MS/AL, Bernard Blackwell rosters loaded with Coast talent

It should come as no surprise that the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game roster will feature plenty of South Mississippians.

The 2016 senior class has been a historic one in South Mississippi on the recruiting front and it showed when the MS/AL rosters were announced Wednesday during a press conference in Jackson.

Three-fifths of the offensive line could potentially be from the Coast. East Central’s Conner Estes, Gautier’s Paul Gainer and Harrison Central’s Jacob Shoemaker all made the cut.

Pascagoula lineman James Jackson also made the squad on the defensive line.

St. Stanislaus will be represented by quarterback Myles Brennan and tight end Chase Rogers. Receivers Tyrese Fryfogle (George County) and Austin Williams (Ocean Springs) also made the team.

Williams said he was pleasantly surprised when news broke just before noon Wednesday.

“I was super happy. It made my day when I found out,” he said. “It has been a goal of mine for a long, long time to be in the game, since I was a freshman.”

George County’s Matt Caldwell will coach the offensive line.

“Just to coach in the game is an honor for me,” Caldwell said. “When I started doing this 21 years ago, I never thought in a million years I'd be blessed enough to coach in the Mississippi/Alabama game.”

Out of the Coast’s representation, all but two players are already committed to a DI program. Gainer, Williams and Jackson are all verbally committed to Mississippi State. Rogers is pledged to Tennessee, while Brennan and Estes are committed to LSU and Louisiana Tech, respectively.

Shoemaker holds offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Central Arkansas, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls State, Southeast Missouri, Austin Peay and Samford. Fryfogle holds offers from Ole Miss and Idaho.

Bernard Blackwell

The MHSAA also unveiled the rosters for the annual Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star Classic on Wednesday.

The South’s roster features 13 players from the Coast.

South Mississippi’s representation includes: George County DB LaRaymond Spivery, D’Iberville DB D.J. Polk, Gulfport DL D.J. Stevenson, Harrison Central DL Noah Vance, Stone K Mason Hunt, Ocean Springs LB/DE Brandon Smith, Pascagoula LB/DE Matt Inlow, Gulfport OL Nicholas Dunomes, Gautier OL Justin Scott, St. Martin QB Wayne Overman III, Pascagoula RB Reginald Hunter, St. Martin WR Kalem Reddix and St. Stanislaus WR Corbin Blanchard.

Gulfport coach Eddie Pierce and Long Beach’s Forrest Williams are assistants on the South team.

Schedule

The Mississippi/Alabama game is scheduled for noon on Dec. 10 at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Bernard Blackwell game is set for 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 17 at Gulfport’s Milner Stadium.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 10:36 AM with the headline "MS/AL, Bernard Blackwell rosters loaded with Coast talent."