his legs, but it’s not a plus when he’s the star of the show and he’s taking as many shots as Fitzgerald did. Aeris Williams will help ease the work load on Fitzgerald, who shouldn’t run 195 times again.

The front five will be a work in progress, but Fitzgerald is sharp enough and mobile enough to overcome a leaky line for a little while.

Martinas Rankin, who was the nation’s No. 1 juco offensive lineman in 2015, is the best player up front. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder has been an early first round projection for next year’s NFL Draft.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rated Rankin as the top center prospect in 2018.

Donald Gray should be the team’s most dangerous receiver target again, but the rest of the receiving corps is a bit iffy. It’s going to need some time to get a few more weapons involved now that No. 2 option Malik Dear has a torn ACL. The Bulldogs will need Jamal Couch, Deddrick Thomas, Keith Mixon, Jesse Jackson and Osirus Mitchell to step up in the receiving game. Mixon has proven to be a big play-maker and is likely to have a bigger role this fall. abcbkpb The main 2016 problem for the Bulldogs was here. The Bulldogs allowed 31.8 points per game, the second most in the SEC behind rival Ole Miss.

MSU allowed 281.5 yards passing per game. That was the worst figure in the SEC by more than 30 yards and ranked them 120th out of 128 FBS schools.

It’s new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s job to fix this.

The Bulldogs have more depth and talent now than they’ve had in a while. The linebacking corps

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has playmakers, and the line should be strong with Jeffery Simmons anchoring things at the nose in Grantham’s 3-4 scheme.

State loaded up with seven junior college transfers on defense, and Grantham has the reputation of making defenses better though that has not brought him long tenure anywhere.

Greenwood’s Marquiss Spencer, a 6-3, 270-pound sophomore, will be counted on as a significant piece of the rotation at outside linebacker. The former Greenwood High School star showed flashes at times last season as a true freshman. Playing in 12 of 13 games, Spencer finished with 17 tackles, including three for loss with one sack.

He is splitting reps with Mon-

tez Sweat in preseason camp.

Sweat is a freakish athlete with a rangy 6-foot-6 frame and can move like a linebacker presenting problems for tackles. Spencer is equally a physical specimen. Both could also spend some time with their hand on the ground as defensive lineman and will be moved around the field. p`ebarib The SEC opener, Sept. 16 at home against LSU, will show what kind of team Mississippi State has. Last year, it battled the Tigers hard but lost in a 23-20 fight. With road trips to Georgia and Auburn up next, and this the lone home oasis in a rough stretch of away dates, the Bulldogs need to pull this one off to realistically have any shot at making any noise in the SEC West.

Rebels ready to move past turbulent times

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Two years ago Ole Miss was riding high, but things have taken a turn for the worse in the last year.

Embattled head coach Hugh Freeze resigned instead of being fired just days before the start of preseason camp — thrusting Matt Luke into the interim

role as head man.

It was clear in Luke’s first public comments that the focus was on the future, rather than what happened to his former boss, who stepped down after university officials found a “pattern of personal misconduct.”

“We had a great five-year run, but my job is to get the players ready to play. My

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focus is on moving forward and the players,” Luke said. “That’s what college football is about, the student-athletes. It’s my job to get them ready and give them every chance to be successful.”

Defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff will also assist Luke as the associate head coach this year.

Defensive tackle Breeland

Speaks was happy to see McGriff elevated.

“I think it’s going to take our team to a whole new level,” Speaks said. “We’re used to him being on that defensive side of the ball, but now, he will get to interact more with the offense and the whole team. His mindset and the way he is, it will help us a whole lot with basically everything.”

Coming off a 5-7 season that ended with a 55-20 loss to archrival Mississippi State, Ole Miss selfimposed a one-year bowl ban after the university received a new NCAA notice of allegations that accused the school of a lack of institutional control and that Freeze failed to monitor his coaching staff.

