HSFT Stop #48 — Shannon

Shannon, Miss (WCBI) — The Shannon Red Raiders got off to a rough start last season, suffering key injuries in their very first game. But they’re turning over a new page this season. And that involves a quarterback competition between senior Jamarcus Shines and sophomore Trey Spurgon.

“It’s a great thing for coaches when you have competition in high school at each position,” head coach Darryl Carter said. “So that’s one of the things we’re blessed with right now to have a competition there with a guy that’s returning for his fourth year. And then we have a sophomore that played a lot last year and then he’s had a great offseason. It was a wide open competition right now.”

The starting role is anyone’s game right now.

“It’s neck and neck right now,” senior Jayden Thompson said. “We’ve just got to wait and see what coach Carter says.”

Shines started at quarterback last season but Spurgon still got plenty of reps in game, too. The toughest part on top of earning the spot for Spurgon is earning respect as an underclassman.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge because you got older guys, but at the end of the day, they’re gonna show you respect,” Spurgon said. 

Despite who starts where, Carter is most eager to see the improvement on the field this year with everyone fully healthy.

“We’re tired of being mediocre,” Carter said. “I think we’re gonna make it happen this year.”

The Red Raider’s season kicks off Aug. 26 at Pontotoc.