Delta Streets Academy will play its first-ever football game in Leflore County as it entertains Columbus Christian School Friday night at 7 on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University.
When T. Mac Howard started the school in 2012, Delta Streets had a junior high team only for two years. The first varsity team was in 2014, and Howard served as head coach from 2014 until the 2016 season.
James Cheatham, who is now the school’s principal, was the head coach in 2017, and Anthony Degani held the position in 2018. He left for a school in Memphis during the summer. Howard is back in the role this season.
“The kids are excited and thrilled to get to play a home game. They are going to get to play on a field with good lights, a lot bigger stadium than they are used to, and in front on their family and friends. We are hoping people will come out and watch eight man football and support these young men,” said Howard.
“Mississippi Valley has been so helpful. They are painting the field, making sure the scoreboard works and helping us with stuff for the game. We will have people taking care of the ticket booth and the concession stand. It’s unique to be hosting our first game. We’re thrilled for this opportunity Valley has given us. Our kids will get to use Valley’s home locker room.”
The Lions opened the 2019 season last Friday with a 36-16 loss to North Sunflower. Jalyn Lewis and Vintavious Noland scored the touchdowns for DSA on a run and reception, respectively. Lewis finished with 13 tackles on defense, but did not play in the fourth quarter after banging up his shoulder on offense.
Columbus Christian opened its season with a 32-8 loss to Humphreys Academy.
“We still have a lot to work on. Against North Sunflower, our biggest issue was our lack of size. They have four guys who weighed 250 pounds. They were slow, but when the ball was snapped, they just pushed us backwards,” Howard added. “They also used a 40-yard field from sideline-to-sideline. It made the field much smaller. It was beneficial for them, but it hurt us when we got outside.
“Columbus Christian is going to be a lot like us. They don’t have size, but they are quick. It’s all going to come down to which team executes and carries out their assignment.”
n Carroll Academy at Hillcrest Christian — The Rebels step up in classification for the second straight week as they head to Jackson to face the Cougars of Hillcrest Christian School Friday at 7 p.m.
Carroll is a Class 3A program and Hillcrest is Class 4A. Last week, the Rebels beat visiting Kirk Academy, also 4A, 36-7.
“The main thing for us is to go down there and take care of business. We need to be physical and control the tempo of the game by running the football effectively,” said CA head coach Bo Milton. “Our kids have looked at Hillcrest on film. They know they haven’t won a game in a while, but they saw where Hillcrest has some good athletes. No. 7 (Xavier Davis) concerns me. He is their playmaker. He runs from the Wildcat formation and also returns punts and kickoffs.
“Hillcrest is hungry for a win. Coach (Shay) Hodge is trying to bring discipline into their program. It’s going to take a lot of patience and time. We just don’t want to be the team that helps them end their losing streak.”
The Cougars are currently on a 25-game losing skid. Their last win came on Sept. 30, 2016, a 37-7 victory over Amite School.
Carroll’s ground game did its part against Kirk. Hunter “Hollywood” Bracken rumbled for 163 yards and a TD on 18 carries, while senior quarterback Morgan Mims scored three total touchdowns. He ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and returned a punt 60 yards for a score.
Braxton York tacked on 79 yards on 10 tries, and John Marc O’Cain had 17 yards on five attempts.
Hillcrest is 0-2 as it opened its season on Aug. 16 against Amite School, which came out on top 14-12. The Cougars dropped a 41-14 decision to Glenbrook (La.) last week. Davis ran for 111 yards on 13 carries and finished with 137 all-purpose yards.
n J.Z. George at Hamilton — The Jaguars go for win No. 2 as they hit the road to face the Lions of Hamilton High School Friday at 7 p.m.
J.Z. George opened its season with a 20-0 weather-shortened win over McAdams High School last week. The game was called with about 10 minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter as severe weather came through the North Carrollton area.
The victory snapped an 11-game losing skid for the Jaguars.
“The stigma of losing 11 straight is behind us now, and we can now focus on our next opponent,” said J.Z. George coach Ben Burton. “We moved the ball pretty well on the ground, and the defensive effort was there the entire game. The kids got to the football. We held McAdams to 48 total yards.”
Sophomore running back Deriaun Townsend and junior fullback Jacob Johnson put up some good numbers in three quarters. Townsend, who was named the Commonwealth’s Offensive Player of the Week, rushed for 181 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Johnson only had nine carries but ran for 104 yards and one touchdown.
The Lions kicked off their 2019 campaign with a 35-7 loss to Hatley.
nContact Calvin Stevens at cstevens@gwcommonwealth.com.