Quarterback Shea Pat-

terson said the Rebels will play with a chip on their shoulder this season, motivated and determined to wreck as many postseason plans as possible for their SEC brethren. “Initially, it’s kind of tough and then you sit back and look and you still have 12 games in the best conference and an out ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------pÉÉ UMI=m~ÖÉ=NR

Golden Eagles hoping to fly high in 2017

PageNR Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================

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By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Year one of the Jay Hopson campaign in Hattiesburg was a success by most standards, in that the Golden Eagles got to a bowl game and came away with seven victories in 2017.

But much more was expected — like a Conference USA championship — but instead USM had to win its last two games to finish above .500. This season will be one of transition for Hopson, who will be breaking in a new quarterback and returns only four starters to a defense that was the conference’s best and ranked 15th nationally in yards allowed per game.

There’s still plenty of talent remaining, including one of the top offensive weapons in the FBS, so don’t be surprised if the Golden Eagles are in the hunt in the C-

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USA West Division once again.

If there will be roadblocks between Hopson’s team and a division crown in 2017, it is expected to once again be Louisiana Tech and UTSA as the Bulldogs and Roadrunners were picked to finish first and second in the league’s preseason media poll.

The Golden Eagles were picked to finish third. lccbkpb Last year’s top backup quarterback, Keon Howard, started two games in place of an injured Nick Mullens as a true freshman but struggled mightily, completing just 44 percent of his passes with four interceptions in losses to Old Dominion and North Texas.

Howard split first-team reps in the spring with Greenwood’s Kwadra Griggs, a junior college transfer who sat out 2016 due to academics.

“We tried to redshirt Keon (in

2016), but we had to pull the shirt,” Hopson said. “Keon had good numbers, got in and produced. It was great to have him come in, get games under his belt and play. We had Kwadra back in the spring.

“That’s a position battle that is still ongoing. Leaving the spring, I don’t know who our starter is.

That battle will go through August. We’ll find out who rises to the top.”

If either quarterback takes hold of the job, the outlook at the other skill positions is more encouraging: Virtually everyone else who touched the ball last year is back, most notably all-conference running back Ito Smith — the only active FBS player with 3,000 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving in his career — and deep threat Allenzae Staggers, another junior college talent who averaged 18.5 yards per catch in his

`çåíáåìÉÇ=Ñêçã=m~ÖÉ=N4 ---------------------------------------------------------of conference game at Cal,” Patterson said. “If we’re not going, you’re not going.

That’s our motto.”

With that attitude, Ole Miss can have some fun letting it all hang out week after week. Coming up with at least six wins shouldn’t be a problem with South Alabama, Tennessee Martin, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette at home.

It’s even easier to do that when not much is expected of this team. The Rebels are picked seventh in the preseason poll voted on by media members.

It will be important for the Rebels to rebound this year, but the impending verdict from the NCAA looms much larger over the program’s future success. lccbkpb New coordinator Phil Longo likes to crank the tempo up and chunk it all

over the field. He has just the man to lead that kind of attack in Patterson.

Patterson, the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2016 class, appeared in Ole Miss’ last three games of the season after Chad Kelly was lost to injury. The thentrue freshman threw for 338 yards and a touchdown and interception while rushing for 64 yards in his first start at Texas A&M. He finished with 880 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added 169 yards on the ground.

Ole Miss averaged just 194 rushing yards per game last season (12th in SEC), but the ground attack was never a big thing under Freeze. However, maybe that should change.

The Rebels were 1-6 when rushing for 150 or fewer yards in 2016.

Even with the loss of AllAmerican tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, there is plenty of talent in the receiving department.

Sophomores A.J. Brown,

Van Jefferson and D.K. Metcalf give Patterson some good options.

Up front, Javon Patterson is the only Rebel lineman who started every game in 2016. But there is some depth as Ole Miss returns six players who started five or more games plus a key reserve in senior Daronte Bouldin, who made two starts last year.

Greg Little is also expected to be a force up front.

Both Little and Patterson are preseason third-team All-SEC selections by the media. abcbkpb It simply has to be better if the Rebels are going to play spoiler.

The unit finished 120th in the nation against the run and 111th overall and was unable to get off the field and give the ball back to a usually productive offense.

