Friday Night Writes: Murrah @ Madison Central (Blitz Edition)

Ok. I am going to have to be very honest right now. See the word "blitz" in the title? I put that in there for two reasons: A) Its sounds and looks pretty cool. B) I thought it might be a cool way to say that this is a shortened, condensed version of Friday Night Writes. So consider this paragraph the condensed, fancy intro paragraph. This was fun, right? We should do this again.

Here are the basics (in no order whatsoever; in numbered form to save me time from typing awkward transition sentences).
1) Murrah comes into this game as the underdog. However, make no mistake. This is a very dangerous team. If MC can't stop Murrah from making big plays, this could be a very long night.
2) Murrah is lead by their star wide receiver (How often can you say that?), Malik Dear. You should know a few things about Dear. He's a very special playmaker who comes along very rarely at any school. The sophomore has accounted for 16 (!) touchdowns so far this season (6 receiving, 8 running, and 2 passing). Yes, you read that correctly. Dear has an arm, so watch for Murrah to pull out all the stops tonight.  MC knows that they have to watch this guy.
3) Now obviously, if a WR is the star of a team, there is a very capable quarterback taking the snaps. Vonnie Howard could have a breakout night if the Jags are too focused on stopping Dear.

Keys to the Game

• Madison Central offense: Just keep the ball moving. Keep your defense off the field. Murrah has the offensive firepower to keep up with you, so you'll have to score and score a lot. Key Player: Jake Schwartz
• Madison Central defense: Control Dear. Sure, Murrah has other playmakers, but none are as dangerous as the sophomore sensation. I'm going to stop saying "Don't give up big plays" because I've come to expect that you always will, but just don't give up too many, okay? If the defensive line can stay in Murrah's backfield, controlling Murrah's run game will not be too big of a problem. Key Unit: Defensive Line
• Murrrah offense: Give Dear the ball as often as possible. Every time you give him a touch, your chances to win this game increase. Don't turn the ball over, because MC has the ability to score. Key Player: (If it wasn't obvious already) Malik Dear
• Murrah Defense: We know that you probably won't be able to stop Madison Central a lot, but if you can make some turnovers, you can give your offense a chance to win this game. Key Unit: Secondary

Prediction: This has the potential to be a very close game, and if Malik Dear gets loose that could happen even moreso. But (I said this about the Clinton game too) I think that MC's quality of nonconference opponents, is the difference here. I'm predicting a close game for about 3 1/2 quarters, but MC will pull away at the end. Murrah 30 Madison Central 41

Friday Night Writes: Clinton @ Madison Central

The "jungletron" will be unveiled at tonight's game against Clinton.

Tonight, the jaguars of Madison Central will meet the Clinton Arrows at Jaguar Stadium. Excitement surrounds this game not only because many label it a rivalry game, but also because of the unveiling of what has become affectionately known by the student body at Madison Central as the "jungletron". Whatever the cause, the excitement surrounding the circumstances of this game can only mean one thing: an exciting atmosphere for an exciting game. Clinton is so excited that they dressed in orange and blue for their pep rally (Please don't ask me for the logic behind that.). Clinton is extremely ready not only for this game but also to win. Why? It has been exactly 2192 days since Clinton has beaten Madison Central. That's quite some time. Enough with the interesting pictures and stats. There ought to be some good football played tonight.

Clinton comes into this game with a first-year head coach. MC is going to test the Arrows' new head coach Judd Boswell and his team with an aggressive style of play. Madison Central is looking to run a balanced attack on offense tonight to keep the Arrow defense on its heels. The Jags will more than likely use a steady diet of outside runs combined with read options and some play-action passing. The CHS team, not normally known for their defense, will have to force and capitalize on turnovers, which have given the Jags some fits in recent weeks. On offense, the Jags will have to control Senior QB Cale Luke, who has both thrown and rushed for over 300 yards on the season. Historically, dual-threat quarterbacks, like Luke, have given the Jags some trouble on defense (see former Olive Branch QB Todd Mays). To stop Luke, the Jags must tackle better than they did against West Monroe, or else MC is in for a very long night.

