Gene’s Journal

AGAINST A SUPRISINGLY TOUGH ALCORN CENTRAL DEFENSE, THE TIGERS LED ONLY 7-0 WITH 0:43 SECONDS LEFT IN THE FIRST HALF.  ACIE VANCE WENT IN FROM 28-YARDS ON A REVERSE, AND THE TIGERS FORCED A FUMBLE WITH 0:21 SECONDS LEFT.  THEN WILL WALLIS TOSSED A FIVE-YARD T.D. TO VANCE ON THE LAST PLAY OF THE HALF, AND DAMONE McDONALD RAN THE SECOND HALF KICKOFF BACK 71-YARDS FOR A SCORE, AND THE TIGERS WERE IN CONTROL LEADING 27-0 AT THAT POINT.

FRESHMAN ACIE VANCE TOTALLED 160 YARDS OF OFFENSE AGAINST ALCORN CENTRAL, RUSHING FOR A 28-YARD T.D. ON A FLANKER REVERSE, CATCHING SIX PASSES FOR 98 YARDS AND A 5-YARD SCORE, AND RETURNING TWO PUNTS FOR 34 YARDS.  VANCE NOW HAS 18 CATCHES FOR 373 YARDS AND 4 SCORES, MORE THAN TRIPLING JIM MILLER’S OLD SCHOOL FRESHMAN MARKS.

DAMONE McDONALD CONTINUED HIS STELLAR SENIOR SEASON RETURNING A KICKOFF 71-YARDS FOR A SCORE, AND MAKING 8 TACKLES AND RECOVERING A FUMBLE ON DEFENSE.

WILL WALLIS’ FOUR P.A.T. UPPED HIS CAREER KICK SCORING TOTAL TO 80 POINTS.  THE OLD SCHOOL RECORD WAS 71 CAREER POINTS BY A KICKER SET BY WADE CANTY IN 1990-91.  WALLIS ALSO POSTED HIS FIRST T.D. RUSHING OF THE SEASON, SCAMPERING 8 YARDS FOR THE SCORE AND THREW HIS 8TH T.D. PASS OF THE SEASON.  JUNIOR TONY BLACK ALSO POSTED HIS FIRST T.D. OF THE SEASON RUNNING A YARD FOR RIPLEY’S FIRST SCORE.

SENIOR JAQUISE COOK WAS HELD OUT OF THE END ZONE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON AS OFFICIALS NEGATED A SCORING RUN, BUT RUSHED FOR 140 YARDS ON JUST SIXTEEN CARRIES.  COOK HAS 50 CAREER T.D. AND 300 POINTS SCORED IN HIS CAREER AND NOW HAS 1,309 YARDS AND 18 T.D. RUSHING ON THE SEASON.

BOTH NOSEGUARD MICHAEL McBRYDE AND END JONATHAN BRADDOCK RECOVERED THEIR FOURTH FUMBLES OF THE YEAR IN THE WIN OVER THE GOLDEN BEARS.  THE SCHOOL RECORD IS SEVEN FUMBLE RECOVERIES IN A SEASON SET BY MAURY SYMS IN 2004.

SENIOR RYAN RICHARDSON POSTED 11 TACKLES TO LEAD THE TIGERS.  JUNIOR CHASE CHAPMAN HAD NINE TACKLES AND McBRYDE, McDONALD, AND RASHUN ADAMS HAD EIGHT STOPS.  ADAMS ALSO HAD A SACK AND SCORED THE FIRST SAFETY OF THE SEASON DROPPING A BEAR BACK IN THE END ZONE IN THE THIRD PERIOD.

This weekend, Tupelo’s boys and Oxford girls swim teams look to defend their state championships at the MHSAA state swim meet in Biloxi. We’re staffing and will have the info in Sunday’s edition.

Next weekend, Tupelo’s cross country teams – boys and girls – bid for their eighth consecutive state titles. Impressive.

Also next week, we’ll have our preseason boys and girls Northeast Mississippi high school basketball rankings and a look at the top teams. The football-playing schools begin tipping off the first week in November. I’m ready for hoops. Just bought a pair of retro low Air Jordan 1s … really old school for a really old sports writer.

Here’s a few predictions for Friday’s top games:

- Tupelo bounces back after loss to South Panola with a 28-6 win at DeSoto Central.

- In the game of the week, IAHS edges Shannon in OT, 20-14.

- Bruce’s tough schedule will pay off here, Trojans 27-19.

- Corinth continues along its unbeaten path with a 34-22 win at North Pontotoc.

Love to see what others think the outcome will be in these four games.

Tupelo’s boys and Oxford’s girls captured the MHSAA’s North Mississippi swim championships last Saturday in Jackson. Both teams will attempt to defend their 2007 state titles this weekend in Biloxi at the state meet.

Check Tuesday’s Daily Journal for the results from Saturday’s North half meet.

Also, look for a state meet preview on Friday’s weekly high school page.

THE TIGERS’ 50-21 WIN OVER NORTH PONTOTC FRIDAY WAS THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW AND IN THIS SEASON THAT RIPLEY HAS SCORED 50 OR MORE POINTS IN A GAME.  THE 1991 TIGERS ARE THE ONLY OTHER TEAM IN TIGER HISTORY TO SCORE 50 OR MORE IN THREE GAMES DURING THE SEASON.

