The Sumrall Bobcats did something last Friday they haven’t done since 2012, and it happened during the season opener rather than a late-season October matchup like it did six years ago.
“It was probably the best opening game we’ve played in a long time,” Sumrall coach Shannon White said of his team’s 36-7 win.
Sumrall hadn’t won a game by more than 29 points since it did on Oct. 19, 2012, against Pass Christian with a 49-3 win. Last Friday, Sumrall handed South Jones some payback, 36-7.
“I thought we had great preparation for the first game,” White said. “We have a veteran team. We have a few first-time starters, but a lot of these guys have been playing. We just have a veteran group out there that has played a lot of games. Even though it was the first game, you kind of expect that.”
Senior Dannis Jackson assumed quarterback duties, and he dazzled by passing for 153 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-18 passing while rushing for 117 yards and two scores on 14 attempts. In return, senior Zane Berry caught eight of Jackson’s passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
White was confident in Jackson’s abilities at quarterback, but he even couldn’t anticipate a performance like he had Friday night.
“I never expected him to be 14 out of 18, but I’ve said all along, he has a good arm and he’s only going to get better because he’s really been practicing quarterback for three weeks now,” White said. “He should improve as the year goes on, he’ll get to where he reads (defenses) a little better and we’ll add some routes here and there.
“The guy has a lot of poise back there and he couldn’t have played any better for a first game.”
Now, Sumrall turns its attention to Wesson, a team Sumrall is 3-2 against over the last five years. The Bobcats have won the last two meetings, however, but it’s a little bit of a different challenge this year. Just like in season openers, where teams don’t know much about each other, White doesn’t have that much film from Week 1 to look at.
Wesson played at Crystal Springs last week, but rain and lightning forced the game to be called midway through the second quarter. White and the Bobcats are still familiar with Wesson, though, because of those five prior meetings going back to 2013.
“They have plenty of speed,” White said. “Their running backs are impressive and their quarterback is fast. They have a lot of guys back from last year so they’re a veteran team.”
In the abbreviated game, senior JaQuavion Harris carried the ball nine times for 51 yards and sophomore Jason Edwards had nine attempts for 46 yards. Sophomore quarterback Antrelle Sims only attempt one pass, which was incomplete, but he did score the game’s lone touch from the ground.
Defensively, Wesson didn’t allow Crystal Springs to score a single point either.
“They have good team speed on defense,” White said. “Just really good. They have some big boys up front and I think they have a good bunch.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Wesson.
