Spartans play home opener Saturday
The Mississippi Spartans arena football team is scheduled to play their home opener in the Neshoba County coliseum Saturday night when they host Wichita Force. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.
The Spartan come into the game with an 0-1 record. They dropped a 46-40 decision to North Texas in Ft. Worth last Friday night.
“We had the lead at one point,” said team General Manager Charles Roberts said. “It was tied at 40-40 and they scored.
“North Texas was the defending champions and this was our first time out. I thought we played pretty well.”
Spartans quarterback Marquis Eberhart threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the first game. Running back Javonte Matthews ran for a touchdown, and defensive lineman Quasi Myers recovered a fumble and ran it in for a touchdown.
Arena football will be a new version to a beloved sport here in Neshoba County. The field in arena football is much smaller than NFL and college football, according to Internet sources. The field is 85-feet wide but only 50-feet long, half the length of other football fields. This field structure produces many more points and scoring opportunities. The out-of-bounds area is distinguished by hockey-style walls around the field.
The Spartans will play in the Arena Football Association. The league is in its second season and the Spartans are one of two new teams in the league.