MERIDIAN —
Week No. 3 of the MHSAA high school football season pits two old rivals matching up as the Starkville High Yellow Jackets make a stop by Ray Stadium to take on the No. 2 ranked Meridian High Wildcats tonight.
The 'Cats roll into the contest having come off a 26-6 drumming of Wayne County, while Starkville enters on the heels of pounding Louisville 34-0.
The defenses of both teams have been solid so far this year as the Yellow Jackets have allowed only 14 points in two contest, while Meridian (2-0) has given up just 13. SHS held Louisville to 102 total yards offense and the Wildcats gave up 95 to the War Eagles.
Starkville (1-1) rushed for 338 yards against Louisville last week. The Yellow Jackets are led by quarterback Jaquez Johnson, who tallied 136 yards on 12 carries and also threw for a touchdown against the Wildcats.
Starkville is led by first-year coach Jamie Mitchell. He previously was the head coach at Itawamba AHS. Mitchell knows just how tough Meridian is and hopes to limit and not stop what the Wildcats are going to try to do.
"Meridian is definitely deserving of their ranking," said Mitchell. "They are blessed with tons of talent on both sides of the ball. They have some electrifying players in that backfield. I don't think there is any stopping those guys you can only try to limit their plays and not give up the big play. That quarterback (Antionne Adkins) is one of the most electrifying players to watch in the state. We just have to hope to limit them and hit a few plays here and there."
However, MHS is preparing the same as it does every week according to coach Larry Weems.
"We're not doing anything special," said Weems. "Nothing different than we do for every team we prepare for."
Meridian will be looking to quarterbacks Adkins and Luke Stanley to lead the offensive charge as well as the backfield combination of Kenya Roberts and Michael Hubbard. Stanley and Hubbard both saw limited action in last week's win against Wayne County, but that is something Weems hopes to rectify tonight.
"We need to get Luke in at quarterback earlier in the game," said Weems. "We are gonna need him as the year goes on and we need to keep from Antionne taking all the hits. It’s a long season and we need to stay healthy this early.
"We need to get Michael in the backfield more. We've been using Michael as more of an all-purpose guy. What we are going to need to do is just get him (Hubbard) in the backfield and let him and Kenya be our best bet."
Roberts was just that last week as he carried the ball 28 times for 93 yards and four touchdowns against Wayne.
Although Weems will lean heavily on that group to lead he knows he will need others to step up and make plays.
"You try to get your best 11 on the field," added Weems. "Our recievers have to step up, but they're young and haven't quite developed yet. We're not quite where we need to be at but we're getting there."
Sports
Getting defensive
No. 2 Meridian, Starkville to match stingy ‘D’ units
- Sports
-
-
Neel leaving champion War Eagles for Panthers
Eric Neel spent three seasons coach at East Central. The Hornets played in three state championship games.
Neel then coached the past three years at Wayne County, leading the War Eagles to three straight Class 5A fast-pitch state crowns.
And now, he doesn’t see why the same can’t occur at Quitman. After guiding Wayne County to its third straight championship Saturday, Neel resigned his position in Waynesboro on Thursday to replace Kacie Roberson at Quitman. -
Unexpected Honor
Winning a state championship, that Blake McMullen expected.
To be named the Player of the Year in Class 3A by the Mississippi Association of Coaches, that caught the Southeast Lauderdale senior off guard. -
RCA’s Lee and pair of Generals chosen for All-Star tilt
Russell Christian Academy senior Camryn Lee and Newton County Academy duo Clay Upton and Dillon Williams will wrap up their senior seasons today.
The local trio will play in the MAIS All-Star Class A game at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson at 2 p.m. The Class AA-AAA game will follow. -
McFarland named first-team All-American for Jones County
The honors continue to come in for the Jones County Junior College softball program.
Pitcher Ginger Lonergan and centerfielder Relanda McFarland were both named to the NJCAA Division II All-American first-team on Thursday. -
A Family Affair
Five days. Two state titles. One family.
It’d be hard to find a family that had a better week than the one Robbi and Shay Cooper just experienced. -
Roundup — Stephens receives Sekul Award
Adding to his impressive collection of coaching hardware, East Mississippi Community College head football coach Buddy Stephens was presented with the 2011 George Sekul Award during the All-American Football Foundation’s Banquet of Champions held earlier this month at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
-
The Drought Is Over
All Mason Irby was hoping for was to find a way on base.
The Southeast Lauderdale sophomore did that and so much more. Irby's single with two outs in the seventh inning broke a tie, lifting the Tigers to a 6-3 MHSAA Class 3A state championship win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday, and handing Southeast (32-7) its first title since 1966. -
Ramey shines again, hurls Tigers to MHSAA Class 3A crown
The bar was set pretty high.
After all, Southeast Lauderdale senior right-hander Colby Ramey needed just 65 pitches to beat Kossuth in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game Thursday.
However, according to fellow senior Blake McMullen, Ramey cleared the hurdle Wednesday when he scattered eight hits on 104 pitches to finish off the Aggies in a 6-3 state championship-clinching win at Smith-Wills Stadium on Wednesday. -
Southeast wins MHSAA Class 3A Championsip
Slideshow from the MHSAA Class 3A state championship game between Southeast Lauderdale and Kossuth.
-
Briarwood to host Emerald Coast Golf Tour in June
Professional golf is coming to Meridian.
The Emerald Coast Golf Tour will be holding the Meridian Pro-Am Classic at Briarwood Country Club June 26-29. - More Sports Headlines
-
Neel leaving champion War Eagles for Panthers
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
