Alabama Dominates Mississippi All-Stars With Help From Local Players
Bob Jones offensive lineman Drew Lawson was the starting center for Alabama in the recent renewal of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic held at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. Photo Contributed
Sparkman senior KaRon White was a starting defensive end for the Alabama squad in the recent 34th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic held in Montgomery. Photo- unlockyourgame
Helping lead the Alabama All-Stars were two local high school products in Sparkman’s KaRon White and Drew Lawson of Bob Jones. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound White helped the Alabama defense hold the visitors to just 10 first downs and 122 yards of total offense. Lawson, a 6-2, 295-pound center led the Alabama offense to 357 yards total offense in 61 plays.
The domination of Alabama continued in the overall results in the series, which began in 1988, to 23-11 in favor of Alabama.
“The overall experience for fun and that included my getting acclimated to a college schedule surrounding football in the next level,” said White, who has signed with Appalachian State after four years at Sparkman where he played for his father and Sparkman head coach LaRon White.
Matter of fact, White is a rare third-generation Alabama All-Star. His father and his uncle, Bob Jones head coach Kelvis White both played in the annual classic while his grandfather, Louis White, coached in the game. The elder White has been inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame is retired, but he and his two sons represented Courtland High in the All-Star Football Classic.
Alabama used a big-play defense and time-consuming offense in the game including a record five interceptions of Mississippi passes.
For Lawson, who also doubles up as the heavyweight wrestler for the Bob Jones wrestling team, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound played 40 of the team’s 61 offensive snaps. Although the Alabama offense only scored two offensive touchdowns, the squad had four touchdowns nullified by penalties, thus the domination over the visiting All-Stars would have been even more evident.
“I feel I played very well considering the tough competition we had to face in the game, but I feel I matched up well in the game,” said Lawson. “I’m just really happy I was selected to be on the team and proud of the fact I was one of the starting five offensive linemen. It was a great experience for all of us.”
The annual contest has become a favorite among high school players across Alabama as the game and practices leading up to the contest were witnessed by an array of college football recruiters and other high school coaches. The special week surrounding the game is a great way to show for players to showcase their talents and overall knowledge for possible future opportunities in college. The All-Star week is much more than just football.
“Yes, I learned some different techniques to be a better player, but the experience was also a great way to building relationships and friendships I’ll take with me for a lifetime,” said White. “I am very grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of such a great high school memory.”
