STARKVILLE
The New Hope Jamboree again proved a huge success Friday and Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
One can’t read too much into the results on the field. Only one half of varsity ball was played. A lot of coaches experimented with new players in new positions.
When the games count for real, you will see different mind-sets and philosophies from just about everyone.
However, with any type of physical activity, some observations can be made.
So what did we learn from the event at Mississippi State?
1. Kylin Hill is really fast.
Well, we can go back to last year and claim we already knew.
However, Hill has gotten much bigger in his legs. Already moving up the charts with some Division I offers, the Columbus High School junior should find the end zone early and often this year.
Fellow junior Kendre Conner provides a perfect complement to Hill. They have different running styles but the same tenacity. The Columbus offensive line will be a work in progress, especially early in the year.
However, Hill averaged about 20 yards per touch in eight rushes against Louisville in the jamboree.
Junior C.J. Gholar is a capable quarterback for the Falcons. However, Columbus’ road to success will be on the ground.
Hill needed one dart to zip through the line on touchdown runs of 45 and 55 yards.
Against Class 6A competition, Hill will need that speed.
2. New Hope is going to fight.
Coach Kris Pickle quickly admits his team is very young. However, he also admits it has some talented playmakers.
New Hope fair caught a punt on the 1-yard line. The Trojans also allowed Amory to covert a third-and-31 on a draw play. Young teams will do things like that.
New Hope has depth, but it could use a little more size to compete in Class 5A.
However, we learned Friday that New Hope will fight. The Trojans trailed 3-0 and then 10-7 in the closing minutes of a 14-10 win.
The swagger is back at New Hope. Even though young, the Trojans believe. That will serve them well as the competition gets better and better.
3. Starkville has a serious defense.
The last time we checked on Starkville, it was in the middle of doing some fantastic defensive work against Class 6A, Region 2 competition.
Starkville opened its region championship season with four-straight shutouts. The Yellow Jackets return the bulk of that defensive talent, so it will difficult for opponents to score on them.
Kobe Jones rambled more than 30 yards with a fumble return for a touchdown. A year ago, Starkville thrived on big defensive plays. Look for that trend to continue.
However in Starkville’s 27-6 win against Grenada, the Chargers shook a couple of receivers loose on deep passing routes. The deep ball hurt the Starkville defense a year ago, too.
Still, there is no need to worry about Starkville. A team that looks really good getting off the bus will play even better on the field most nights.
4. West Point has something special coming in its future.
Marcus Murphy had a strong start in his quarterbacking debut at West Point.
Only a sophomore, Murphy had two rushing touchdowns and showed flashes through the air.
West Point also is working junior Dmarrio Edwards at quarterback. In the backfield, sophomore Chris Calvert is a strong rushing threat. Junior Trevino Harris has moved from defense to offense and has speed to burn.
Up and down the roster, West Point is full of youth.
With a veteran coaching staff, this squad will get better and better. By the end of the season, the team won’t resemble what it looked like Saturday.
5. Aberdeen fans will like watching Tramonte Prather.
One of the most engaging interviews of the weekend took place with Aberdeen senior Tramonte Prather.
Prather has sparkled in the secondary for several years. On offense, he is the team’s new starter at quarterback.
Josh Williams left a huge void in the program. Williams was a run-pass threat who pretty much did it all as a three-year starter. Prather waited patiently and learned how to play the game at a high level, thanks in large part to Williams.
When the game was on the line late, Prather made two huge stops on defense with bone-jarring hits to stop a running back or wide receiver in his tracks.
That is the type of leadership you will get from Prather. Don’t look for the arcade type numbers Williams produced each week. However, you can look for solid, dependable leadership and someone ready to go to battle every Friday night.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The 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 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.