Keys to the Game

• Madison Central's offense- Jake Schwartz's running ability and toughness has to be key tonight for the jags. Schwartz's throwing ability could allow him to pick apart almost any defense in region 2; however Coach Hall doesn't like to be one-dimensional (at least this year). Look for Jake to have a breakout night after his offense handles a mediocre Clinton defense. Key Player: Jake Schwartz
• Madison Central's defense- It's all about one person: Cale Luke. Make him cough up the football; he already has 5 fumbles this season (Luke has also thrown 5 interceptions). Luke has accounted for 73% of Clinton's total offense. If you stop Luke you will stop the Arrows. The main problem for MC's defense, though, is big plays. Every team MC has played has had several long touchdown plays (except Starkville); you cannot allow that to happen. Key Unit: Linebackers
• Clinton's offense- If Clinton wins the battle in the trenches, they can win this game. Clinton will look to utilize Cale Luke on nearly every down.  Clinton, who I'm sure watched film of the West Monroe game, knows that if they play tough, they will be rewarded. Key player: Cale Luke
• Clinton's defense- Jake Schwartz can beat you with his feet or his arm; plus you can't forget about Brandon Moore, Brandon Collins, or Doug Ball either. This is a tough task. The Arrows will have to play quick defense to keep MC from moving the football. Defensive backs will have to make tackles and stop Schwartz's arm all at once. But if Clinton can force turnovers, they have to like their chances in this game. Key Unit: Defensive backs

Prediction: Ultimately, I think MC, who has faced superior opponents than CHS, will be too much for the Arrows to handle. In my opinion, Clinton does not have the defense nor the offensive firepower to keep up with the Jags tonight. It will more than likely be another 365 days before Clinton has another chance to end their winless streak against Madison Central. Clinton 20, Madison Central 41.  

Friday Night Writes: Madison Central @ Olive Branch

Well, it's that time of year again. The guys are strapping up their chinstraps. The band is learning a new marching show. The newspapers are assigning writers to the important games. High school football starts tomorrow night in Mississippi, a week earlier than normal. And there is no bigger game than the one that will take place 23 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The returning 6A state champions, Olive Branch, take on the Madison Central Jaguars in a rematch of the North State Championship last year. In what is probably the fastest growing rivalry in 6A football, Madison Central has just had no luck. The Jags lost by 4 and 5 points, respectively, in their 1st and 2nd game against Olive Branch last year. However, if there was ever a year for the Jags, it's this year. They've come in flying fairly under the radar, ranked 8th by the Clarion Ledger. And no one really wants to bet on the Jags because they haven't broken through yet. This year Bobby Hall is taking all of his critics to school. MC is breaking out the brand-new spread offense (GASP!). That's right boys and girls. Madison Central will more than likely throw the ball more than 4 times in a game. Generally speaking, this offense is more suited to Madison's personnel and would, consequently, raise their chances to win this ball game. BUT, not so in this case.

Have you seen Olive Branch's new quarterback? Because if you're a jag fan, you better hope that Bobby Hall knew about Sam Craft before me (I found his highlights tonight).

Think smaller, faster, more agile, Chris Relf with a cannon of a right arm. OB's coach, Scott Samsel, got himself an excellent quaterback to replace Todd Mays. However, if I saw one weakness in that highlight reel, it was his arm. Yes, the highlight reel only showed completed passes, but it's a highlight reel, what did you expect? Craft tends to leave the ball in the air longer than to be desired when he throws the ball. In other words, it takes more time for the ball to get from point A to point B slower than a coach might want, giving the defensive backs of the other team more time to get to the ball. 

Keys to the Game

• Madison Central offense- It's pretty simple. Keep up with OB's offense and you will have your chance to win the game. Key Player: Jake Schwartz
• Madison Central defense- If the offense's job was simple. The defense's job is the opposite of simple and then some. But what job is that exactly? Slow down the Conquistador's offense and Sam Craft. Contain Craft and make him throw the ball, then it's all up to MC's defensive backs. Key Player: Brion Ballard
•  Olive Branch offense- Just do your thing and do it well. No one stopped you all last year, chances are that many won't this year wither. Key Player: Sam Craft
• Olive Branch defense- Stop MC's new offense. Sounds easy? No one's done it yet. Key Unit- Defensive Line

Prediction: Since this is the first game of the year, I will not predict a score of this game. There isn't nearly enough information on either team to predict a semi-accurate score. If Madison can contain and control Craft's ability to run, the Jags will win. If they can't, MC will lose. The outcome of this game, in my mind, revolves around the success of OB's offense, and that makes MC the underdog in my opinion. Either team could win by less than a touchdown. 

