Star names local football, softball players of the week
By Staff
Four of the six schools in the Meridian-Lauderdale County area got their football seasons under way on a winning note.
Clarkdale defeated Edinburg, 20-6; West Lauderdale stopped Florence 30-21; Northeast Lauderdale defeated Heidelberg High School 28-0, and Southeast Lauderdale downed Coffeeville13-7. On the other side of the coin, Meridian High School dropped 32-19 decision to Laurel, and Lamar lost 28-0 to Wayne Academy.
Here are The Meridian Star's players of the week from last week. This feature will appear each Monday during football season.
West Lauderdale Knights: Carlessio Blanks, junior running back, over 100 yards rushing. "He played both ways all night long and that says a lot," said head coach Stan McCain.
Lamar Raiders: Monroe Mayfield, junior linebacker, led the team in tackles and held Wayne Academy to only three first downs. "He played an outstanding game and he's our defensive leader," said head coach Mac Barnes.
Southeast Lauderdale Tigers: Ben Reed, senior quarterback, threw for two touchdowns and handled many of the kicking duties. "He stood in there and ran the team well," said head coach Dwane Taylor.
Clarkdale Bulldogs: Alvin Moffite, sophomore running back, scored one touchdown and led defense. "He plays just like he practices, hard," said head coach Bubba Hathorn.
Northeast Lauderdale Trojans: Robert Carlisle, senior linebacker, led defense in tackles while playing hurt. "He was all over the place," said head coach Andy Stevens.
Meridian Wildcats: C.C. Finley, senior linebacker, led Wildcat defense in its season opener against Laurel. "He made some big plays for us and had some big tackles," said head coach Bill Sartin.
Girls softball
The following players are The Meridian Star's Players of the Week for prep girls softball teams in Meridian and Lauderdale County.
Clarkdale Bulldogs: Lindsey Dawkins, eighth grade short stop, filled in at short stop getting multiple hits at the plate. "She's a good role player for us playing many positions," said head coach Rick Roberson.
Meridian Wildcats: Laura Bowles, junior pitcher, is undefeated on the mound and held Clarkdale to only four runs. "She did a good job on the mound while also hitting well," said head coach Thad George.
Southeast Lauderdale Tigers: Jennifer Butler, senior pitcher, is doing a good job fielding the ball as well as pitching.
Northeast Lauderdale Trojans: Raleigh Odom, short stop, knocked in the winning RBI to win Meridian Invitational Tourney.
West Lauderdale Knights: J.J. Huggins, junior third baseman, has hit five home runs so far this season. Her stats also include 25 RBI's and a 621 batting average. "She's one of the best offensive players in the state," said head coach Jerry Boatner.