David W. Healy
dhealy@ddtonline.com
Coach Jon Reed McLendon’s phone was buzzing non-stop as he road on the bus home from Jackson to Greenville last Friday night with his football team. Coaches and friends from everywhere were sending him congratulations.
McLendon’s Saints had shook up the Mississippi high school football world. Small schools like Greenville Christian with limited resources just weren’t supposed to go into the State Capitol and defeat a team like Madison-Ridgeland Academy, a program with rich and powerful resources.
Yet, the Saints had done just that.
And it wasn’t a fluke.
The Saints, behind an All-World performance by quarterback DJ Smith, led by three points, 28-25, at halftime, but then blew the game wide open in the fourth quarter en route to a 58-32 victory.
It was clear to everyone that, on this night, the Saints had proven their doubters wrong.
“A lot of people doubted us even from Greenville,” said running back Marlon Palmer, who finished with 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns. “They said we didn’t play nobody the previous season.”
Along with Palmer and Smith, Greenville Christian’s Chris Bell was another player who shined for the Saints. Bell, in fact, scored on the Saints’ first play from scrimmage on a 52-yard pass from Smith.
Coach McLendon said the best thing Friday’s game did for his players was give them a chance to showcase their skills to coaches at the next level. Greenville Christian Saints DJ Smith, JD Stewart, Jaterrious Elam, Marlon Palmer, Vaheim Grant, Vamario McGee, Chris Bell, Daishun Scott and Octavius Robinson have all already received scholarship offers.
Friday night proved these players, and many other Saints, may not be from the big city, but they are definitely talented enough to play at the next level.
“Sometimes they knock on smaller schools and overlook us because they say we don’t play against top level competition. So being able to go play these Jackson schools is really good because you get film against these schools. Now, we have film that stacks up with the best.”
The Saints will get another chance to take down Goliath on Friday night when they travel to Jackson Prep. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
McLendon said his team has total respect for Jackson Prep.
“Before MRA, Jackson Prep was the big power. Jackson Prep was a seven time state champion not long ago. They are one of the most historic programs in the state,” McLendon said.
And, despite coming home with such a resounding victory, the GCS players still have much to improve upon.
“Our effort was good, but our execution wasn’t all that clean. DJ had to make more plays because we weren’t on the same page with our rout running. Defensively, we would be on the right page and then panic would settle in and get ourselves out of position.”
