Ole Brook visits Terry Bulldogs in Thurs. night special
Published 5:00 am Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Brookhaven at Terry. It has all the ramifications of a Region6-4A showdown and the game is being played Thursday night. Kickoffis 7 p.m.
Terry (6-0, 2-0) is undefeated in region play and is thereigning region champion. Ole Brook (4-2, 2-1) was the only team tobeat the Bulldogs in region play last year. The Panthers are rankedNo. 11 and Terry is No. 13 in the latest Associated Press Class 4APrep Poll.
Head coach Tucker Peavey said his Panthers have their work cutout for them. “Terry is undefeated. They have played solid defense.They are solid in every phase.
“You can tell over the last couple of years their program hasgotten better. They are continuing to do that.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs have a veteran quarterback in seniorCharlie Shearer. They have several strong running backs, led byBariton Wilkerson (5-10, 180, sr.).
Two of the most talented Terry players are wide receivers AntwonDixon (6-1, 210, sr.) and Rashun Dixon (6-0, 200, jr.). The elderDixon has made a commitment to Mississippi State.
“Terry uses two wide receivers with motion handoffs andscreens,” said Peavey. “One of them is a Dandy Dozen guy. No. 84(Antwon Dixon).” Both Dixons play on defense, too, starting inTerry’s secondary. Antwon is a free safety and Rashun is acornerback.
Terry’s offensive and defensive linemen also caught Peavey’sattention. “They have big physical linemen on both sides of theball.”
The Bulldogs destroyed Port Gibson 63-0 last Friday whileBrookhaven smashed Florence 42-0, recording its second shutout ofthe season.
Senior running back Charles Wilson directed the Panthers with185 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, earning him The DAILY LEADER’sOffensive Player of the Week honors. He had just 1 carry for 6yards in the second half as Peavey played his entire team.
Quarterback Charles (Bobo) Rancifer completed 4 of 9 passes for58 yards in the win over Florence. He also rushed 3 times for 28yards and a TD as the Panthers took a 35-0 halftime lead. FreshmanSemmie Smith raced 25 yards for his first varsity score.
Defensively, the Panthers were led by junior lineman BrysonAnderson with 6 tackles. Linebacker Aaron Ayers made 5 tackles.R.J. Jenkins and Keyondray Powell intercepted passes, helping holdFlorence to just 108 yards total offense.
Punter/place-kicker Will Thibodeaux punted 3 times for a43.6-yard average. He also kicked 6 extra points.
French Toasts Bulldogs
Coach Bill French directed the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record lastseason, best in the school’s history. They were powered byall-state running back Anthony Dixon who signed with MississippiState.
French, 47, is in his 14th year at the school. The game wasmoved to Thursday night because Terry is on Fall Break Friday andMonday.
Asked about his team’s unbeaten performance, French preferred tocall it, “Luck. We have had several close games. We have got acouple of breaks and managed to pull them out.”
The closest game came three weeks ago when Terry edgedMendenhall 21-20 in overtime.
“We have not played well all year long,” said French. “We seemto play to the level of our competition Hopefully, we can play upThursday night.”
French has watched the Panthers on film. He said, “They areplaying good ball right now. Their offensive line looks huge. Theirlinebackers are able to come up and make plays.”
Rancifer impressed French the most. “Brookhaven has aquarterback who can throw it wherever he wants to, and he can run,too. That makes him tough to defend.”
French said his team must play extremely well on defense to stopthe Panthers. Two keys are linebackers Jonathan Pace (5-9, 180,jr.) and Darrion Mason (5-10, 185, jr.). “They hold our defensetogether,” said French.
Panther Paws: Last year on King Field, thePanthers upset Terry 24-21. Wilson rushed for 2 touchdowns andRancifer ran for another as they forged a 21-0 halftime lead.Thibodeaux kicked a 32-yard, fourth-quarter field goal.