Buckle up for this game, it's sure to be a great one. 

Updated: You can watch the game live here at 7:30: http://www.quistorsports.com/?page_id=323

Friday Night Writes: Spring Football

After a long and eventful off-season, the Madison Central Jags are finally playing some more football. There is a lot to look forward to this next season, so I'll highlight what I'm watching for this spring as well as other things that will affect next season.

1. Coaching Changes- During the offseason, some Jag assistant coaches received some promotions. Coach Doug Jones is now the Head Coach at Corinth High School, a 3A school in Northeast Mississippi. Replacing Jones is coach Jamie Everett, an assistant coach at Madison Central last year.Coach Todd Mangum, former defensive coordinator, is leaving for a big-time 6A team, Wayne County. Coach Ty Trahan will replace Mangum as defensive coordinator. Trahan played linebacker at USM for 2 years in the late 90's and was also defensive coordinator at Amory HS (Bobby Hall's last coaching job before Madison) for two years.

2. A New Defense- With a new defensive coordinator comes a new defense. The Jags will play a 4-3 defense this year (under Mangum the Jags played a 3-4). This will be a key to stopping passing teams from throwing for what felt like 600 yards a game (see Olive Branch). (Hold on here, I'm about to get slightly technical.)

While the 3-4 defense is highly effective at higher levels, it's not necessarily a good idea on the high school level, in my opinion. The main problem is that the linebackers, in a 3-4 defense, must cover wide receivers  on pass plays. And most high schools don't have linebackers that can hold their own against the defensive line AND cover wide receivers. So switching to the 4-3 allows for cornerbacks to cover wide receivers instead of linebackers. It also adds another down lineman to put more pressure on the QB and stop the run.

3. New Faces- If faced with the loss of key players like Drew Rowell, Hugh Warren, Shauntez Ball, Maurice Bennett, and Devon Desper, most teams would label the following season a "rebuilding year". The Jags, however, have the talent and the depth to have an even better season than last year. Here are some of the people I'm looking at to step up this year.

Offense

• Jake Schwartz (Sr, 5'10", 170 lbs.)- Drew Rowell was more than capable of leading last year's offense down the field nearly every drive. But let's face it, it was a rather one dimensional offense (not necessarily Drew's fault) . That's what I believe Jake Schwartz brings to this football team: a legitimate, down-field passing threat. Players on the team have told me that the coaches have the team passing a lot more than they did last year. But that isn't all that Schwartz can do. Schwartz has great speed, which he showed off against Jim Hill high school (he rushed for 78 yards on 7 carries). Look for Schwartz to be a true, dual-threat quarterback under Bobby Hall's offense.
• Daniel Goodspeed (Sr, 6', 200 lbs.)- Losing a player like Hugh Warren would absolutely cripple most teams, and rightfully so. THE MAN RAN FOR 1230 YARDS LAST YEAR. But I believe that Goodspeed will be a more than suitable replacement for Hugh Warren. Goodspeed's stats speak for the themselves. He essentially had 600 yards in 5 games. Yeah, I don't think I have to say anything more.
• Brandon Collins (Sr, 5'8", 180 lbs.)- Collins proved that he can play a starting role in Hall's offense. Last year, he started when Brandon Moore was injured and rushed for 344 yards in 6 games. Look for Collins to become an essential part of a 1-2 punch at wingback featuring Collins and Brandon Moore.
• Bailey Pepper (Sr, 6', 250 lbs.)- No one will argue that Mississippi State signee Devon Desper is a mammoth of a man. But it will take an even bigger man, metaphorically speaking, to fill his shoes. Bailey Pepper, a two-year starter will take his place this year. I think that the former right tackle will have no trouble adjusting to the new position.
• Keith Williams (Sr, 6', 170 lbs.)- Where to start with Keith Williams? Williams probably had the most frustrating year of any player last year. Pass after pass after pass hit his hands and then fell to the ground. But let's give credit to Keith, he wouldn't start unless the coaches liked what they saw. Keith will get over his dropping problems, and from what I have heard, already has.

