DEFENSIVE PROSPECTS SHINE IN WEST MONROE VS CARENCRO 5A TITLE MATCH

Last Saturday night I attended my last high school game of the 2011 season as the Carencro Golden Bears and West Monroe Rebels squared off for the Louisiana 5A Championship in the Merdedes-Benz Superdome.  My decision to attend was very spur of the moment.  Having spent so much time recently in New Orleans overindulging myself, I thought it would be best to give my liver, finances and gas tank a break. 

While exercising discipline, I would still get my football fix by watching the Mississippi/Alabama High School All Star game, which was played in Montgomery but televised across Mississippi.  However, while watching the Alabama All Stars pound Mississippi while sitting in my apartment, I felt I could do better and the obvious solution was to watch one more game in the 2011 season live, which would of course be just 70 miles away in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and kicking off in about three hours.  So, I threw some clothes into my duffle bag and called my good friends Lauren and Ney to see if they accomodate my presence in their home, which they graciously accepted at a moment's notice.  I crash with them often for festivals and other sporting events, so my last minute call wasn't unexpected.

After dropping off my luggage at their house, I headed to the Dome and made it inside as the captains were making their way to the middle of the field for the coin-toss.  While all 70,000 seats were not occupied, each side was well represented with a strong fan base wearing their gold and red and blue team colors respectively.  With similar colors to their college level mascot namesakes, it actually looked like a high school version of Ole Miss and the University of California playing each other, except that each team was good.

Despite being a North Louisiana team, the Superdome was a familiar sight for West Monroe.  It was the Rebels 4th straight appearance in the 5A State Championship game, and the second consecutive year they were facing a team from Lafayette.  In 2010, in a game that I also attended, heavily favored West Monroe faced a charged up Acadiana team that came storming right out of the gate and fell to the Rams 21-14.  Consequently, Acadiana is Carencro's biggest rival and had dealth the Golden Bears their only loss of the regular season 21-14. 

Carencro's last appearance playing for the state championship was 1996.  Their opponent 15 years ago was the same as it was on Saturday night, losing to West Monroe then too 24-21.  Golden Bears running back Alex Johnson was definitely one key player I was interested in watching.  With over 2300 rushing yards on the season, Johnson was the state's leading rusher.  And as the Alma Mater to former LSU All-American and 13 Year NFL Veteran Kevin Faulk, Carencro had a strong track record of producing great running backs, and I was curious to see how Johnson stacked up.

Johnson may go on  and have a great college career, but with the exception of some quality yards he picked up on couple of swing passes late in the game, the Rebel defense shut him down.  West Monroe really didn't have just one single, standout defensive player.  The defense as a whole showed no weaknesses with each unit playing with agression and stopping Carencro's offense cold with eveything they tried to do.  That being noted, defensive ends James McFarland and Terrell Lathan were a presence in the Golden Bears offensive backfield all night, and middle linebacker Deano Casola was a tackling machine.  At 6-2 and 240 lbs and projected to be an outside linebacker in college, McFarland is ranked as a 3 Star prospect by Scout.com with offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State, TCU and Louisiana Tech. 

The West Monroe secondary also impressed.  Free Safety Alex Yount returned an interception 40 yards to set up a Rebel score, and junior cornerback Xavier Woods displayed some quality playmaking potential twisting in the opposite direction to snag a sideline interception to snag a sideline interception and preventing the ball from going out of bounds.  Woods also made an acrobatic catch at wide receiver and did a good job returning punts.  It will be interesting to see how highly recruited he is next season.     

While the run-heavy Golden Bears offense was stuck in neutral for most of the night,  Carencro's defense definitely made the Rebels earn every yard they got.  The only real success that West Monroe had offensively were the two option touchdown runs of 40 and 14 yards that quarterback Connor Osbborne executed perfectly, which turned out was all they needed.  Junior Carencro linebackers Tim Albert and Kye Poole were quite the duo causing and recovering four Rebel fumbles.  The stocky 5-9, 225 lb Poole was selected as the Golden Bears player of the game and is definitely one to watch on the recruiting radar next season despite his lack of height.

