Can’t tell the players without a program?

Cheer up. Things could be more difficult.

Imagine being the new head football coach at Brookhaven HighSchool. Andrew Hickman was hired last month and he started springpractice Monday.

Can’t tell the players without a program?

Cheer up. Things could be more difficult.

Imagine being the new head football coach at Brookhaven HighSchool. Andrew Hickman was hired last month and he started springpractice Monday.

Hickman has 90-95 players participating in practice. Thisincludes about 30 eighth graders. Naturally, a piece of tape on thefront of the helmet with the player’s name printed on it will helpHickman distinguish between them.

There’s a better way, according to Hickman.

“When a player makes a big hit in practice, I learn his namereal fast.”

Hickman was head coach and athletic director for three years atGeorge County in Lucedale before taking the Brookhaven job. He hasbrought in former Northeast Community College head coach LaurinCollins as an assistant. Collins is currently working with theoffensive line.

“We are learning together,” said Hickman. Presently, he iscommuting between Lucedale and Brookhaven on weekends. “I’ve got tobe here. Spring practice is important.”

Spring practice allows five days in shorts and 10 in fullequipment. Hickman hopes to have an opponent for a proposed May 18spring game under the lights of King Field.

“The worst thing is having to scrimmage against yourself,” saidHickman. “I want to get these kids on film, playing anotherteam.”

There are plenty of vacancies to fill on offense and defense.The 7-3 state playoff team of last season was hit hard bygraduation. On offense, two big linemen are returning in guard KernHoff and tackle Rayshon Autman.

In the backfield, Josh Anderson returns at fullback andCornelius Allen returns at tailback. Quarterback is up for grabs asa replacement is sought for All-Stater Fred Perkins who signed ascholarship with Tulane University.

Hickman said the punting and kicking game must be rebuilt, too.”Everybody is looking for good kickers.” A lot of strong-leggedsoccer players have landed football scholarships because they cankick the ball with accuracy and power.

At Franklin County in Meadville, veteran head coach Michael Goffis leading the Bulldogs through spring practice. Goff has a newoffensive coordinator in Johnny Monroe who resigned his position ofFranklin County baseball coach last week.

Franklin County will host the Cellular South Spring FootballJamboree on Friday, May 18th. Eleven schools are entered. Under thejamboree format, four teams will scrimmage simultaneously, on eachside of the 50-yard line. It will start at 4 p.m.

Congratulations to Franklin County point guard Carletta Brown onher scholarship signing with the Ole Miss Lady Rebels. Brown was abright spot in a losing campaign and she caught the eye of Ole Misscoaches during last summer’s AAU basketball tournament.

Besides being a whiz at shooting, dribbling and passing thebasketball, Brown excels in the classroom, ranking second in hersenior class. She is considered Franklin County’s first DivisionOne female signee in basketball.

If you are blessed with a long memory, you might rememberFranklin County basketball star Martin Cupit who signed withMississippi State University in the early 1970s. Cupit could shootthe lights out from the perimeter.

Goff has been coaching 29 years at Franklin County and he hasseen a lot of good football players come through the program.Bradlon Huff, a standout fullback two years ago at Franklin County,was recruited by LSU but wound up at Copiah-Lincoln CommunityCollege. Huff was used mainly as a blocking back and was moved totight end his sophomore year.

Huff graduated from Co-Lin last December and has walked on atMississippi State. MSU running backs coach Glenn Davis can alwaysuse another good blocker for his elusive tailbacks and strong-armedquarterbacks. Huff, by the way, is a first cousin to Brown.

Goff said Franklin County produced a standout quarterback, JimmyCausey, in the late 1960s and he signed with Ole Miss. He letteredin 1971 and ’72, first as a safety and then as a quarterback.