Jeffrey and I went to Oxford last night for OHS' 23-7 win over Callaway to clinch the North 5A title. Oxford missed a couple field goals and fumbled had a couple turnovers in CHS territory and dominated most of the game. Right after Callaway cut it to 14-7 I thought OHS got tight and Callaway had a chance, but it couldn't do much offensively, and Oxford put it away. The Chargers face Picayune in the state finals. The other north champions are Tupelo, Lafayette, Louisville, Calhoun City and Smithville. Really happy for Smithville after all that town has been through with the tornado a couple years ago.
Some nuggets from Oxford:
Rod Taylor sure looks the part. We all knew that anyway. We've seen him in pads and out of pads for a couple years now, but the physical tools are always apparent, and they were again last night. Looks like a guard early on. As is well documented I don't always know what I'm looking at, but I think Taylor will need to transition really well to be an automatic for the rotation as a freshman. The ceiling is way up there, but I'm not positive close to that ceiling will be in 2014. Make no mistake though he's going to be a tremendous college offensive lineman at some point. MSU commit Darius Liggins gave him some trouble last night.
Breeland Speaks is athletic as hell, quick and strong. He was dynamic off the edge and was easily Callaway's most disruptive player. Early in the game he recognized Oxford trying to float a pass over the middle, and Speaks jumped up, snatched it and then threw up a landshark. He threw up another one later in the game after a big tackle. He's still raw in some ways, but he's one to get excited about. A redshirt wouldn't shock me, but either way you'll be glad he's in red and blue. The ability is incredibly impressive.
Ronald Walker picked off a pass and tackled well. Big, physical player. Oxford moved the ball effectively all night, but it wasn't because of Speaks or Walker.
Dayall Harris surprised me. He showed really nice leaping ability, out-jumping an Oxford cornerback and taking the ball at its highest point in the air on one occasion. He later returned a punt 45 yards down to the Oxford 1. Good speed. Good size. And he definitely cares. He was one of the most visibly upset following the game.
D.K. Metcalf is going to be really, really good. He set the tone with a big catch on Oxford's opening possession, adjusting to the ball in the air and maneuvering away from the defender. He's only a sophomore and is already very tall and crisp. He'll keep adding weight. No question he's going to be an SEC athlete. You don't have to know football to know he's good.
Oxford linebacker Mike McGhee should get some D1 offers at linebacker. He's a junior.
OHS QB Jack Abraham was solid last night. He impressed me last summer during 7 on 7 play, and he operates Oxford's offense. I'm interested to see if he grows any.
Everybody there was impressed with Callaway's offensive tackle. I'm not sure if he's a sophomore or a junior. I think his name is Tommy Champion. He looked the part. One to follow.
Tom Allen's son plays linebacker at Oxford. I saw the Ole Miss coach after the game, and he was smiling and pumped up. Fun to see those father-son moments.
Justin Bell was on Callaway's sideline in his CHS letter jacket. Callaway brought a nice crowd.
I did a video interview with D.K. after the game. I'll have that to you soon. Also Jeffrey will post some highlights from the game. I saw some of them, and you'll like them. Jeffrey continues to dominate with the video stuff.
I tweeted this last night: My job is wonderful, but there's not a tougher part than watching high school kids crying and struggling with losing their final high school games. Tough to watch.
This post was edited on 11/30 9:27 AM by Chase Parham
This post was edited on 11/30 9:28 AM by Chase Parham
Some nuggets from Oxford:
Rod Taylor sure looks the part. We all knew that anyway. We've seen him in pads and out of pads for a couple years now, but the physical tools are always apparent, and they were again last night. Looks like a guard early on. As is well documented I don't always know what I'm looking at, but I think Taylor will need to transition really well to be an automatic for the rotation as a freshman. The ceiling is way up there, but I'm not positive close to that ceiling will be in 2014. Make no mistake though he's going to be a tremendous college offensive lineman at some point. MSU commit Darius Liggins gave him some trouble last night.
Breeland Speaks is athletic as hell, quick and strong. He was dynamic off the edge and was easily Callaway's most disruptive player. Early in the game he recognized Oxford trying to float a pass over the middle, and Speaks jumped up, snatched it and then threw up a landshark. He threw up another one later in the game after a big tackle. He's still raw in some ways, but he's one to get excited about. A redshirt wouldn't shock me, but either way you'll be glad he's in red and blue. The ability is incredibly impressive.
Ronald Walker picked off a pass and tackled well. Big, physical player. Oxford moved the ball effectively all night, but it wasn't because of Speaks or Walker.
Dayall Harris surprised me. He showed really nice leaping ability, out-jumping an Oxford cornerback and taking the ball at its highest point in the air on one occasion. He later returned a punt 45 yards down to the Oxford 1. Good speed. Good size. And he definitely cares. He was one of the most visibly upset following the game.
D.K. Metcalf is going to be really, really good. He set the tone with a big catch on Oxford's opening possession, adjusting to the ball in the air and maneuvering away from the defender. He's only a sophomore and is already very tall and crisp. He'll keep adding weight. No question he's going to be an SEC athlete. You don't have to know football to know he's good.
Oxford linebacker Mike McGhee should get some D1 offers at linebacker. He's a junior.
OHS QB Jack Abraham was solid last night. He impressed me last summer during 7 on 7 play, and he operates Oxford's offense. I'm interested to see if he grows any.
Everybody there was impressed with Callaway's offensive tackle. I'm not sure if he's a sophomore or a junior. I think his name is Tommy Champion. He looked the part. One to follow.
Tom Allen's son plays linebacker at Oxford. I saw the Ole Miss coach after the game, and he was smiling and pumped up. Fun to see those father-son moments.
Justin Bell was on Callaway's sideline in his CHS letter jacket. Callaway brought a nice crowd.
I did a video interview with D.K. after the game. I'll have that to you soon. Also Jeffrey will post some highlights from the game. I saw some of them, and you'll like them. Jeffrey continues to dominate with the video stuff.
I tweeted this last night: My job is wonderful, but there's not a tougher part than watching high school kids crying and struggling with losing their final high school games. Tough to watch.
This post was edited on 11/30 9:27 AM by Chase Parham
This post was edited on 11/30 9:28 AM by Chase Parham