Doing the most damage for the Carencro defense in my opinion though was senior defensive end Jacoby Briscoe.  At 6-3 and 295 lbs, Briscoe is built more like an interior lineman than an end.  However, he didn't seem to suffer from any lack of quickness, while using his size to power his way into the West Monroe backfield all night for twelve tackles and two quarterback sacks.  Briscoe is ranked as a 3-Star recruit by Scout.Com with offers from Louisiana-Lafayette, University of Memphis, Texas Tech and Tulane.  I'm definitely very surprised that he does not have any SEC offers.  

Daphne's Ryan Anderson Bonds With Other Future Crimson Tide Linebackers During All-Star Practice

By Josh Bean, Mobile Press-Register

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Ryan Anderson rushed the passer, Reggie Ragland absorbed a block from an oncoming offensive lineman, and Tyler Hayes shuffled left into the hole to tackle the running back.
That single snap during an Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic practice this week appeared routine, but it provided a glimpse at the future of Alabama Crimson Tide football.
Anderson, Ragland and Hayes — all linebackers who are ranked on the Press-Register's Elite 18 — have committed to Alabama, and this week's all-star practices provided the threesome with a chance to develop an on-field comfort level long before they wear crimson and white.

For full article: 
http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/6926969833430705766/future-crimson-tide-linebackers-building-bond-at-practices-for-alabama-mississippi-all-star-classic/

Petal QB Anthony Alford And Long Beach LB Richie Brown Key Figures To Mississippi Ending All-Star Skid VS Alabama

Mississippi stars out to end state's skid

By Rod Walker
Petal Dandy Dozen quarterback Anthony Alford knows the Magnolia State's history in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.
So does Long Beach Dandy Dozen linebacker Richie Brown and everyone else who will be suiting up for Mississippi today in the 25th border war all-star game
Three straight losses for Mississippi. Five of the last six. Thirteen of the last 16.

For full article:   http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20111210/SPORTS06/112100330/Mississippi-stars-out-end-state-s-skid?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|s

With Their Focus On Winnfield, John Curtis Patriots Seek To End Championship Drought

It's not often that John Curtis plays back-to-back "revenge" games. But that's the case for the Patriots today.
A week after eliminating Evangel, the team which had beaten them for the 2009 and 2010 Class 2A state championships, the Patriots get another shot at Winnfield today in the State Farm Prep Classic at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
It has been 29 years since Winnfield's 29-14 victory against Curtis for the Class 2A title in 1982, and the two schools haven't met since. So emotions on both sides may have dulled somewhat

To continue reading:  http://highschoolsports.nola.com/news/article/-1478073770354210986/motivation-not-a-problem-for-curtis/

Monroe And Lafayette Schools Battle Once Again For 5A Crown

West Monroe faces challenges in well-grounded Carencro

By Dan McDonald

In last year's Class 5A state championship game, West Monroe faced a Lafayette-based team that liked to run the football, and only threw as a diversion.
This year, the Rebels will face a Lafayette-based team that likes to run the football, and rarely throws. Only the names have changed.
Perennial finalist West Monroe, which fell to Acadiana in a 21-14 classic in last year's title game, will face Acadiana's District 3-5A rival, Carencro, tonight at 7 in the State Farm Prep Classic finale at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. And just like last year, West Monroe's primary task will be to stop the running game.

For full article:  http://highschoolsports.nola.com/news/article/4223720836281860550/west-monroe-faces-challenges-in-well-grounded-carencro/

Neville Of Monroe Defeat New Orleans Edna Karr 27-6 For Class 4A State Championship

Neville scored 17 third quarter points, 14 off Karr turnovers, as the top-seeded undefeated Tigers claimed the Class 4A state championship with a 27-6 victory against the seventh-seeded Cougars in the State Farm Prep Classic at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Friday.
Karr (11-4) was plagued by five turnovers in the game, including three interceptions.
Leading 13-6 in the quarter, Tigers linebacker Ricky Wyatt, named his team's game MVP, intercepted a pass by Karr quarterback Jarrell Bennett and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown to give Neville (14-0) a 20-6 lead with 1:08 left in the third quarter.

