STARKVILLE — Erik Rogers and Cory Cannon spent the past two seasons playing beside one another on the offensive and defensive lines for the Starkville High School football team.
On Wednesday, they secured opportunities in college to see how much they can maximize their talents on one side of the ball.
Rogers, who had 57 tackles — 19 for a loss — and six sacks, signed a scholarship with Delta State University, while Cannon signed with Northwest Mississippi Community College. Cannon had 31 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble this season.
Both players look forward to a full-time move to defensive end.
“It’s going to make me a better person and player learning one defensive play at a time,” Cannon said. “Defense is the position I wanted to play. The coaches at Northwest said they needed defensive ends because they’ll use a lot of rotations.”
Rogers, who is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, said he struck a strong relationship with first-year DSU defensive line coach Skyler Magee, who said he’ll fit in nicely as a rush end.
“I learned a lot about the different schemes they run and how coach Magee will teach us,” Rogers said. “After playing both ways, I’m in shape enough already. I’ll have even more energy on one side of the ball.”
Rogers and Cannon were two of five Starkville defensive linemen to sign scholarships Wednesday.
Dennis Ware, Starkville’s leading tackler with 112 stops, also will go to Northwest Mississippi C.C. Ware was second on the team with 14 tackles for a loss and led the squad with four forced fumbles.
Ware, who played defensive end, was the smallest lineman/linebacker at 5-9, 180 pounds.
“It was funny to watch his recruitment really go,” Starkville High coach Jamie Mitchell said. “He was the smallest player, but you put the film on and they were all wowed by what he did. He’s got a knack for the ball.
“You don’t always measure how good a player is by scales and a height chart.”
Latajh Bush, who started at defensive end, is headed to William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Bush will join former teammate Prinston Henderson, who signed with the Statesmen last season.
Bush hopes to move to linebacker at WPU, which competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. He had 60 tackles and five sacks in 2011.
Rounding out Starkville’s 2012 signing class are long snapper Kelvin Young and defensive back Stanley Childs, who picked Itawamba C.C.
Young also played on the defensive line at Starkville High.
Childs had 41 tackles and two interceptions this season. He hopes to play safety at ICC.
“They’ve got one corner coming back and no safeties,” Childs said, “so I have a chance to compete.”
Starkville’s signing class helped the program win the 2011 Class 5A North State title and finish the season 12-3. The Jackets also captured a region title with a 7-0 record in Mitchell’s second year in charge.
“He changed our whole program around,” Childs said, “the standard of how we’re supposed to play. It’s all been positive. I think this class laid the foundation.”
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