By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
July 18, 2002
It's that time of year once again. The 53rd Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic will be played at Madison Central High School tomorrow night.
Tickets for the game are $5 and all the seating will be general admission. The pregame activities are set to start at 7 p.m. with the kickoff to follow at 7:30.
The 2001 Bill Stewart Award and the Cotton Robertson Award will be presented at halftime. Also the state's 2001 championship coaches will be recognized at the half.
The players are split into a North and South team. 35 players were chosen to compete on each team in the game.
The teams battled to a 7-7 tie in last season's game. The South holds the overall series lead with a 24-20-4 record in the matchup.
The players reported on Monday and have been practicing this week. The North team has been practicing at Holmes Community College in Goodman and the South team has been practicing at Hinds Community College in Raymond.
Jimmy Mitchell of Corinth will be the head coach for the North squad. Assisting him will be Chris Coleman of Corinth, Jamie Mitchell of Charleston, Mickey Sellers of Cleveland and David Wilkerson of Horn Lake.
Bruce Merchant of Collins lead the South team. Perry Coggin of West Marlon, Buddy Duke of R.H. Watkins, Richard Hall of Pisgah and Kevin Jackson of Collins will assist Merchant.
A few local players will be representing the area on the teams. On the North team, Davis Carter and Leron Yarbrough will both represent Louisville High. Marco Roby, a defensive lineman from Noxubee County High, will also play on the team.
Four area players made the South squad. Brodie Jones and Greg Moore, both of Wayne County High, made the team. Jones is a linebacker while Moore will play on the defensive line. David McConnell of Newton County High will e the kicker for the South squad and Jared Parten of West Lauderdale will play tight end.
The game, formerly known as the Mississippi High School All-Star Football Game, was started in 1950 by Mississippi State coach Arthur "Slick" Morton. Coca Cola became a joint sponsor in the event in 1985 and the Mississippi Association of Coaches took over sponsorship from the Jackson Touchdown Club in 1993.
In 1994, the game was renamed for the late Executive Director of the MAC, coach Bernard Blackwell.