By Josh Troy
Clarksdale Advocate
Contributions from athletes on both sides of the ball led to a 12-0 victory for Coahoma County High School against West Bolivar in a scrimmage at Coahoma Community College last Friday.
Devonta Boyd and Harlem Bell split time at the quarterback position.
A 43-yard touchdown pass from Boyd to Caleb Hearn put the Red Panthers ahead 6-0. Bell ran in the 2-point conversion attempt, but it was called back due to an illegal formation penalty.
“We had a long bomb, even though they executed it the wrong way. It was a nice effort and catch by Caleb Hearn,” said Red Panthers coach Jeremiah Brassell.
Jerasmus Eagins, Zechariah Smith, Bell, and Boyd carried the football during the drive. Tony Ingram and Jaden Smith also had carries during the scrimmage.
Both Boyd and Bell threw interceptions.
“On offense, the quarterback didn’t even set his feet and trust the process,” said Brassell, referring to both quarterbacks. “He just launched it up there, and the receiver jumped too early.”
Brassell was pleased with the overall quarterback performance and announced that Boyd will start the season opener.
“For now, they’re working in sequence, but like I said, Boyd is the starter. Both of them will also be seeing a lot of action in different positions,” Brassell said.
Ja’Shun Handy intercepted a pass on defense for the Red Panthers. Kendarius Sims also intercepted a pass, returning it for a touchdown to extend Coahoma County’s lead to 12-0.
“The overall effort—I really don’t care too much for jamborees and wins/losses. As long as our team is getting better,” Brassell said. “Today, we got a good look at them.”
“Our offensive line performed pretty well. Defensively, I’ve seen us hustle to the ball a bit more, but I still didn’t throw the ball as much as I wanted to.”
The Red Panthers hosted Madison Shannon Palmer High School in the spring game and lost 20-8.
“Oh yeah, we were a bit better in the spring game, but that was me just implementing things,” Brassell said. “Now they’ve had a whole summer to internalize our strategies.”
The Red Panthers will open the regular season at home against Thomas Edwards High School, formerly known as Ruleville, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. It’s a non-district matchup.
“For now, I feel okay going into next week, but I think there are a lot of little things we need to improve,” Brassell said. “We just need some game action to pick up the tempo.”
