State sends gridiron best to battle
By By Mark Etheridge / special to The Star
June 12, 2002
Saturday night the best prep players in Mississippi will test their skills against the best from Alabama. Before that happens, the players intend to test their skills and have a lot fun in the process.
Saturday's game will be televised on Fox SportSouth and begins at 7 p.m. This will be the first opportunity for most of these players to showcase their skills in front of a regional television audience. There is also a lot of excitement playing in front of the expected large crowd at Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
everybody."
Mississippi receiver Tee Milons, from Starkville, seemed to have the right outlook on the added pressure.
Wayne County defensive lineman Willie Evans is also not overly concerned with the crowd or the score of the game.
just going to have fun."
The squads arrived Sunday at Mobile's Brookley Field. After getting acquainted and undergoing orientation, both squads rested in preparation for four days of two-a-day practices. Each year the players in this classic are a little rusty early in the week. That is understandable since their last action was several months ago.
Milons, like many players, is using this week to get a sneak preview of what things will be like when college camps begin in August.
school. Everybody here is an all-star. The DBs put their hands on you a lot more. That and the linebackers are going to cover their zone. They cover their zone and that makes it tough to get yards after the catch."
Getting those yards after the catch may be necessary for the Mississippi squad with the absence of High School all-American Jerious Norwood. Norwood, a Mississippi State signee from Brandon, is recuperating from an injury and will miss the game.
Throughout the week, the teams will attend a Mobile Bay Bears minor league baseball game, attend a movie, and tour the battleship USS Alabama. On Friday night, they will greet the public in a "Meet the Players" at Ladd Stadium.
Alabama head coach Steve Savareese of 6A state champion Daphne, is the beneficiary of a very strong defensive line.
Those quality defensive linemen will square off with an enormous offensive front for the Mississippi squad. That large line is led by 6'8" 360 pound Monte Collins of Provine. Collins is a MSU signee as well – one of eleven in the game.
The teams are packed full of college-bound talent and should provide for an exciting game.
