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ThursdayBY RICHARD STRENGTHSports editorELLISVILLE9After los-plays. Said Thompson.Ousby (6-4, 320) is theanchor of the offensive walliftg 17 players that contributed t© an 8-2 record at South Joneslast football season, headi)ach Jack Thompson's raves could be consideredilt;nderdogssjon 5-4A race.• But that’s not the wayhompson or the Braves arethinking.{ Although South Jones finished the 1998 campaign in a tje for the best division mark,tjiefor South Jones.He’s a good player, he'll beone of the leaders up front for us, added Thompson.Ousby’s bookend at tackle will be Johnny Adams, who is a senior who played in Georgia last year. Michael Lee and Alan Delk will man the guard slots, backed up by Eric Johnson and Brandon Harrington. Senior Leander Bridges will play center, along with juniorBrian Clitton.Jonathan Robertson, Rodsbed from the division in the Luckett and Troy Reed are theh rr p a l_ . ] _.— /J o //!_ _______252 heartbreaker to Gautier intight ends.theThe defense is expected to• .» •Iyear and 1 don't think our kidsWebe good along the defensivea A ■ m 4 ftfront, but there is little depth. . .Reed and Harrington shouldm ft • •#e satisfied. said Thompson. defensive encj, while■ • m « r ( t J A___# U I I t n O #_Wea’ year ago. But we would like to make the playoffs, first ot all, and then try to advance a little further, if at all possible.We lost a lot of key people on the offensive line and lost some good defensive players as well — it’s going to be verydifficult.Gone from last year’s teamare fullback and middle linebacker Robert Phillips, linebacker Carl Branch, safety Jake Cooley, cornerback Russ Williams, running back Matthew Murphy, lineman Daniel Jackson, and receivers Derek Sumrall and Davidthe defensive tackle slots willbe held down by Eric Johnsonand Alan Ellis.On defense, the strength^ . ■ • • , ishould be the defensive line,explained Thompson.All of these guys are prettyquick. They’re just good, solidplayers that have a nose for theball. We expect them to stepClark. Clark and Branch arenow playing for the JonesJunior College Bobcats.We lost 17 people from ayear ago, but we,ve got somekids that if they’ll step up andup and have a big year.Jonathan Robertson returns to the Braves linebacking corps and Lee moves from defensive tackle to middle linebacker, filling the hole left by the loss of Robert Phillips.Other linebackers will be Jared Bush, Lonnie Langfordand Dwight Carson.The deep patrol lost Cooley at safety and Williams at the corner, but Thompson has speedy replacements.Rashard Phillips, Keithplay like they re capable of Richardsorlj josh Boone and. - ■ I A 1 — _ ft I 9 ■ ft V * I I M ft L' ft ft ftplaying I think we 11 be okay, gurks wju man the cornersaid Thompson.Although the Braves lost alot of key players, the cupboard is hardly bare.South Jones returns rifle-armed starting quarterbackCharles Hales, elusive running. _ • Ihack Rashard Phillips andhuge offensive lineman CalvinOusby, all seniors.Hales (6-0, 175) has been a3-year starter at South.He shows a lot of leader-hip on the field and he's quitepositions, while the safeties will be Hales, Zumwalt, Cody Bailey and Nick Heidelberg.Max Grimaldo, a stronglegged, sure-footed kicker, also graduated. This year, kicking chores will be handled by senior Casey Williams.He’s got a real strong leg, he’s just got to get a little more accurate, said Thompson.If South Jones is to repeat as a playoff participant, the Braves will have to continue:apable of making big plays ihejr success within the divi.inytime he’s in the game,aid Thompson. We expectlim to make big plays this/ear, he's just that type ofplayer.Rashard Phillips (5-9, 185),who also plays defensive back.is one of the top senior running backs in the state. Hesion. The non-league slate isdifficult as well.We play a very competitiveschedule, said Thompson.The division’s always toughand we play three very toughteams right out of the gatewith Petal, Hancock andgained 1,103 yards last seasontnd scored 18 touchdowns.Last year, in the last threeRashard probablygames, played as well as any .backI,ve ever coached, saidThompson feels that his team can go a long way if the Braves can do well in the division.It's going to take quite anfor return tripStaff photo by Don tSouth Jones quarterback Charles Hales sets theBraves offense during a recent practice.XLSUBSCRIBE TO THELEADER-CALLCALL 428-0551Window TintingLaurel 428-47SecurityCar AudioEllisville 477-8EPagersAccessoriesWaynesboro 735-OCTHOMPSON’STEAMHead coach: Jack ThompsonNumber of years:Record last year: 8-2Mascot:Braves■aSCHEDULESept. 3 at PetalSept. 10 at Hancock____ -i softft odnVQSN'd® lessen * * °A,Ways Fresh Hot DeHtoirTT11™Chester FriedSept. 17 Pascagoula^7^ '°caWsBeet a1at:Hwv ISM 2iedChicken V-15 North • Chantilly street • Hwy. 84 West9Sept. 24 at NE LauderdaleOct. 1 at West Jonesrhompson If he'll step i p effort for 10 Set b\k' Just t0 Oet. 8 Mendenhallinompson it nt u step ii up contention, becauseand play like that the entireyear, then 1 think he'll makebe in contention, because there's a lot of good football teams in this division,Oct. 15 Laurelthings a lot easier around ex‘plained Thompson. You’veOct. 22 Collinshe re.P'ay well every week.^ I * 1 1 1 • ^ ft ft . ft ft., , r . — .got to play hard and got to Oct. 29 at Northeast Jonesfullback will be junior ScottRobertson.He’s good football player, added Thompson. He’s a hard-nosed player and we expect him to step in and playwell.We just want to get betterNov. 5 Quitmanevery time we practice andevery game and see how farwe can go.itgasoline W«h P»VQua,,2 SSJ £-lence-Demetrius Roberts andLawrence Anderson will alsoplay some at running back.while junior Jonathan Robertson could see some time atfullback. Seth Thompson willback up Hales.When Hales goes to the air,ft •he’ll be looking for seniorsAaron Zumwalt and LutherBurks.$8495FinancingZumwalt hasAaron stepped up this fall and he’ll pay well for us he’ll catch afootball, sid Thompson.Burks is making an unusual— ■ «81.00 O^FWrthft11 FT °ar WashesHwy. ,5PUrChaaa^ •’ Chantilly 4 84 WestT!Sswitch of positions for thisseason. He has moved to wideeceiver this season after play-^ . A ftA •ng defensive tackle tor theBraves last year.We think he’s capable offt . ftmaking some big catches onBuilt to rigorous quality standards, the Kioti LK 2554/2552 offers 26 horsepower to handle a variety of tasks, including everything from sm;dl farming and landscaping to light constructii n Experience the reliable performance and duiabie diesel power of the LK 2554/2552 series compac tractors at your local Kioti dealer. \ELLISVILLE AUTO SUPPLYoffense and making some big704 Hill St. / 477-8577
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Laurel Leader Call
Laurel, Mississippi, US
Thu, Aug 26, 1999
Page 20
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MS, USA 15 Oct 2020
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