| Current Poll |
Who do you think should manage Ferriday water?
View Results
|
|
Story Archives: Tharp named Mangham coach
- 2013 - 340 articles
- 2012 - 856 articles
- 2011 - 635 articles
- 2010 - 1276 articles
- 2009 - 1591 articles
- 2008 - 1763 articles
|
Tharp named Mangham coach
DeVante Scott, who will be a junior next season, scored two rushing touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass from Rodney Lawson as Ferriday scored six touchdowns while holding Delhi Charter to one score in a scrimmage at Delhi Tuesday.
"We thought we played decent," said Ferriday head coach Freddie Harrison. "We had a good spring and it really showed in the scrimmage. I was real proud of our guys. This was kind of a reward for how hard they worked. They worked hard during the offseason in the weight room and it showed."
Lawson, who will be a senior next year, did not throw an interception. The Trojans only had one turnover, a fumble.
"Rodney played well and threw the football well," Harrison said.
Ferriday's defense accounted for one score.
"The guys are understanding what they need to do now," Harrison said. "They have to make the plays. They understand they can't wait on somebody else to make the plays."
Harrison said he will let the players have the rest of the week off before returning to the weight room on Monday.
"The key is for everyone to come back and get after it and get in better shape and then we can be ahead of schedule," Harrison said.
Ferriday hosts a jamboree on Aug. 28 before oopening at home against Natchez High on Sept. 4.
For any Mississippi State football fan wondering if there was still a little orange and blue still running down the veins of newly-hired head football coach Dan Mullen, they need not worry any more.
I spoke with Mullen before he took the podium at an alumni event in Natchez on May 6 and asked him if his former football team - the Florida Gators - were beatable in 2009?
"I don't know about any other weekend, but I know they will be on October 24th," Mullen said, referring to the Gators coming to Starkville that Saturday.
And even more convincing that the man who served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida the past four seasons now bleeds maroon and white was the fact he will not say Ole Miss.
I asked Mullen about Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin taking some shots at his former boss, Urban Meyer, when he was named Vol head coach.
"When you've got big rivals you do that," Mullen said. "I know we play a school up north of us that's a big rival. We'll be ready. But I won't take too many shots at them."
Twice during his talk to the alumni Mullen described Ole Miss as the "school up north."
Tell me he hasn't adjusted to live in Starkville.
By the way, Mullen didn't exactly come out and guarantee a win over the Gators, but you have to figure if anybody has an idea of how to slow down the Gator offense a little bit it would be Mullen.
"They will be tough, I imagine they will be preseason No. 1," Mullen said. "They are two-deep on defense, return all their specialists and have six or seven starters back on offense, including a guy who should have two Heisman Trophies. They will be a tough team to beat. But when they come to Starkville I know our fans will come out and make it a tough place to play."
Of course the guy who won the Heisman is quarterback Tim Tebow, who Mullen said is a special football player and person.
"Tim has an amazing affect on people's lives," Mullen said. "He's like a 20-year old rock star celebrity. My cell phone has high school football players in it. His has A-list celebrities. It's real important for him to make a difference in people's lives. He believes it would be a tremendous waste of his talent if he couldn't use it to better people's lives. So many athletes don't want to be role models or live their live the wrong way. He feels an obligation and that it's his responsibility that God gave him this great gift to give back and try to be an influence in a positive way."
The head coaching job at State is Mullen's first after stints as an assistant at Bowling Green, Utah (where he coached Alex Smith) and Florida.
"When you get into coaching you want the opportunity to have your own program and to have the opportunity to do that in the Southeastern Conference, which is by far the best conference in college football, is an amazing deal," Mullen said. "Every once in a while I wake up and say, 'Wow, I'm a head coach in the SEC.' And my wife tells me to just stay exactly who I am. I don't think I've changed a whole lot. I'm just me. A lot of my high school teammates and friends back home make sure to keep me in line. I got text messages and e-mails from people making a little bit of fun of me because they see of picture of me and Bully on the Internet."
If Mullen were not a head football coach, he would be a great promoter for a Fortune 500 company.
He went on and on about State's record-setting 31,000 turnout for its spring game and implored the crowd to continue to show up for events.
"Believe me, the effort would not have been as good if there would have only been 10,000 people in attendance," he said.
And that all centers around recruiting.
"We want to recruit lot of Mississippi players to come play for us." Mullen said. "We want players from this state to take lot of pride back with them when they go home for the holidays, knowing they represent the state of Mississippi on the football field. Having 31,000 at that spring game and setting the all-time State record boosted our players an awful lot, boosted our confidence and justified all the work they put in this offseason."
I also had to ask Mullen about the new twitter phase and about Auburn's new coaching staff using a Hummer limo to travel the state and visit recruits.
