Dixon directs Terry invasion
Published 5:00 am Friday, October 14, 2005
Terry running back Anthony Dixon wears jersey No. 24. Dixon(6-2, 235, sr.) leads the unbeaten Bulldogs against the Ole BrookPanthers Friday night in a Region 6-4A showdown. Kickoff is 7 p.m.,on King Field.
Terry (6-0, 2-0), is ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated PressPrep Poll. Ole Brook (2-3, 2-1) is the defending Class 4A statechampion. The Panthers have never lost to Terry on thegridiron.
“Obviously, Brookhaven lost all their stars from last year,”said Terry head coach Bill French. “But it’s not as much a dropoffas some people say. They still have plenty of athletes and plentyof size. Brookhaven is still the team to beat.”
French’s Bulldogs, powered by Dixon’s jolting runs, have rumbledpast six opponents. They defeated Raymond 53-6 in their seasonopener and edged Franklin County 27-24 in their second game. TheBulldogs crushed Yazoo City 31-14, Mendenhall 28-18, East Central34-0 and Port Gibson 48-6. They rallied past Mendenhall in thesecond half.
“We’ve gotten some breaks,” French pointed out. “We have beenplaying well.
“The biggest difference is that we’ve been able to throw theball,” French pointed out. “Last year, all we could do was hand itto Anthony and hope for the best. This year we can throw it downthe field when the defense is stacked for the run.”
Quarterback Charlie Shearer (6-2, 185, jr.) keeps opposingdefenses honest. Shearer has two swift receivers in Rashun andAntwon Dixon, a sophomore and junior respectively, younger brothersof Anthony.
On the season, Anthony Dixon has rushed for over 1,200 yards andscored 13 touchdowns. A major college prospect with the requiredACT score, Dixon runs a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash.
Terry lost all-state kicker Jess Shelby to graduation and HindsCommunity College but the Bulldogs have a bright prospect insophomore Ryan Weaver. “Ryan’s done well for us on kickoffs andextra points,” said French. Shearer punts.
Former Brookhaven Academy assistant coach Paul Anderson servesas Terry’s offensive coordinator. Vince Granberry is defensivecoordinator.
Peavey Eyes Bulldogs
Ole Brook head coach Tucker Peavey and his staff have beenclosely watching the Bulldogs on film. Peavey said he’simpressed.
“Anthony Dixon is a good player,” said Peavey. “He has size andspeed. He can run over people and make people miss him.
“They are doing a good job blocking for him,” continued Peavey.”Terry does a good job throwing the football, too. They play a lotbetter on defense.
“When you get that confidence going, it means a whole lot.”
According to Peavey, Ole Brook defensive coordinator RodHenderson was devising a defense to combat Terry’s attack.”Hopefully, we can tackle (Dixon) him. We will try to limit the bigplays. That’s the best you can hope to do.”
Peavey said his Panthers would have to play exceptionally wellto beat Terry. “We have to play our best game of the year thisweek. They are too good of a team to make mistakes against.”
Dixon took over in the second half against Mendenhall. He raced90 and 50-yards for touchdowns in the second half.
The Panthers are fresh from a 49-6 homecoming rout of theFlorence Eagles. They roared to a 42-0 halftime lead as sophomorequarterback Bobo Rancifer rushed for 2 touchdowns and passed foranother. Running back Charles Wilson ran for 1 TD and took a pass27 yards for another score.
Linebacker Marlon Dixon returned a blocked punt 15 yards for aTD. Patrick Ayers and La’Virus Lewis also scored touchdowns. WillThibodeaux kicked 7 extra points in the victory.
Peavey said Ole Brook’s Players of Week are guard Taylor Newman,offense; tackle Virgil Sanders, defense; and cornerback AnthonyCaffie, special teams.
Panther Paws: Last year at Terry, in his firststart at running back, Charles Wilson rushed 22 times for 190 yardsand 1 touchdown in a 48-6 victory on a muddy field. QuarterbackJimmy Johns passed for 134 yards and a TD, plus rushing for 30yards and 3 TDs. Anthony Dixon accounted for 26 carries and 188yards, including a 64-yard fourth quarter TD.