Defense

• Lemetrius Hollins (Sr, 6', 250 lbs.)- Strong, fast, and explosive. Those are the words used by another teammate to describe Hollins. Hollins will be looked upon to guide a young but talented defensive line this year.
• Jamarion Roberts (Jr, 5' 10", 180 lbs.)-  Jamarion Roberts is the only junior on this list for a reason. He's undoubtedly the hardest hitter on the team. In my opinion, he's the true wild card of this defense. If Jamarion shows up, this defense will be hard to do anything against.
• Jayron Harness (Sr, 6'2", 170 lbs.)- Jayron Harness will need to be the leader of what has become labeled the "least experienced part " of this team. This talented cornerback has a nose for the ball and a high football I.Q.
• Nick Greenfield (Sr, 5'11", 170 lbs.)- Greenfield is the classic example of a ball-hawking safety. And it doesn't hurt that he knows nearly everything about what's going on the defensive side of the ball. Expect Greenfield to see a lot of playing time this fall.

4. Here are the things I will be watching for at the spring game on Thursday.

1. How will Jake Schwartz be used?- No doubt he will throw and run, but how much of each will we see. The spring game might give us some insight into how the offense might look this coming fall.
2. Which is more dominant? A talented backfield (Goodspeed, Moore, Collins) or a talented front seven (Hollins, Jimmie Lee, Jamarion Roberts, Brion Ballard, etc.).
3. How cohesive is the offensive line?- Elite teams must have a good offensive line that works as one unit.
4. Will the wide receiver's catch the ball this year?- Whether the players will admit it or not, this was a major problem. It even cost the Jags a game against Olive Branch (8/19).
5. How will the defensive backs fare against serious passing threats?- Jake Schwartz should be a good measuring stick to this question.
6. How good is the back-up quarterback?- Why is anyone talking about the back-up quarterback? He's the Madison Central equivalent to Tim Tebow. Jimmie Smith, Jr (Sophomore). Does the name sound familiar? It should. He's the son of former Dallas Cowboy star Jimmie Smith, Sr. And he's arguably the most athletic student in the Madison County school district. I don't think he will start this fall, but you can bet that Bobby Hall will have pakcages that feature Jimmie Smith as quarterback. 
7. How deep is this team and what does the future look like?- The upcoming juniors and sophomores should provide an adequate answer because everyone gets reps in the spring game. I will definitely be watching for this answer. Here's some trivia for you: the upcoming junior class was the 2nd class in Madison Central history to go undefeated in 8th and 9th grade football. The first class to do that was ranked 4th in the nation (by Maxpreps.com) until losing to 1st ranked South Panola High School in the North State title game.

Spring games never fail to provide many story lines and a plethora of topics to talk about and this spring game looks to be no different.

Any comments/ questions/ thoughts? Thanks for reading!

Friday Night Writes: Madison Central @ Olive Branch- North State Championship

A rematch. That's what will take place this Friday night in Olive Branch, MS.  The Jags of Madison Central High School will play the role of underdog when they take on the Conquistadors of Olive Branch High School at 7 p.m. The first time these teams played, it took a two-minute drill for the Conquistadors to beat the Jags. So expect a very close game. The winner of this game will head to Jackson to play the winner of the Meridian- Petal in the 6A State Title game.

Madison Central is led by Drew Rowell and Hugh Warren. They have combined for over 2,200 yards of rushing this season. Running back Brandon Moore will not play the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. The running back duties will fall on Brandon Collins. Collins is averaging nearly 6 yards per carry this year. The Jags also boast a defense that held the run-heavy South Panola Tigers to 14 points. The Jag's front seven were EXTREMELY impressive last Friday night. The secondary has played well beyond my expectations recently, forcing two interceptions in the past two games.

Olive Branch is led by stud Senior QB Todd Mays. Mays has over 3,000(!!!) total yards. Mays is enough to deal with by himself. However, OB also boasts one of the nations top WR's. D'Arthur Cowan, a Arkansas commit, has over 1,100 yards with ONLY 56 catches. The Olive Brach Conquistadors also boast these.

