Mississippi State signee Kalvin Dinkins racks up two sacks to lead South past the North in Bernard Blackwell All-Star Classic

GULFPORT — Make it back to back wins for the South.

Behind a defense that intercepted four passes, the South All-Stars held off a late rally from the North All-Stars 27-24 in the 73rd Annual Bernard Blackwell North-South All-Star Game at Gulfport’s Milner Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

South now leads the series 35-29-5.

“The guys played great. Had a great start and had to hold there at the end,” said South head coach Ryan Earnest of Laurel. “To see guys bond like that for three days was a blast. Anytime you can have caliber athletes in one room is a blessing.”

The South All-Stars started the game out firing as they scored on the first play of the game as Sumrall’s John Ford hit Scott Central’s Dee Burks on an 81-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead.

The North cut the lead to 7-3 as Nettleton’s Jackson Cheek connected on a 26-yard field with 7:40 left in the first quarter.
Petal’s Nate Jones hit a 44-yard field goal with 9:29 left in the second quarter to extend the South’s lead to 10-3.

After D’Iberville’s Kam Williams intercepted a pass, Velma Jackson’s Terrance Mack scored on a 3-yard run with 5:57 left in the second quarter to extend the South’s lead to 17-3.

Neshoba Central quarterback Eli Anderson connected with J.Z. George’s D’Anthony McGlothan on a 51-yard touchdown pass for the North to cut the South’s lead to 17-10 with 1:03 left in the first half.

To begin the second half Poplarville’s Ahmad Harmon intercepted an Anderson pass and raced 48 yards to end zone to give the South a 24-10 lead with 10:56 left in the third quarter.

Jones added a 33-yard field goal with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter to give the South a 27-10 lead.

Anderson hit Lake Cormorant’s Telvin Amos on a 11-yard touchdown pass with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter to cut the South’s lead to 27-17.
Caledonia’s Darrius Triplett scored on a 5-yard run with 36 seconds left for the North to cut the South’s lead to 27-24.

Sumrall’s John Ford went 9-of-21 passing for 128 yards with a touchdown and was named the South’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Lake defensive lineman and Mississippi State signee Kalvin Dinkins had three tackles, including two sacks, to be named the South’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.

“Both teams had great athletes and coaches so I knew it was going to come down to the wire and glad we came out on top,” Earnest said. “Everyone had a lot of fun and no injuries. All these kids have bright futures ahead of them, so it was pleasure coaching this game.”

Amos had 53 yards passing, 34 yards rushing and a receiving touchdown and was named the North’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Southaven defensive back Dillon Williams had seven tackles and a sack and was named the North’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.

“The opportunity to coach in the game was a blast and we’ve got some great young men in the North,” said North head coach Tyrone Shorter of Louisville. “The game came down to the wire and we had turnovers that hurt us early on, but in the end it was about having fun.”