I pulled up to Lions Field in Sumrall last Friday to cover a football game for only the second time since I’ve worked here. I couldn’t believe it, but it was true.
You see, I usually go to the best, most intriguing matchup of the week, and the Bobcats usually aren’t it, unfortunately. If I had to guess, I would say I’ve covered nearly 50 high school games in the three years I’ve been in Hattiesburg. Maybe more, maybe less, but I think that’s a good estimation. Friday night was only the third time I’ve seen Sumrall play.
The first time was a regular-season loss to Greene County, which eliminated the Bobcats from a playoff spot in 2016, and the second time was a win over Sacred Heart last season.
Needless to say, I was excited to see them play against Richton last week. Sumrall was 4-0 for the first time since its 12-1 season in 1988, and Richton came to town with a 3-1 record.
This 5-0 start to the season is uncharted territory for the football program. So much so, that Sumrall hasn’t started a season 5-0 since that ‘88 season when it went 12-0 before losing in the state semifinals. Dating back to 2008, Sumrall has had eight losing seasons, and last season’s playoff appearance was only the fifth time since this millennium started.
Despite allowing the most points it has all season, Sumrall looked legit Friday. But how legit? Can it contend for a region title? Poplarville is still a tough hurdle to clear. What about a deep playoff run? I think that’s certainly possible even if it finishes second or third in the region.
There’s not going to be too many teams that can stop Dannis Jackson with the ball in his hands, although Poplarville has done a good job stopping him at receiver the last couple of years. This time, though, Jackson will start the play with the ball at QB, and that makes him even scarier.
I was curious what Jackson would look like throwing the ball, too, and I wasn’t disappointed. He doesn’t pick up a ton of yards every game, but more importantly, he takes care of the ball. So far, he has zero interceptions on 58 passing attempts with a 67 percent completion rate. Instead of trying to fit a pass into a small hole, he’s more likely to tuck it and run to pick up more yards.
Jackson leads the team with 495 yards rushing, but Ty’rek Preston and Gabe Cocroft are two excellent options at running back. Preston is more of the every-down back, running between the tackles, while Cocroft took the ball on receiver sweep plays Friday night. He showed nice speed coming around the corner, too.
Cocroft is also the team’s leading receiver, as Zane Berry continues to miss games with a knee injury. Once he’s back and fully healthy, he’ll add another threat to the offense.
I’m not the best at judging offensive line play, but I thought they did a good job Friday night. Coach Shannon White has mentioned to me that Jackson has to scramble to throw the ball more times than he’s liked, so take that for what it’s worth.
Defensively, Sumrall is stout. Richton was able to move the ball a little, and I heard several players on the sideline saying how that wasn’t normal for teams to do this season. Richton is a solid 2A team, though.
The Bobcats didn’t allow an offense to score until Week 3, but the starters weren’t on the field for that either. The Rebels scored 20 points on them last week, but when it mattered, the defense got a takeaway or forced Richton to punt.
Jackson said it after the game Friday, too. When the offense couldn’t get out of its own way in the second half, the defense stepped up and held Richton down.
The Bobcats have all the ingredients to be a contender, but there is one thing missing – experience. We’ll soon find out if that matters or not.
Follow Camal on Twitter via @PineBeltSPORTS or email him: camal@PineBeltSPORTS.com
