Green Wave gear up for tough Patriots

By Angie Ledbetter

The North Delta Green Wave (3-1,1-0) will host the 2A Marshall Academy Patriots (3-1,2-1) tonight in a showdown at Green Wave field. These two teams have a record of battling the ballgame down to the very last second of the game. Tonight is expected to be no different.

The Patriots will be looking for revenge over last year’s 16-14 Green Wave win.

When it comes to these two teams, the Green Wave holds the record for the last four years. They have out scored the Patriots 123-49 for the last four games. Last year’s game was the closest score recorded between the two.

At the beginning of the season, several Green Wave players were asked who they thought was their toughest competition on their schedule this year. The answer was unanimously “Marshall.”

Many predicted this game with Marshall would be very physical because the Patriots are a good team. Marshall also returned most of its starters graduating only a couple.

The Green Wave got back in the win column last week shutting out Calhoun Academy 20-0.

The Patriots are coming off their first loss of the year last week when Indianola Academy defeated them 30-12. They will also be looking to get back in the win column.

Patriots head coach Keith Wicker will bring to town one of the best Patriot  teams in several years. The team of 20 players has been on a roll this year. They opened the 2007 season by shutting out Lee, Ark. 34-0. The following week, Marshall defeated Kirk Academy 7-6 in Grenada. On September 7, they defeated 3A Magnolia Heights 10-6.

The Patriots are under the leadership of senior quarterback No. 2 Brent Adams. Adams is 6’1” and weighs 185 pounds. He is very fast, throws the ball well, and kicks the ball well. Adams has thrown for two eight-yard touchdowns and a 99-yard touchdown. He has scored on runs of four yards, 42 yard, and 50 yards. He has kicked a 29-yard field goal and made six extra points.

He is the younger brother of Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams, who had some advice for him.

“I told him to just have fun,” Seth Adams said. “He is having a great senior year and that’s what it’s about. Brent is a great athlete and a smart kid, academically. He can make plays out there and he is a good leader. I just tell him to have fun and he knows what to do.”

The Patriots team consist of eight seniors, eight juniors and two sophomores. Other key players to watch are No. 1 Wesley Harris, No. 3 Tyler Sanders, No. 7 Tyler Childers, No. 28 Taylor Dempsey and No. 69 Jake Paylor.

Having defeated Kirk Academy and Magnolia Heights, head Green Wave coach Richard Russo said that means they are a pretty solid football team.

 “They are very physical,” Russo said. “They run 13 different formations on offense, so you can’t fall asleep on their formations or they’ll out formation you. Their defense is very similar to Calhoun Academy. They put a lot of people in the tackle box and try to shut down your running game.”

Russo knows they will meet an athletic person in Brent Adams.

“He is very impressive on film,” Russo said. “He has had some long runs and passes on film.”

The Green Wave team has got to play its assignment football to stop the Patriots, Russo said.

“Nobody can try to over do or do somebody else’s job,” he added. “They have got to do their own job. I also feel good about how our defense is playing.”

The pep rally is today at 2:20 p.m. for the Green Wave team. The pregame with Russo will be at 7 p.m. with Mickey Aldridge on FM 106.9. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.