As a Madison Central student, I think I speak for all my fellow Jags. Bobby Hall, Sign us up for these jerseys!

KEYS TO THE GAME

• Madison Central's defense must work as a unit. The D-Line must get to Todd Mays and then force a bad pass. The secondary must keep the talented OB WR's contained. Speaking of contained, you must keep Todd Mays contained as well. Sounds like a lot? It is. The key to this key is TACKELING. I remember one specific play from the August match up with these teams. Todd Mays made 9 tacklers miss. 9!!! Tackle, tackle, tackle!
• Olive Branch's defense has one simple task. Stop MC's run game. If they do that, this game will not even be close. MC has proved time and time again that they simply just cannot pass the football.
• MC's offense must be able to score at the same pace as OB or this game will get out of hand very fast. Very few punts for the Jags will allow the Jags to put more points on the board and more importantly, keep the ball out of Todd Mays hands.
• Olive Branch must torch the Jags through the air. Todd Mays threw for over 250 yards the past time these two teams played.
• The Jags must keep the ball out of the Todd Mays' hands in the final 4 minutes. This offense is SERIOUS GOOD. Stop him or leave yourself time to score the winning score.
• If the Jags win the turnover battle, MC WILL win.

Prediction: Rod Walker of the Clarion Ledger picked MC to lose to Northwest Rankin and South Panola. The Jags won both of those games. Walker has picked OB in this game as well. Most all Jag fans think that Rod Walker picking the opposite team is a good sign. I agree. Thanks Rod. MC-38, OB-35

Friday Night Writes: South Panola @ MCHS- 2nd Round 6A Playoffs

The 2nd Round of the 6A MHSAA Playoffs begin tonight. Arguably the most intriguing match up of the night, the South Panola Tigers will take on the Madison Central Jaguars. The Tigers have ended the Jag's past three seasons. The Jags are just plain tired of losing to South Panola. South Panola is the standard of football in the state of Mississippi. They have won 8 state championships since 1993. 5 of those were in a row. And if they didn't win the championship, they were runner up. That's right. They have been to the state championship every year since 1993.

Madison Central is led by seniors Drew Rowell and Hugh Warren who lead the team in rushing with over 2,000 combined yards. The Jags will be without leading running back Brandon Moore for the rest of the season. He is out with a broken wrist. The Jags will have to rely on sophomore RB's Doug Ball and Dillan Langley. However, the Jags will mainly rely on Rowell and Warren.

The University of South Panola will ride a 6 game win streak into The Jungle. They are led by 5 players who have rushed for over 100 yards this season. Namely, Antonio Conners leads the team with over 1,400 rushing yards this season. They are led on defense by Ole Miss commits Issac Gross (he's a huge human. HUGE.) and Temerio Strong. The Tigers will be without QB Tevis Flowers who was arrested this past week for shoplifting a Gatorade towel from Wal-mart.

KEYS TO THE GAME

• The Jags will have to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense they must account for both Temerio Strong and Issac Gross. On defense, they will have to keep the massive South Panola O-Line in check.
• If your a Jag, stop Antonio Conners and you will stop the Tigers. He is the key to their offense. If your a Tiger, force the run game on the smaller Jag defense. FORCE IT.
• The sophomore RB's for MC must hold on to the ball. And if your S.P., make the sophomores FEEL your presence.
• For both teams, make your field goals and extra points. This game might be that close.

Team Stats (Maxpreps.com)

Rushing Yards/ game: SP, 245/ MC, 350
Passing Yards/ game: SP, 71/ MC, 41
Yards/ game: SP, 316/ MC, 391
Tackles/ game: SP, 38/ MC, 54
Points/ game: SP, 29/ MC, 35


Prediction: Close game in the first half. Jags pull away in the 3rd Quarter. MCHS-24, UofSP-14

Friday Night Writes: Tupelo @ Madison Central- 1st Round Playoffs

MSHAA's 6A playoffs begin tonight. Two of the biggest schools in the state will face off this friday night. The Tupelo Golden Wave (6-5) will take on the Madison Central Jaguars (9-2).

