Jackets to host spring jamboree today, Saturday
Football season is still more than three months away, but avid football fans can get their fix this weekend in Starkville.
Coach Chris Jones and his Starkville Yellowjackets are set to host a two-day jamboree featuring 14 teams from Mississippi and two more from Memphis. With teams like Louisville, Noxubee County, Columbus and Whitehaven out of Memphis, Jones believes it’s as good of a spring jamboree as fans could find anywhere in the state this year.
“It’s a great thing,” Jones said. “Starkville has always been a great place to host something like this and it’s a great location. We wanted to do it at Mississippi State, but we’ve got great facilities as well. It’s a great place for coaches and scouts to come watch teams compete.”
Tonight’s festivities begin with Memphis Woodale and Greenwood at 3 p.m. followed by Raymond and Neshoba Central around 5 p.m. the Yellowjackets are the main event as they’ll host perennial Memphis program Whitehaven around 7 p.m.
Jones won’t take much away from the action win or lose and he does want to stay completely healthy leaving the spring after having a couple of players go down with serious injuries already. With all of that said, he does want to see how his team stacks up to other top programs from the southeast.
“I don’t want to put a lot of stock in a spring game, but you want to see where you’re at before summer starts,” Jones said. “We’re playing a good team in Whitehaven and they’re loaded with the same caliber of players we have. It’s always a good thing to compete against the best teams, but it’s all about the end game which is December.”
Saturday will also see some top flight action at Yellowjacket Stadium with a loaded day of games beginning at 11 a.m. when Louisville plays Greenville. Lanier meets up with Leake Central at 1 p.m., Velma Jackson plays Yazoo City at 3 p.m., Murrah plays Columbus at 5 p.m. and Canton takes on Noxubee County to close the day at 7 p.m.
Running back Rodrigues Clark will be there to watch several of those games, including playing in his own game with the Jackets. Clark especially has been chomping at the bit to get back on the field after the excruciating Class 6A State championship loss to Pearl in December.
The senior-to-be has been one of the leaders of the program for the last two years and he’s not taking a day for granted.
“We’re just getting better day by day,” Clark said. “We’re trying to build a bond with the freshmen and get back to the same spot we were at last year. I’m very excited for the jamboree to see where our team is. I feel really good about this year.”