The Golden Triangle will be well represented at noon Saturday (WTVA-WKDH) in the 27th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Columbus high School senior defensive linemen Corey Brown and Jalen Stewart and West Point High running backs Aeris Williams and Roger Thomas will represent the Golden Triangle as players. Starkville High coach Jamie Mitchell and Noxubee County High coach Tyrone Shorter will join the players on the sideline in the showdown between some of the states’ top senior players.
West Point coach Chris Chambless will make the trip to Montgomery to see two running backs that led his team back to the playoffs. While the season ended with a 33-20 loss to Pearl in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State playoffs, Chambless said Williams and Thomas did all they could to help the Green Wave excel. Williams already has given a verbal commitment to play football at Mississippi State next season, so the All-Star game will be another chance for him to showcase his skills. For Thomas, who Chambless blocked for Williams on about “90 percent” of his more than 2,300 rushing yards this season, the game will be an opportunity for him to make an impression on coaches who know little or nothing about him. Chambless said Thomas has received offers from junior colleges, but he is confident other offers will come for the fullback.
“He did everything we asked him to do and then some,” Chambless said of Thomas. “We asked him to do a lot of things from special teams to blocking play after play after play in the backfield. He got only a couple of carries, but (his role) was something he loved. He thrived on being the best blocker from the backfield, and he is being rewarded for it this week.”
As for Williams, Chambless said the tailback shouldered a big load for the team this season and recognized the roles Thomas, the offensive line, and his teammates played in everything he accomplished.
“He got better every year from his freshman year on,” Chambless said. “Not only did he get better athletically, but he also got better physically, better technique wise and better as a leader. He grew into that leadership role from his junior to his senior year just by being a very positive and upbeat leader for us. You couldn’t ask for a better leader we had, and I am sure the team couldn’t ask for a better teammate.”
Brown and Stewart anchored a Columbus defense that as one of the best in the area. The Falcons had one of their best games of the season in a 41-14 victory against Williams and the Green Wave on Sept. 13.
Columbus coach Tony Stanford said Brown played defensive end and tackle and was a made a lot of plays for losses. He called Stewart, who has made a verbal commitment to ply football at UAB, a “man among men” who was “hard to move” inside for the Falcons. Like Chambless said of Williams and Thomas, Stanford said Brown and Stewart were solid leaders on and off the field.
Stanford hopes the chance to play in the All-Star game also gives Brown an opportunity to show he can play at the next level. He said Brown has received several offers from schools, but the week of practice and the game Saturday can help convince a coach to make a player an offer.
“I think Corey probably matured a littler quicker than most athletes,” Stanford said. “We started him as a freshman. He went straight from the eighth grade to the varsity, so he learned to play at a real young age. When he got older, everyone respected him because hey saw what he could do when he was young. This year, he was just tremendous.
“With Jalen, we kind of lucked out. He moved in here from Alabama. He had a good sophomore season in Alabama, so he was ready to play in his junior and senior years. He is one of the most intelligent football players I have coached in a while.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.