Hornets, Cobras in unbeaten clash
Published 5:00 am Thursday, October 8, 2009
No matter what the records are, when archrivals Loyd Star andWesson face off in any kind of sport, it’s big. Tonight’s Region6-2A showdown in Stone Stadium on the Co-Lin campus is the biggestclash between the teams in recent years.
The visiting Hornets and the host Cobras are both undefeatedthis season with 6-0 overall records and 1-0 region worksheets.When the dust settles tonight, only one will remain unbeaten. Thegame kicks off at 7 p.m.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday night but was movedto tonight because Co-Lin is hosting Pearl River Saturday forhomecoming and the playing field must be prepared for theoccasion.
In other football action involving Lincoln County teams Friday,Brookhaven entertains Pearl River Central for homecoming, WestLincoln hosts Natchez Cathedral, Bogue Chitto is at Sebastopol andEnterprise travels to Hinds AHS.
Last Friday, Loyd Star handed Madison St. Joe a 42-14 whippingwhile Wesson put away Hinds AHS 18-6 in region action.
Loyd Star coach Ryan Ross has scouted Wesson and talked aboutthe Cobras.
“Wesson looks like a great football team,” stated Ross. “Theyare very well coached; probably the best team we have seen so farwith their overall execution. We’ve got our work cut out for us onboth sides of the football.”
There’s a logjam for first place in the region/district race.Ross said, “Puckett (5-1, 1-0) hasn’t lost (in region play).Overall, us three are tied with one victory and zero losses. Being2-0 in the district is the most important thing. The winner of ourgame will be in the driver’s seat; with Puckett to come to both ofus,” Loyd Star, Oct. 16; and Wesson, Oct. 30.
In the win over St. Joe’s Bruins, Marquis Hayes rushed 14 timesfor 131 yards and scored a touchdown for Loyd Star. Hayes alsocaught a 54-yard TD pass. Tradareous Wilson rushed 8 times for 72yards.
Hornet quarterback Joseph Shelby ran for 2 TDs and passed for 2more. Shelby completed 5 of 11 passes for 116 yards and wasintercepted twice.
Linebacker David Fields directed the Loyd Star defense with 9tackles. T.J. Floyd made 8 tackles.
The starting offensive line for Loyd Star includes Trey Reid atleft tackle, Joseph Fredenburg at left guard, Cody Teekel atcenter, Clint Scott at right guard and Ken Britt at righttackle.
Wesson head coach Tommy Clopton said Wesson and Loyd Star play asimilar style of football.
“Loyd Star had a good group of kids coming back,” said Clopton.”We felt they would be a good football team this year. There are alot of similarities between the two teams. The Hornets do a goodjob of executing their offense. They get after you on defense. Wehave our hands full.
“It is going to be an exciting night,” continued Clopton. “Welook forward to getting out there and getting after it.”
In the victory over Hinds AHS, Wesson was led by running backJeromy Smith with 16 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown.Quarterback Matt Smith rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries.
The Cobra defense got 9 tackles from Gage Wilson. Matt Smith andBrandon Allen followed with 8 stops apiece.
Wesson’s offensive line features Derrick Lyles ar right guard,Quinten Barlow at center, Mac Lowery at left guard and Greg Hodgesat left tackle.
West Lincoln (2-4, 1-2) faces a tough Region 4-1A match Fridaywhen the Natchez Cathedral Green Wave (0-5) visits. West Lincolnfell to Bogue Chitto 35-0 and Mt. Olive downed Cathedral 20-6 lastFriday.
Chris Calcote has watched film on Cathedral and said they are ayoung, competitive team.
“I think Cathedral is 0-5 but they played the big boys early,”said Calcote. “They are well coached and execute real well. Theyare in a rebuilding year. They can put the points on theboard.”
In the loss to Bogue Chitto, Calvin Kees paced West Lincoln’sground game with 9 carries for 35 yards. Deon Moore rushed for 26yards on 9 carries. Tray Moore followed with 8 carries for 48yards.
The Bear defense got 20 tackles from Garrett Rushing.
Bogue Chitto (3-3, 2-0) travels to Sebastopol for a key Region4-1A test. The Bobcats are coached by Gareth Sartin.
Sebastopol (4-2) defeated Salem last week in a districttest.
Sartin said Sebastopol is not a flashy team and they don’t makea lot of mistakes.
“Sebastopol has a good football team,” said Sartin. “They’re agood, sound football team. They run a lot of leads and countertraps out of their offense. They don’t do a lot of trick plays.They do a good job at what they do. They have a physical offenseand their defense gets after you.
“We are going to have to play physical and continue to controlour turnovers,” continued Sartin. “We have played a lot better thelast few weeks. We have to continue that.”
In the victory over West Lincoln, Bogue Chitto was sparked byByron Kersee’s 18 carries for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kerseecaught a 87-yard pass from quarterback Javier Gee for his fifth TD.Rushing for 50 yards on 8 carries was Carl Green.
The Bobcat defense got 7 tackles from Kevin Brothern and ColtonMcClendon. Tevin Tobias made 6 stops.
Enterprise (3-3. 0-1) fell to powerhouse Puckett (5-1, 1-0)55-14 last week. The Fighting Yellow Jackets, coached by WayneRogers, travel to Utica to meet Hinds AHS.
Hinds AHS (4-2) lost to Wesson 18-6 last Friday.
Enterprise head coach Wayne Rogers watched film on theWesson-Hinds AHS game.
“Hinds AHS played Wesson real close,” said Rogers. “The weathermay play a big part. We’re missing two injured senior starters(Tyson Rials and Travis Leggett) that go both ways. We hope to havethem back next week.
“We’re down up front, offensively and defensively,” continuedRogers. “We are going to play some young guys this week. We’regoing to keep on plugging.”
Aaron Prather carried the football 15 times for 39 yards and atouchdown in the loss to Puckett. Cody Brister rushed 13 times for31 yards and a TD.
The Jacket defense got 8 tackles from Jake Walker. KevinBrizzard and Garrett Greer finished with 6 tackles apiece.