Insight and commentary on Northeast Mississippi prep sports from the Daily Journal

New episodes released on Wednesday afternoons

Prep Rally

Prep Rally

#333: Tupelo hammers Oxford; Calhoun City still unbeaten – 09/20/23

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Brad and James are here to provide you with a whole lot of football and volleyball talk.

Regarding the latter, Alcorn Central got revenge Tuesday night by rallying past Belmont in a big Region 1-3A match (1:24). And Tupelo Christian kept rolling with a sweep of Smithville (3:50).

On the gridiron, Tupelo’s defense turned in another strong performance in a 49-7 win over Oxford (5:12). East Webster tossed a shutout against Baldwyn (7:44), and Ripley won a defensive slugfest against Booneville (9:12).

Looking ahead to Week 5, East Webster should get a big test when it hosts unbeaten Calhoun City (9:51), which has a stellar rushing attack led by Jamajah Mayes. Also, Saltillo and Shannon renew their rivalry after a 15-year hiatus (12:30).

Be sure to vote for Athletes of the Week (13:48) by visiting our Twitter page @djournalsports.

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#332: Stars battling injuries; Week 4 football preview – 09/13/23

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Brad has a jam-packed episode this week.

He leads off with Belmont’s win over Alcorn Central in volleyball (2:02). It was extra impressive considering the Cardinals lost star player Kerstin Moody to a knee injury early in the match. And in another Region 1-3A contest, Mantachie rolled past Booneville (6:05).

On the gridiron, a couple of local standouts are expected to miss the next few weeks with injuries (6:50). In his Week 3 football rewind, Brad recaps Mooreville’s win over South Pontotoc (8:56), Ripley’s comeback against Choctaw County (10:31), and Kahnen Daniels’ monster night (12:15).

Week 4 games to watch include Tupelo at Oxford (13:25), Amory at Aberdeen (15:05) and East Webster at Baldwynj (15:45). Also, be sure to vote for Athletes of the Week at @djournalsports on Twitter (16:39).

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#331: Amory, Houston snag Week 2 football wins – 09/06/23

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Brad is joined this week by the other new guy, Brendan. They take a look at some of Tuesday’s volleyball action, including Tupelo Christian’s sweep of Hamilton (2:21). Also, Saltillo fell to Lake Cormorant (3:38), while Tishomingo County beat Itawamba AHS (5:16).

On the gridiron, a look back at Week 2 includes a recap of Houston’s 28-14 win over Shannon (5:45). Houston forced four turnovers in that game. Amory, meanwhile, opened its “home” slate by beating Saltillo (7:46).

Looking to Week 3, Ripley will host Choctaw County and its five-star receiver, Caleb Cunningham (10:42). Shannon looks to bounce back against Pontotoc (12:41), and Tupelo hosts Hernando (14:17). Also, check out our Athletes of the Week nominees (15:32) and then cast your vote on Twitter @djournalsports.

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#330: Wave dominate opener; Skunk Bowl on tap – 08/30/23

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It’s not just Brad and Podgator in the studio today. New guy James Murphy joins them for a jam-packed episode.

The high school football season opened last week, and the guys recap some notable games. Biggersville, led by Jathan Hatch, rolled past Hamilton (2:00); Kossuth pitched a shutout against Baldwyn (3:24); and Tupelo whitewashed Whitehaven (4:09).

Looking ahead, Week 2 has some big rivalry games, including the Skunk Bowl between Booneville and Baldwyn (10:44). Houston at Shannon should be a good one, too (8:18). And on Thursday, Amory plays its first “home” game when it faces Saltillo at Tupelo (6:07).

On the volleyball front, Tupelo let a win slip away against region foe Germantown (14:08), while East Union toughed out a win against Myrtle (15:50). Brad also announces the Athletes of the Week candidates (17:06), so be sure to cast your vote on Twitter, @djournalsports.

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#329: Football is back! – 08/23/23

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The high school football season has finally returned.

Week 1 kicks off this weekend, and Brad gets you up to speed on what to look for. He goes over the Daily Journal preseason rankings (6:55) before diving into a few game previews. Baldwyn is visiting Kossuth (9:28) for what should be an evenly matched game. The Crosstown Classic between Oxford and Lafayette is being played earlier than it ever has (10:37), and West Point is visiting 4A champ Louisville (11:53).

Brad also has some big basketball news. Post player Demetrius Duffy has transferred from Saltillo to Tupelo (1:52), and the Tangle on the Trail has announced its 2023-24 lineup (3:55). On the volleyball court, No. 2 Ingomar took down No. 1 Belmont on Tuesday (4:43).

Also today, Athletes of the Week returns – with a twist (13:14).

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#328: Lafayette volleyball pulls upset; QB rankings – 08/16/23

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There’s a nip in the air, which has bolstered Brad’s anticipation of football season.

But first up on this week’s episode are a couple of volleyball recaps. Lafayette knocked off No. 1-ranked Oxford on Tuesday (1:31), while Belmont swept past Hickory Flat behind the play of Addyson Liles (2:32).

Now, on to football. Aberdeen is looking to build on its recent success under coach Alex Williams (4:39). The season is just over a week away, and several teams will be participating in jamboree scrimmages this Friday (6:16).

Also today, Brad goes over his quarterback rankings (7:26). And don’t forget, our preseason football magazine comes out Saturday (10:08).

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#327: Volleyball begins; Blue Devils seek turnaround – 08/09/23

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The 2023-24 sports year has officially begun with the start of volleyball season.

Today, Brad has a couple of v-ball updates from Tuesday night. Led by “Lil Shan-Shan,” New Albany powered past rival Pontotoc (1:33). And Kossuth won an epic five-set battle against Tishomingo County (3:57).

On the football front, preseason camps continue for area teams. Booneville is looking to bounce back from last season’s 4-7 finish (5:23), with running back Zion Nunn and quarterback Noah Gillon leading the way. Also on this episode, Brad recaps his running back rankings (7:22), which are Pod Gator-approved.

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#326: Football camp opens; volleyball on tap – 08/02/23

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Brad is back just as things are picking up.

Area football teams opened preseason camp this week (7:39), and Brad has an update on Tupelo, which is expecting to have another big season.

Also starting this week is the volleyball season (10:15). The Daily Journal preseason rankings have expanded from five teams to 10 (11:04). Brad has an update on one of those top teams, Ingomar (12:37), which won a state title last season.

Also today is a look at the most recent football player position rankings – offensive linemen (2:00) and receivers (4:59).

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#325: Ranking the area’s top safeties, athletes – 07/19/23

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Brad is back from vacation and ready to talk football.

He’ll get you caught up on his weekly football position rankings. He goes over the top five safeties (1:52) as well as the top five multi-position players (4:27).

Also today, Brad talks about a new book that features some of the area’s historic high school football stadiums (8:44).

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#324: Recruiting news and football position rankings – 07/05/23

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Brad’s computer issues have been resolved, which means he’s back for another episode.

He’s got a recruiting update, as Houston lineman William Echoles has committed to Ole Miss (1:42). One of his teammates, running back Jalen Washington, is in need of help after his family’s home was destroyed by a fire (3:00). Also on the football front, Brad goes over his latest position rankings (4:10).

There are a couple of basketball updates, too, on Biggersville’s boys (6:20) and Ingomar’s girls (7:44).

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