Sports historians would refer to 2003 as the Year of theQuarterback in Region 6-4A. There were some outstandingsignal-callers prowling the gridirons, all the way from Magnolia inthe south to Jackson in the north.

Region 6-4A football coaches met Wednesday at Western Sizzlin toselect the all-region squad. Brookhaven defensive end Philip Tobiaswas a unanimous choice for Defensive Player of the Year. Tobias(6-4, 280) has announced his intentions to sign with the Universityof Southern Mississippi in February.

There was some serious debate among the coaches regarding thePlayer of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year honors. Itcame down to a secret ballot among the seven head coaches.Quarterback Fred Jones of South Pike was chosen Player of the Yearand quarterback Jimmy Johns was named Best Offensive Player.

Lawrence County quarterback Casey Williams received some seriousconsideration for Offensive and PY honors. Also mentioned was JimHill quarterback Tony Hobson.

Looking ahead, Johns (6-2, 220) and Hobson (6-2, 190) are bothjuniors so football fans can anticipate some more big offensiveplays and success for the Panthers and Tigers in 2004.

It’s safe to say the Hill Tigers were the hard-luck team of theyear. They lost to three of the top four region teams, Brookhaven,Lawrence County and McComb, by a total of 14 points. The Tigerssurprised South Pike 41-34 at Magnolia.

Coached by Daryl Jones, the Tigers were left out of the playoffsdespite a 5-4 record.

Johns finished Brookhaven’s campaign with 2,263 all-purposeyards. He rushed for 820 yards and 7 touchdowns. He completed 86 of160 passes for 1,443 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Strong and fast, Johns should be a bluechip prospect next fall,making everyone’s preseason all-state squad. Tobias became thefirst BHS football player to make The Clarion-Ledger’s All-StateFirst Team unit.

Looking ahead to 2004, BHS head coach Tucker Peavey believes hisPanthers should be strong again. The 1-2 running combination ofRonnie McNulty (985 yards, 11 TDs) and Dominique Smith (828 yards,9 TDs) are returning.

Johns also has 4 of his top 5 receivers coming back among themTaurean Jones (27/411, 4 TDs), Bud Chatman (19/263, 3 TDs).

Brookhaven’s magnificent offensive line loses three starters tograduation in guards Adam Ogden and Kenneth Fairman and tackleJames Barker. Returning are center Grant McDonnieal and tackleTyler Gatlin.

Placekicker Will Thibodeaux and punter/quarterback Brandt Hintonalso return.

Certainly, the defense will miss seniors Tobias, Julius Dixonand Patrick Earl at end plus senior linebackers Aljur Herring,Jason Dixon and Tyrone Jones, along with Jarvis Wilson at freesafety. On the bright side, Jessie Bowman and Zach Ray return attackle. Darius Perkins and Marlon Dixon return at linebacker. T.J.Qualls and Anthony Caffie return at cornerback.

Besides Brookhaven’s tough region foes, the Class 4A South Stateplayoffs are a tremendous challenge for teams fortunate to advance.Folks like state champion Wayne County, South runner-up West Jonesand semifinalist George County have extremely strong footballprograms. They should be tough again next season.

We will miss working with Wesson head football coach RonaldGreer. His decision to give up coaching after 14 seasons was atough one. Greer wants to serve God in the ministry. He also has awife and three children to care for so he will remain principal andathletic director at Wesson for a time.

Greer always had a lot of compassion for his players and he wasconcerned about their spiritual lives, too. Some coaches just usetheir players as instruments or stepping stones for success. Greerprovided a fatherly concern for his team and expected his assistantcoaches to do likewise.

Wesson always seemed to win with character. After whipping WestLincoln early in the season, I asked one of the West Lincolnplayers what he thought about Wesson.

His answer. “They showed a lot of class.”

A football team usually reflects the attitude and character ofthe head coach. Hopefully, Wesson will come up with anotheroutstanding young man to lead the football program.