Photo: Jazmine Moering
Matthew Adams
Managing Editor
Jackson State kicked off a week of athletic activities that encompassed all things TheeILove; bowling, golf, community services and football from April 3-7. Students, employees and alumni were excited to see what Blue & White Week had to offer
Flimeka Williams, a 1990 JSU graduate an avid football fan anticipated Thee Blue & White game the most.
“I can’t wait to see what the upcoming football team is looking like in the scrimmage game,” said Williams. “I have faith in the coaching staff and players and I think we can take the SWAC this upcoming season.”
The first event of the Blue and White Week was the Student Athlete Community Service event. There were multiple community service events that the student athletes participated in.
Student athletes traveled to the Boys and Girls Club to be of assistance. Later on in the day they would unwind and enjoy a couple of games of bowling at the Highball Lane Bowling Alley.
The next day the W.C. Gordon/Ashley Robinson Golf tournament was set to start at 8 a.m. at the Lake Caroline Golf Club. Coach T.C. Taylor and Athletic Director Ashely Robinson were in attendance.
“I want to say thank you to everyone for supporting…the Jackson State family is huge once we come together, it’s one big family,” said Robinson.
The next event would be the JSU Donor Reception, which was able to bring all the donors under one roof and have a great time.
The week culminated on April 6 with one of the most anticipated events, Thee Blue and White Game.
Tiger fans were given four quarters of hard nose football in the form of a scrimmage. This game would showcase the level of play that the Tigers have been cultivating in the off season.
The two teams would put the first-team offense and defense on display which would show to be a solid battle between the two. The stadium was filled with excitement as the ball was kicked off to start the game.
As the first quarter began, the White team immediately showed the attendees at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium what they have been working on during the offseason. The Blue team would be trampled by great defense throughout the game, which would be a trend as the game progressed.
The first quarter would have many moments that would put attendees on their feet. One that reflected this sentiment was when Zy McDonald from the Blue team was able to soar a pass that would put them closer to the goal line.
This would be a futile effort as the Blue team would only settle with three making the score 6-3.
With one quarter behind and 3 more left, the second quarter would exhibit that of a SWAC championship. Defense was the key word this quarter.
The White team was able to personify the word defense a lot better this quarter as there would be a flurry of tackles for losses and PBU’s (pass break ups). The efforts of the defense would invoke a field goal from Lelani Armenta, making the score 9-3.
As the quarter progressed, the two teams would trade the three and outs until The White team would drive down the field with finesse.
The play that would lead to a touchdown would be the pass from Jacobian Morgan to Kobie Paul. The score would now be 16-3.
Mason Wallace, a sophomore graphic design major from Brandon, Miss. stated, “This was one of the more solid plays throughout the game.”
The 3rd quarter would be a quarter filled with 3 and outs but that didn’t stop a big play from occurring. Nate Blount IV subbed in and had a huge run that would unfortunately lead to a 3 and out later on.
The final quarter arrived and not much changed as the White team continued to dominate on both offense and defense. Three and outs would continue to be the trend throughout the 4th quarter.
The Blue team would squeeze another filed goal in making the score 16-9. This however wouldn’t stop the White team, even when the clock struck triple zeros.
One last play was a touchdown from Ethan Terrell, who would sneak in a quarterback run making the score 23-9.
With the spring game concluding, the next opportunity to see the Tigers will be on Aug. 29 when they face off against University of Louisiana-Monroe.
The official end of Thee Blue & White Week was the Blue & White Brunch which took place at the MBAR on April 7 at 11 a.m.