For full article:  http://highschoolsports.nola.com/news/article/1196301942599665260/neville-knocks-off-karr-27-6-in-class-4a-state-championship-contest/

Richie Brown vs T.J. Yeldon

Look for two Gulf Coast natives and high prized recruits to become very acquainted with each other this Saturday at the Mississippi vs Alabama High School All Star game.  Tackling machine LB Richie Brown of Long Beach is expected to lead the Mississippi defense while 5-Star RB T.J. Yeldon of Daphne (Auburn) is considered to be Alabama's best offensive weapon.

Here is more from Rivals.com on the matchup:

Daphne five-star running back T.J. Yeldon is capable of dominating on the field. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has a great combination of speed and size, which combined with his patience and vision, equate to the ability to hit a home run every time he touches the ball. The Auburn commitment is able to bang out yards between the tackles or sprint to the edge and outrun the fastest of defenders. He is simply a handful for defenses to handle.
Tasked with helping to stop the Alabama rushing attack will be the linebackers of the Mississippi squad. Their segment is led by Long Beach four-star inside linebacker Richie Brown. Brown is an instinctive linebacker with a knack for always being around the ball. He is a very good tackler and physical in the gap. He is also capable of playing downfield with a back in the passing game.
For full article go to:  http://mississippistate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1304455

Fairhope OT Kyron Samuels Lists Mississippi State As His Top Choice

The Mississippi and Alabama High School All Star game is this Saturday in Montgomery.  One player that Bulldog fans may want to keep their eye on wont be playing for the Magnolia State.  Fairhope OT Kyron Samuels, who is the nephew of former Alabama All-American and Washington Redskin Chris Samuels, lists Mississippi State as his top choice.  In the following link from Rivals.com, Samuels discusses his recruiting and what it has been like preparing for the All Star game:  http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/press-and-news-football/MississippiState/Kyron-Samuels-weighing-several-options-1100877 

Biloxi QB Jaylen Woullard Is Region MVP

Biloxi, the Region 4-6A champion, gained three of the top individual honors as the Region 4-6 football team was announced.
Biloxi quarterback Jaylen Woullard was named the Region 4-6A Most Valuable Player while Biloxi’s John Shannon was named Coach of the Year.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/12/06/3617421/woullard-named-region-mvp.html#ixzz1ftB88sOX

Picayune Cruises Past Starkville For 5A Championship

JACKSON -- Quarterback Benjamin Hickman brought a different dimension to Picayune’s offense.
The senior threw two touchdown passes as the Maroon Tide drubbed Starkville 38-21 to win the Class 5A State championship on Saturday night at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Picayune (13-2) won its first state championship since 1986, when coach Dodd Lee was an assistant. Picayune’s other state titles came in 1922, 1943 and 1948.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/12/03/3611478/picayune-romps-to-class-5a-state.html#ixzz1faNbeJUw

Seeking 5A Championship, Picayune RB Deronte Magee Breaks Out With Big Senior Season

JACKSON -- The Magee surname is quickly becoming a family for talented athletes on the Coast.
Picayune running back Dereonte Magee is the latest family member to excel in prep sports. The senior has rushed for a Coast-leading 1,834 yards and 14 touchdowns, helping lead Picayune (12-2) into the 5A State championship game against Starkville on Saturday.
Magee’s two cousins -- Justin Magee and Stanley Magee -- were both All-South Mississippi performers. Justin Magee was the Sun Herald’s football player of the year in 2003 for the Maroon Tide. Stanley Magee made the All-South Mississippi basketball team three straight years at Pass Christian.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/11/29/3603175/run-for-success.html#ixzz1fIfVmPuf

Mobile Vigor Faces Undefeated Hartselle For 5A State Championship At Bryant-Denny Tonight

Once-talented freshmen class now seniors leading Vigor on run at championship

By Josh Bean, The Mobile Press-Register
In 2008, Vigor’s freshman team finished undefeated and allowed just one touchdown all season.
Not many people noticed, as the Wolves’ varsity — led by Jalston Fowler, Ken Houston and Marvin Shinn — roared through the season undefeated and captured the Class 5A state championship.

Vigor coach Kerry Stevenson sensed something special in the freshman class, a group that today features South Alabama commitment Paul Kyles, Arkansas commitment Jamichael Winston, Kentucky commitment Jacoby Glenn and Alabama commitment Darius Philon.
To continue reading:  http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/1712606040578144571/once-talented-freshmen-class-now-seniors-leading-vigor-on-run-at-championship/