SENIOR JAQUISE COOK ROLLED UP 232 YARDS AND A TRIO OF T.D.’S ON JUST 16 CARRIES (14.5 YARDS PER CARRY) TO SPARK THE TIGER WIN OVER THE VIKINGS.  COOK NOW HAS 1,169 YARDS AND 18 RUSHING T.D. ON THE SEASON.  FRESHMAN DEVIN JONES ADDED 84 YARDS AND A SCORE AND EXTENDED HIS FRESHMAN RUSHING RECORDS TO 637 YARDS AND NINE TOUCHDOWNS.

THE TIGERS ARE ROLLING UP MASSIVE NUMBERS OF YARDS THIS SEASON.  THE TIGERS ARE AVERAGING 444.9 YARDS PER GAME TOTAL OFFENSE, RUSHING FOR 2,865 YARDS AND SCORING 39.38 POINTS PER GAME, ALL THERE ON SCHOOL RECORD PACE AFTER EIGHT GAMES.

FRESHMAN ACIE VANCE HAD 3 CATCHES FOR 64 YARDS AND A T.D. AND HAS SHATTERED JIM MILLER’S FRESHMAN PASS CATCHING RECORDS.  VANCE HAS 12 CATCHES FOR 277 YARDS AND THREE T.D.  ALL THREE TOTALS ARE RIPLEY FRESHMAN RECORDS.

SENIOR QUARTERBACK WILL WALLIS WAS 6-10 FOR 100 YARDS AND A PAIR OF T.D. TO ACIE VANCE AND JUNIOR TIGHT END CRAIG CHUNN.  WALLIS HAS TOSSED FOR 7 T.D. WITH ONLY 4 INTERCEPTIOS AND IS ON PACE FOR A 1,000 YARD PASSING SEASON, A RARITY IN TIGERLAND.

LINEBACKERS RYAN RICHARDSON AND FRESHMAN RASHID MARCH EACH HAD 12 TACKLES TO LEAD THE TIGERS OVER NORTH PONTOTC.
RICHARDSON DEFLECTED A PASS AND MARCH FORCED A FUMBLE.  NOSEGUARD MICHAEL McBRYDE HAD NINE TACKLES AND RECOVERED A PAIR OF FUMBLES, AND JUNIOR END JONATHAN BRADDOCK ADDED EIGHT TACKLES, FORCED ONE FUMBLE AND RECOVERED ANOTHER.

Should Tupelo coach Eric Collins have gone for the 2-point conversion in the final minutes of Friday’s game against South Panola? You darn right. The momentum was going the Golden Wave’s way. The play call was a good one. You’re playing the best team in the state, maybe the region … make them stop you.

South Panola’s strong running game would have made them the favorite in OT.

Good call, coach. And, I bet he’d do it again, and again, and again.

These three games will be on everybody’s radar in NEMiss this Friday night: South Panola at Tupelo, North Pontotoc at Ripley and Aberdeen at Louisville.

My picks: Tupelo stops the streak with 21-20 win.

Ripley wins with a late TD at home, 34-28.

Aberdeen escapes with 20-13 decision.

I’d love to see other’s takes on these three games.

The second round of the MHSAA’s state volleyball playoffs is scheduled for today. In Class II action, Tupelo visits defending state champion Olive Branch while Oxford travels to Southaven. In Class I, Lafayette County visits Ackerman.

Here’s hoping the weather forecast that calls for 70 percent chance of the wet stuff Tuesday is off the mark – something like 30 percent would be a lot better. Why? We need to get in the first round of the MHSAA state slow-pitch softball playoffs.

Here’s Tuesday’s opening round of games:
MHSAA Slow-Pitch
State Playoffs, First Round
Tuesday’s Best-of-Three Series
Class 5A
North
Clinton at Tupelo, 4 p.m.
South Panola at Jim Hill
Columbus at Madison Central
Wingfield at Grenada
South
Ocean Springs at NW Rankin
Warren Central at Biloxi
Meridian at George County
Harrison Central at Brandon

Class 4A
North
Vicksburg at Pontotoc, 4 p.m.
Neshoba Central at Pearl
Tishomingo Co. at Cleveland, 2 p.m.
Ridgeland at New Hope
South
Picayune at Quitman
Brookhaven at D’Iberville
NE Lauderdale at Poplarville
East Central at Div. 6 winner

Class 3A
North
East Side at Kossuth, 5 p.m.
Mooreville at Louisville, 4 p.m.
North Pontotoc at Independence, 4 p.m.
Choctaw Central at Nettleton, 4 p.m.
South
North Pike at Newton County
Richland at Perry Central
SE Lauderdale at Columbia
Purvis at Franklin County

Class 2A
North
Ruleville at Baldwyn, 4 p.m.
Hatley at Leland, 2 p.m.
Walnut at West Bolivar, 2 p.m.
J.Z. George at Hamilton, 5 p.m.

South
Enterprise at Union
Div. 6 runner-up at St. Patrick’s
Philadelphia at St. Andrew’s
Div. 8 runner-up at Div. 6 winner

Class 1A
North
Coffeeville at Wheeler, 2 p.m.
West Union at Ingomar, 5 p.m.
Pine Grove at Broad Street, 2 p.m.
Smithville at Myrtle, 5 p.m.
South
Bogue Chitto at East Webster, 4:30 p.m.
Sebastopol at Stringer
Nanih Waiya at West Lincoln
Puckett at Noxapater