By Josh Troy, Clarksdale Advocate
All four Lee Academy football players and coaches made contributions in the MAIS All-Star Game for seniors at Jackson Prep on Friday, with head coach Rick Johnston and quarterback William Walker coming out on the winning side. Johnston was the head coach of the Blue team, and Walker was one of his quarterbacks. The Blue team defeated the White team 36-29. Will Moser was a strong safety for the White team, while Tanner Fava played wide receiver.
“It’s a week for the kids to create memories they will have for the rest of their lives,” Johnston said. “Our guys played hard. It was a very entertaining game.”
Walker was 2 for 3 passing with 84 yards. His biggest play was a 70-yard touchdown pass to Parklane Academy senior Brewer Carruth just after halftime, putting the Blue team ahead 21-7 at that point. Walker said he and Carruth became friends at the All-Star Game.
“I enjoyed it,” Walker said. “I had a bunch of good guys on my team I enjoyed playing with. I had a really good time.”
Moser dropped a potential interception on his first drive of the game. He later redeemed himself by deflecting a pass on a third-down play when the Blue team had possession at the White 30. He finished with two pass deflections and one-and-a-half tackles.
“I had a great time building chemistry with my new teammates and socializing with people around me,” he said.
Fava finished with four receptions for 40 yards. One of his catches came with his toes near the sideline, but he managed to remain in bounds for the reception.
“I had a great time meeting new people and being coached by a new coach,” he said. “It was a new experience in football.”
There were four coaches on each team. Johnston said the main focus was making sure the kids had a good time, and the coaches did that. He was able to watch film, do the draft, and each team had three days’ worth of practices.
“This day and time, you can get on Hudl and look at the clips and judge them as much as you can,” Johnston said. “The film we have today is much better quality than we had 10 years ago.”
Walker, Moser, and Fava all said the coaches did good jobs.
“They tried to make it much simpler,” said Walker about the coaches with the playbook. “But it was difficult learning a new system and a new offense.”
Moser talked about having different coaches than at Lee.
“It was tough learning signs from a new coach you’ve never had any experience with,” he said.
Fava said the athletes adapted as well as possible.
“It was difficult trying to fit it all in, in three days, but I think both teams did a good job understanding it,” he said.