"The key to recruiting comes down to people," he said. "It doesn't matter what kind of car you use to show up at a high school. That's not going to help you win championships. A lot of kids see through all of that stuff. If you come to Mississippi State you will see a family atmosphere and a community of people who care about each other. That's what makes our program different."
Mullen said he is against a playoff system.
"I like the system the way it is now," he said. "I actually like the old bowl system. Someone was complaining about two national champions. I don't see anything wrong with that. Do you want to see a great influence on the life of a young man? Let him win the national championship. There is so much tradition in college football . We have a great playoff system, it starts on Sept. 5 and ends the first week in December. There are Super Bowl winners that have five losses. College football is so special because of the passion and energy and every single game is so important. I love the fact that there are 32 bowl games and 32 teams finish the season on a high note."
Mullen said he has not set a goal as far as number of wins in his first season.
"I want to see a team that plays with a relentless effort and has a passion for the game of football," he said. "I never set goals. I look at a schedule and I plan on winning every game on there. I have never seen a schedule where I didn't think we could go undefeated."
Mullen admitted he has had to adjust to life as a head coach.
"But there are so many positives," he said. "I came in kind of blind not knowing what was going to happen but the people in Mississippi have been so welcoming to us. I had not really been here before taking the job. There is a lot of great high school talent in this state, a lot of great people and a great sense of community. There is so much for us to build on. We just have to get all those great players to come play for us, come represent their state and their state's university. If we can do that we can do that, we can build a championship football program."
Just don't mention that school up north.
Keeping a 16-year-old from getting the big head may be asking a lot when newspapers such as the New York Times come calling because you are one of the two fastest all-around sprinters in the nation in your age group.
Throw in the fact that you have been invited to run in Puerto Rico and represent Team USA and will also be going to the World Youth Trials to be held Eastern Michigan from June 30-July 1st for a chance to run in Italy and represent the USA at the World Youths, adn you have the makings for a young man with a big ego.
But South Plaquemines sophomore Bradley Sylve is not your normal teen-ager.
"I just focus on what I am doing and try to do my part," Sylve said. "I just keep working hard Monday through Sunday."
On Friday, Sylve, the son of former Vidalia High Class 2A Football Player of the Year Eddie Ray Jackson, won the 100-meter dash in 10.47 and the 200-dash in 21.33. He also anchored the 4x100 South Plaquemines relay team which finished first (41.77) and the 4x200 team which claimed first place (1:29.36).
"I was proud to see him run the way he did," Jackson said. "In the 4x100m relay he got the baton about five meters behind Southern Lab and within three steps he had passed the guy. It just blew my mind. It is so exciting to sit in the stands and hear people around you speak highly of your son not knowing that you are his father. I'm kinda low key. If you don't already know he is my son, you won't know it."
Sylve, a sophomore, has been part of two state football championship teams and two state track champions.
South Plaquemines in Port Sulphur won the Class 1A title for the second straight year with 90.2 points, easily outdistancing Southern Lab at 38.3.
"Right now, Bradley is on pace to be a four-time state champion in football and in track in the 100 and the 200," said Jackson, who played in the same backfield with Brett Favre at Southern Mississippi. "I don't know if that's ever been done before. God has truly blessed him with tremendous athletic ability on the football field and on the track field and the good thing is, he's using what God gave him. He's done so well this year that my daughter, Sharmyka Lewis, a sophmore at John Ehret, has started back running track. When she was in the eighth grade, she was running 12.2 in the 100-meter dash. That would have placed in the top five in state any any division."
Sylve won the 100 meters and 200 meters at State last year as a freshman. He won a 2009 indoor state title at 55 meters, finished eighth in a national indoor meet at 60 meters and has posted electronically timed outdoor marks of 10.62 seconds in the 100 and 21.66 in the 200, along with hand-timed bests of 10.35 and 21.53.
As for keeping the level head, Sylve credits Jackson, his stepfather Cyril Crutchfield, who is head football and track coach at South Plaquemines High, and his mother, Mickey.
"He's handled success very well," Crutchfield said. "I tell him just as easy as success comes along, it's just as easy to experience failure. He's a very mature individual and continues to work hard. I credit his mother with how well he handles himself. He has a 3.2 grade point average and keeps his grades up very well."
Crutchfield admits Slyve has no idea the magnitude of his accomplishments and the added attention he will receive over the next two years.
"He really doesn't understand what's about to happen," said Crutchfield, who was an All-American defensive back at Northeast Louisiana in 1987 and '88. "The main thing we try to tell him is to enjoy the experience. Academics is the main thing, the athletic part will take care of itself."
Crutchfield said he will advise Sylve to make his college choice during his senior year.
