About 300 fans braved the rain to come cheer on one of Jackson’s semi-pro football teams. The Mississippi Juggernauts ran onto Newell Field excited, enthused, and exuberant. The juggernauts started their second season with a bang. Pat Lacey took the opening kickoff 52 yards to the Gladiators’ 48 yard line. With their fans on their feet, quarterback Chansey McDaniel and the offense strike. McDaniel drops back, unloads a deep spiral right into the hands of wide receiver Michael Jackson. Jackson outruns the entire Gladiator defense for a 48 yard touchdown! Crowd goes wild, coaching staff is pumped, and juggernauts players are jacked.
However, the gladiators take their opening possession and score. The score is now 6 to 6 with 8 minutes and 10 seconds to go in the first quarter. The game becomes a defensive struggle until the midway in the second quarter. Terrance Marshall catches a punt from the gladiators, makes 2 defenders miss immediately, fakes out a few other gladiators and bolts toward the sidelines and dives into the endzone. The slippery crowd again cheers. With 5 seconds to go, the gladiators pass is intercepted by Cameron Nelson. Nelson darts across the field and almost scores before being caught by the gladiators. The Juggernauts lead 13 to 6 at halftime.
In the second half, the defense goes wild. Every pass attempt from New Orleans seems to go directly to a juggernaut defender. Nelson, who had two interceptions in the first half, adds two more in the second half, taking both interceptions to the house. Walter Meyers, intercepted 4 passes in the second half and returned 1 for 72 yards for a touchdown. Lacey joined in the act intercepting two passes of his own.
McDaniel finished the game completing 9 of 16 passes for 260 yards for 2 touchdowns along with 2 interceptions. The juggernauts were led in rushing by Anthony Veasey who carried the ball 13 times for 78 yards. Jackson led the receiving corps with 4 catches for 145 and 2 touchdowns.
The juggernauts are led by head coach Thomas Leonard. Tran Meyers is the team’s general manager. The Mississippi Juggernauts are a part of the SAF League based in Louisiana. Coming off a 7 and 3 season, the juggernauts have former collegiate players from Southern Mississippi, Jackson State and other Mississippi colleges and universities, the juggernauts definitely have a Mississippi flavor to them. The juggernauts next home game will be Saturday, July 24, 2010 against the Lafayette Bayou Bulls.
Be the first to comment