Mississippi’s Dandy Dozen was named by the Clarion Ledger newspaper last week. This is the highest honor that Mississippi high school football players strive to receive. The squad is led by Mississippi’s top-rated player in Choctaw County’s Caleb Cunningham. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound wide receiver is an Alabama commit. Ole Miss, MSU, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas all showed interest in the Ackerman native. The second-ranked player in the state is George County quarterback Deuce Knight. The 6-foot-5, 206 pounder is a Notre Dame commit, but Auburn and Ole Miss are not out of the picture. Mississippi State commits making the list were Velma Jackson defensive end Tyshun Willis (6-1, 230), Noxubee County quarterback KaMario Taylor (6-4, 205), Kemper County offensive lineman Mario Nash (6-4, 280) and Winona linebacker Tyler Lockhart (6-3, 200).
Ole Miss commits are Oak Grove defensive lineman Andrew Maddox (6-3, 265), Holmes County safety Cortez Thomas (6-1,180), and Lake Cormorant linebacker Jarcoby Thomas (6-1, 205). Laurel offensive lineman Tyler Miller (6-5, 315) is an LSU commit. Two players are still undecided in Quitman, running back Akylin Dear (6-1, 200) and Hattiesburg lineman Kevin Oatis (6-2, 285). Dear was once committed to Ole Miss but may be leaning toward Alabama. MSU, Ole Miss and LSU are still in the running for Oatis.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association Board voted last week to partner with the University of Southern Mississippi for the 2024 State Football Championship.
Remaining a three-day event for the second consecutive year, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Gridiron Classic will begin on Thursday, December 5, with Class 3A at 4:00 pm and Class 7A at 7:30 pm. Friday’s (Dec. 6) Class 1A and Class 5A championships will be played at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm, respectively. On Saturday (Dec. 7), Class 2A will play at noon, followed by Class 4A at 3:30 and Class 6A at 7:00.
The college football season will kick off next Thursday as three Mississippi teams begin the 2024 season. Jackson State will be the first state school to start the season with a 6 p.m. kickoff in Monroe. One hour later, Alcorn will play at UAB and Delta State will play at Mars Hill. Two days later, Mississippi Valley will open in Nashville against Tennessee State while Mississippi entertains Eastern Kentucky with both games beginning at 5 p.m. Ole Miss is next in line with a 6 p.m. kick as they host Furman. Southern Miss will be last to go on opening weekend with a 6:45 kickoff as they travel to the University of Kentucky. Belhaven, Millsaps and Mississippi College have open dates and will play the following week.
Okolona native Tim Bowens will be inducted into the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor. Bowens also played at Itawamba Community College and Ole Miss before being selected in the first round of the 1994 draft by Miami. Bowens played his entire 11-year NFL career with the Dolphins. He is the 28th member of the Ring of Honor and will join the likes of Don Shula and Dan Marino.
The Minnesota Vikings signed former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. He will compete with former USM signal caller Nick Mullens for a spot on this year’s roster.
Golf
The Sanderson Farms PGA Tour event will have a new sponsor beginning in 2025. Sanderson Farms has been the sponsor since 2013, but the Laurel based company merged with Wayne Farms to become Wayne-Sanderson. Talks are underway about a new title sponsor for 2025. This year’s tournament will be played at the Jackson Country Club from September 30-October 6.
Ally Ewing and Julia Lopez Ramirez have been selected to represent Mississippi State in the AIG Women's Open beginning on August 21 at historic St. Andrews golf course.
Baseball
Alcorn State has hired Carlton Hardy from Savannah State as the Braves' new head baseball coach. The former Grambling player, who has been at Savannah the past 18 years, replaces Reggie Williams. The Braves have not had a winning season in 15 years.
Dale has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. Listen to Dale and Marshall Wood on the Brouhaha Sports Show Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WABO FM 105.5 in the Waynesboro area. This week’s guest will be outdoor reporter and college baseball coach Ben Smith. To listen to the broadcast on your computer or smart phone anywhere in the world, go to Google Chrome, go to wabo105.com and click listen live. You may also go to The Brouhaha on YouTube and listen to archived shows.
