4 Rockets football players lead North All-Star team
Three senior football players from Neshoba Central will be playing in the 73rd Bernard Blackwell All Star Football Classic Saturday at Joseph Milner Stadium, Lindy Callahan Field, in Gulfport.
Eli Anderson will be one of the quarterbacks for the North team. One of his favorite receivers, Ja’Naylon Dupree, is also on the North team. Maxton Woodward will be anchoring the defensive line for the North.
Neshoba Central coach Patrick Schoolar will be an assistant coach for the North.
The game kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. General admission tickets will be available at the gate for $10 per person, with all seats general admission.
The Bernard Blackwell All Star Football Classic is formerly known as the Mississippi High School All Star Football Game and was originated in 1950 by Mississippi State Coach Arthur “Slick” Morton.
The Mississippi Association of Coaches assumed sponsorship of the game from the Jackson Touchdown Club in 1993. In 1994, the game was renamed for Coach Bernard Blackwell, the late Executive Director of the MAC.
The game will only be available for broadcast on an internet stream at Friday Night Under The Lights at fnutl.com or the MAC Network on the website at mscoaches.com/mac-network/livestream.
The game will also be available on live streaming on Apple TV, Roku and Firestick.
The North will be coached by Tyrone Shorter of Louisville, while the South will be led by Ryan Earnest of Laurel. Each squad consists of 42 players.
The game features a North-South format, and the South leads the series 34-29-4.
In the 72nd Annual Bernard Blackwell Classic played on Dec. 19, 2020, the South defeated the North 16-10 at Bulldog Stadium on the campus of Brandon High School.
The C-Spire Most Valuable Offensive Player for the South was quarterback Alan Follis of West Jones, while the South’s C-Spire Most Valuable Defensive Player was linebacker Jalen Wells of Scott Central.
The North C-Spire Offensive MVP was quarterback Jake Weir of Tupelo, and the C-Spire North Defensive MVP was linebacker Steven Betts of East Webster.
The Bill Stewart Award winner for the South was quarterback Ruben Lee of Moss Point, while the Bill Stewart Award winner for the North was wide receiver Creek Robertson of Madison Central.