Carroll Academy head coach Bo Milton feels his team is headed in the right direction as the Rebels hit the road to take on Benton Academy in the season opener for both teams Friday.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Benton.
Carroll played in a jamboree last Thursday, taking on Class AAAA East Rankin and Class AAA Leake Academy. The Rebels squeaked out a 13-8 win over the Patriots and fell 14-7 to Leake. They were driving for a score when time expired.
“The jamboree was a good test. It put us in game-like situations, and we were able to compete and play hard against some good teams,” said Milton, whose 2017 squad was 4-7 overall. “We looked real good on offense in both games, and the defense caused two fumbles against East Rankin. We also threw a TD pass against Leake, and we probably had 70 snaps combined in the two games.
“Overall, there was nothing that jumped out at me and said we’ve got major issues. We aren’t where we need to be, and there is plenty of work to be done, but to play the way we did against a 4A and a 3A team, I’m very pleased with the direction we are headed.”
Milton cited the play of his offensive line, the running of Jeb Beck and the play of junior quarterback Morgan Mims.
“We called seven pass plays. Morgan scrambled for yardage three times, and he completed 2 of 4 passes. We’d like to be able to throw the ball 10-12 times a game with some play-action on first down,” said Milton.
Milton added he knows Benton is down some in numbers, but he knows they have some speed and their top running back returns from a year ago.
n J.Z. George hosts Okolona — The Jaguars approach their season opener minus senior Montavis Jenkins, who sustained a right knee injury in last Friday’s scrimmage against Eupora.
Jenkins, known as Hulk, was scheduled to have an MRI done today to determine the extent of the injury. Head coach Ben Burton said he’s been told it could be either a sprain or a torn ACL but will not know until after the test is done.
The Jags lost 35-6 to Eupora in a game that ended at the half. Jenkins was hurt in the second quarter.
“The effort was there for us, but Eupora was just better than we are, and we didn’t do a good job of executing the things we’ve been taught in practice,” said Burton, who was 2-9 overall last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in his four years at the helm of the program.
“We’ve got a lot to get better at. We felt good about some things, but we’ve got to be able to apply the things we learn in practice from the coaching staff. I have no doubt we will get better. We have someone in mind to step in at quarterback, and even with Hulk out, we are not going to change the offense,” said the fifth-year head coach.
Okolona claimed a 48-0 win over the Jags last season.
“I expect us to have a better showing this season. I really don’t expect it to be a 48-0 loss this season. We just have to improve each day and do the things we’ve been taught,” said Burton.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday in North Carrollton.
n Amanda Elzy at Leland — The Panthers start their 2018 campaign looking to snap an 18-game losing streak as they journey to Leland to face the Cubs.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday.
Elzy’s skid goes back to the 2016 season with their last win being a 14-12 decision over Coahoma Aggie in early September.
The Panthers lost 7-0 to Riverside in a jamboree game last Friday in Greenville.
“We had two touchdowns called back, but the big blow was that we lost our starting center (Ja’Querian Stevenson) to a knee injury. He’ll probably be out three weeks, so it creates a hole on the offensive line,” said Elzy second-year coach Sheldon Hodge. “We have to solidify some positions on the offensive line, but we are pretty confident on who will be in the other positions.”
Hodge said he’s moved Deontae Neal from quarterback to wide receiver and will use senior Norman Polk and junior Smithdarrious Wright in a platoon system.
“We just felt it was best for Deontae and for this team. Norman can throw the ball, and Smithdarrious is more of a running threat,” the veteran coach said.
n Delta Streets at North Sunflower — The Lions make their return to 8-man football as they travel to Drew to face the Rebels of North Sunflower Academy.
Delta Streets is under the direction of first-year coach Anthony Degani, who inherits a team that was 0-10 overall last season.
The Lions are led offensively by senior quarterback Emanuel (DJ) Alston. He has several weapons in the backfield, which include Cameron Ervin, Markavius Foreman and Jakevian McCaster.
Game time is 7 p.m.
nContact Calvin Stevens at cstevens@gwcommonwealth.com.