Madison Central is led by M-W-R. (Brandon) Moore, (Hugh) Warren, and (Drew) Rowell, that is. They have rushed for a combined 2749 yards this season. However, the Jags have completed a measly 32 passes.

Tupelo is led Junior Running Back Ashton Shumpert. One thing to watch is that Tupelo will use Shumpert out of the Wild Cat tonight. Shumpert is averaging nearly 81 yards a game on the ground. The Golden Wave are using a two-quarterback system. QB Luke Hobson is averaging 115 yards a game through the air, while his counter-part, Thomas Harris, is averaging 80 yards passing per game.

Keys to the Game

• Jags will have to control the line of scrimmage on defense. And IF a Tupelo player gets past it, the linebackers and secondary must make tackles.
• The Golden Wave aren't just spectacular on offense. However, to make the playoffs, you have to be pretty good at either offense or defense. So, it must be the Jags key to keep the Golden Wave defense by either guessing or pounding the line of scrimmage. I think the will do the latter.
• The Jags offense will have to limit their turnovers. Especially on their own side of the field.

I honestly don't see this being much of a game. The only way Tupelo has a chance is if the Jags come out flat. So, in conclusion, (in my opinion) only the Jags can beat the Jags. Limit turnovers and they will win.

Prediction: Madison Central-45, Tupelo-28. Plus, the Jags will rush for 350+ yards.

Friday Night Writes: Thursday Edition- MCHS @ Northwest Rankin HS

What you are about to read is the preview to arguably the most anticipated regular season game of this year in the state of Mississippi.

Madison Central High School VS. Northwest Rankin High School

The Jaguars will walk into Cougar Stadium this Thursday night a very hot team. The Jaguars, ranked #5 by clarionledger.com's Super 10 rankings, average nearly 33 points a game and nearly 330 rushing yards a game. As hot as the Jaguars are, the #4 NWR cougars are even hotter. The winners of 9 straight games are averaging nearly 30 points a game. Plus, they're playing pretty good defense, especially on the D-line. NWR's defense is averaging 2.5 sacks a game ( but we'll talk about that later).

This is a heated rivalry game and I've talked to several fans on both sides. So I'll tell you what the average arguement is on both sides:

• NWR: "We're undefeated. 9-0. What's y'all's record? That's right. 7-2."
• MCHS: "We've played better teams! We have a harder schedule! Y'all can barely beat a 4A team ( NWR beat Mendenhall 47-44 in a very close game)!"

This discussion might be ended with several harsh words form both sides.

NWR is led by RB Ramone Nash.  This man, or beast, is AVERAGING 163 yards a game. AVERAGING!   He also accounts for nearly 2 touchdowns a game for the Cougars. QB Reid Humphreys isn't too shabby throwing the ball either( 105 yds/gm passing).NWR can play some defense, too. Their D is led by LB Daniel Myrick and DL Will Freeman, both of whom are tackling machines. However, the Cougars have struggled against the run at time this season, giving up 305 yards against Mendenhall.

Madison Central's rushing attack is one of the most potent in the state. Led by Senior QB Drew Rowell, who is good with his feet, averaging nearly 7 yards/ carry. The Jags main problem is that their offense is one dimensional, averaging about 40 yards a game through the air. However, unlike the Cougars, the Jags have a unpredictable defense. The secondary is the main question in my opinion.

Keys to the Game

• The Cougars, as mentioned before, have an excellent defensive line. During the game, they will begin to key in on the Jags rushing plays. The Jags must keep the Cougars on their heels by choosing different plays in different formations, or by utilizing the play-action passing game.
• The Jags have a fairly good defensive line led by DE Martez Simpson. The key for the Jags defense is to not let Ramone Nash into the secondary. Once in the secondary, Nash will likely torch the shaky unit. About 75% of the TD's that the Jags D has allowed have been long plays of 40+ yards. Easy TD's will translate into a easy win fore the Cougars.
• The right Cougars defense has to show up. Not the same defense that gave up 305 yards to Mendenhall.
• This is the key that I think will determine this game. As when any 2 closely matched teams play, special teams is important. Win special teams and the game will probably be easier to win.

Prediction- I'm not sure who will win but I have a feeling that team will win...
42-39 in OT.