The Rebels were 11th in the nation in red zone defense in 2014 and two years later had the thirdworst defense in the country inside the 20, allowing points 94 percent of the

`çåíáåìÉÇ=Ñêçã=m~ÖÉ=NP ---------------------------------------------------------year.

JSU is picked third in the SWAC’s Eastern Division, behind Alcorn and Alabama State.

Secondyear head coach Tony Hughes has a roster that Hughes includes 45 total guys who have never played a down of football for JSU, 30 freshmen and no clear leader at quarterback.

“We’re young, but we’ve got great leadership,” he said. “If you have great leadership, you’re going to

be great. Good leadership, you’ll be good. Average leadership, and you’ll be average.”

The Tigers ranked near the top of the league in both total defense and scoring defense a year ago and have only added pieces in the off-season.

Lloyd and fellow linebacker Shawn Bishop make up one of the best tandems at linebacker in the league, and with the addition of Mississippi State defensive tackle transfer Deion Pope, the Tigers are stout up front.

With the addition of Pope, Anderson may improve on his 25.5 tackles behind the line, including nine sacks, from a year ago.

The key to turning around an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league last year starts and ends with finding the right player at the quarter-

back position. And while it appears Brent Lyles is the leader in the clubhouse to win that job, Hughes said he’s leaving the competition open through fall camp.

“We have (Lyles), who really stepped up in the spring game,” Hughes said.

“But we’ve also got Jordan Williams, who has put in a lot of work and can really run. Jarrad Hayes, who has great leadership qualities; and our freshman Tavis Williams, who is a prototype for the future.

“I think if we can find the guy who can get the ball in the hands of our playmakers, keep the turnovers to a minimum and play the kind of defense we played last year, we’re going to be much improved.” n `çåí~Åí=_áää=_ìêêìë=~í RUNJTOPT= çê ÄÄìêêìë]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK= cçääçï= çå qïáííÉêW]_áää|_ìêêìëK

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first season on campus.

Griggs, a Greenwood High School product, redshirted last season after transferring from Griggs Itawamba Community College. In his last on-field action, he threw for 2,138 yards as a sophomore at ICC in 2015. But Griggs impressed the coaching staff during spring camp.

Hopson did not rule out the possibility that Griggs and Howard will both take snaps at quarterback this season.

“If both men deserve to play, they’ll both play,” he said. “We’ll just have to see how that battle goes.”

If Griggs earns the job, he will have a chance to again pass to his

time.

Welcome in McGriff, who has the job of righting the ship.

The good news for McGriff is defensive end Marquis Haynes decided to come back for his final year.

He’s the pass rusher the line needs. Benito Jones has to become a force in the middle of the line to go along with Breeland Speaks, who had a great spring and looked more like the player many thought

former GHS teammate, Korey Robertson, who had 37 catches last season as a redshirt sophomore for 437 yards and three touchRobertson downs.

He had 14 grabs in 2015 for 200 yards and three TDs. Robertson is hoping for a breakout season but that may prove hard to do with the other talented receivers USM has.

Staggers may have been the most underrated receiver in the country last year. He was not only prolific (62 catches, 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns) but also efficient as he was one of just three FBS receivers who had at least 85 targets, 18 yards per catch.

he would be after his redshirt freshman season.

Because of a thin linebacking corps that couldn’t stop plays from developing at the second level, offenses were able to rely on running to generate big gains an unusual amount, as 45 percent of the defense’s explosive plays allowed in 2016 came on the ground (national average is 33 percent).

Leading tackler DeMarquis Gaines needs to bol-

ster a questionable linebacking corps.

Defensive improvement is a must if Ole Miss is going to exceed the win-loss expectations many have for them this season. p`ebarib It’s a tough start in SEC play, with the first two coming in back-to-back weeks on the road against Alabama and Auburn — expected to be the top two teams in the West.

PageNS Greenwood Commonwealth / Sunday, August 13, 2017 cllq_^ii=OMNT =======================================================================================================================================================================