Area schools play 7-on-7 football at Natchez High

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 8, 2016

NATCHEZ — Natchez High School football coach Roy Rigsby stood in a circle of Natchez, Vidalia and Ferriday high school players after approximately one hour of playing 7-on-7 football.

He praised the boys for the competition and commitment Miss-Lou’s three public school squads showed in their 7-on-7 scrimmages at Natchez High School.

“One of the things I wanted to see is, in a moment of adversity, if you can’t make the play, how quickly they would bounce back from that,” Rigsby said.

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Ferriday head coach Dwight Woods said Tuesday’s simulated games were a chance for players from all three schools to play in a competitive environment. He also commented on the mutual respect the three schools share for each other.

“It gives them the opportunity to compete,” Woods said. “I certainly appreciate those coaches that gave them the opportunity to come out here.”

Woods said it was good for his players to practice against other teams in a new setting, but his squad had also not focused on running plays in several weeks.

“We need opportunities to play against somebody else,” Woods said. “We haven’t been concentrating on 7-on-7 work. Our work has been more focused on getting stronger and getting faster.”

For Vidalia head coach Jeff Hancock and the Vikings, the trip to Natchez High was slightly shorter than it was for Ferriday. Still, Hancock said his message to his team was that the experience his offense and defense gained against Natchez, a Class 5A school in MHSAA, would make them better prepared when the regular season rolls around.

“We went against two of some of the most talented teams in the area” Hancock said. “To go against those two teams in 7-on-7 every week will make you better.”

Hancock highlighted the play of his mike linebacker, sophomore Tony Tolliver, and said he reeled in a handful of interceptions. Tolliver also took snaps as a slot receiver for quarterback Tristan Weatherly.

Hancock said adding an extra variable — players tall, shorter, faster or slower than Vidalia’s own players — adds an extra wrinkle to the Vikings’ practice.

“Some of those passing windows are tighter,” Hancock said. “They’re in different coverages … we know we have to work on getting off the press.”

Natchez High, like players all across the state and nation, is gearing up for summer camp season. The Bulldogs will travel to a handful of camps at college campuses including Mississippi State and Alcorn State.

“You have to put the vision in front of them,” Rigsby said. “If you expect and you want to produce opportunities to go to the next level, guys need to see it and be a part of it.”

Woods said he was confident in the ability of his quarterback Ronald Williams, who tossed several deep touchdown passes against the Vidalia secondary. Woods touted his defensive backs as some of the best in the Miss-Lou area.

One of the highlights of the game was a first-and-goal play in which Ferriday junior Dare Rosenthal lined up at tight end. Williams snapped the ball and hit his 6-foot-5 target in the hands, and Rosenthal brought the ball down for a Trojan touchdown.

“He’s a heck of an athlete,” Woods said. “He can play anywhere on the field. In a few years he may be, if not the top player in the nation, one of the top players in the nation.”