"I want him to make all his visits," he said. "Bradley loves football and track and he's going to pursue both avenues to which which situation fits him the best. He has to be happy."
Sylve does not have the luxury of practicing on a track. The nearest oval is 40 miles north, in suburban New Orleans. During the school year, he never uses an all-weather running surface except when competing at meets.
All of Sylve's sprint training is done on the South Plaquemines High School football field, mostly in cleats instead of spikes.
"At least running on grass saves us on shin splints," Crutchfield said. "Hopefully this will prepare our kids to make the best out of every situation."
The conditions may also have something to do with what Sylve says is the hardest part of racing.
"I come out of the blocks slow," he said. "After 60 meters I hit full speed and start playing catch-up. That's just something I will continue to work on."
Sylve began to run with more confidence after winning the 100-meter state title as a freshman in a wind-aided 10.60 and took the 200 in 21.85.
"I knew it could be my ticket to college," Sylve said.
Last fall, playing mostly receiver, Sylve caught 45 passes for 1,174 yards, scoring 13 touchdowns from scrimmage and returning four kicks for touchdowns. In the championship game, he scored twice on runs as South Plaquemines set a state record for points, defeating Christian Life Academy of Baton Rouge by 62-16.
"I try to convince Bradley that he's a football player who has track speed," Crutchfield said. "I knew he had the potential. It's easy to find 10 guys who run 10.3. It's a lot harder to find 10.3 guys who are football players. In football, the more experience he gets, he'll grow by leaps and bounds. "Track is going to take a little longer. Realistically, you don't go from 10.5 to 10.2 right away. The main thing is that he stays patient."
Sylve admits it's hard to be patient knowing what the possibilities that lie ahead this summer.
"I'm very excited," he said. "I know the better competition is going to help me."
And looking ahead, Sylve is counting another state championship in football in the fall.
"Winning state is always our goal," he said.
Jackson believes its the start of something even bigger.
"Looking at Bradley at this point in his life, I can truly say that if he doesn't get hurt and stays humble, he can write his own check," Jackson said. "I do believe he will be running close to 10.0 or 10.1 by the time he reaches his senior year. The sky is the limit and with a track and proper training only God knows what he can run."
Matt Mason has joined Huntington School as Athletic Director and will also teach Social Studies and Science and assist with the Huntington football and baseball team.
Mason, who graduated from Adams County Christian School in Natchez, has spent the last few years at Trinity Episcopal.
"I'm excited to be coming to Huntington," Mason said. "Huntington has had good success in the past and there are good people here and it's going to be a great place to work. Huntington has always had good athlete and I look forward to being a part of the continued success here."
Mason said he is more than ready to get to work.
"As athletic director you have to work on schedules and other things such as planning physicals," he said. "I'm ready to get going and I'm looking forward to it."
Huntington head football coach Chad Harkins said having an assistant football coach at the school will be a big plus for the program.
"It will be good to have Matt here where he can interact with the students and they will see him walking the halls," he said. "Matt is a jack of all trades and is a great addition to Huntington. He's had a lot of success wherever he has been and we look forward to him having even more success here."
Emilee Johns of Huntington captured the MPSA Class A No. 2 girls singles state championship, defeating Lindsey Carroll of Franklin Academy 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in the title match in Jackson on May 6.
Johns lost to Carroll in the finals of the South A State Tournament in Natchez, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the No. 2 seed from the South. She also lost to Carroll during the regular season.
The Lady Hound senior defeated Kylie Weeks of Bayou Academy 6-1, 6-2 to reach the championship match.
"The Bayou girls had never been beat," Johns said. "They told me that after the match. But I was real patient. I played the match point by point. After every point I told myself, 'I can do this.'"
Carroll defeated Stevens of Sharkey-Issaquena, 6-4, 7-5 (7-1) to reach the finals.
"I went up to my mom (Arlene) before the match and said. 'Maybe the third time is the charm.'" Johns said. "I didn't get down on myself in that match, which has been my downfall. I had my head on straight and it just felt good the way I was hitting the ball. The closer I got to winning the match, the better I felt. On the final point I just jumped in the air and said 'Oh my gosh, I just did it.'"
Huntington senior Julie Moak fell to Hodnet of Sharkey-Issaquena, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the state semifinals.
"I was disappointed Julie didn't make it to the finals," Johns said. "She really helped me during the year because it was somebody who hit it hard to me and really made me work."
Johns plans on taking up radiology technology at Louisiana-Monroe in the fall.
"This is a great way to end my career at Huntington," she said. "There's no doubt this is the highlight."
Four Monterey High tracksters placed within the top six at the Class B State Track Meet held at Baton Rouge Thursday.
"Some of these kids have |
|
| Frank Morris Murder Series |
|
|
E-mail Story
Print Story
