JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven Blazers football team is set to kickoff the 2016 season on Thursday with the seventh edition of the Riverside Rumble against Millsaps College at 7 p.m. at Harper Davis Field.

The Blazers and the Majors renewed the Riverside Rumble rivalry last season, competing for the first time since 2009. Millsaps came out on top in last season's contest, defeating Belhaven 52-23 to even the all-time series at 3-3. 

Belhaven Athletics will be hosting a march to Harper Davis Field from H.T. Newell Field Thursday at 5:30 p.m., following the conclusion of the Belhaven Men's Soccer season opener versus Centenary College. The Blazers Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Dance teams, along with the student body will march to the stadium from Newell Field in support of the Blazers football team. 

General admission tickets for the game are $10. All students who bring and show their Belhaven Student ID will be admitted free of charge.

Belhaven is heading into its third season under head coach Hal Mumme, while Millsaps is entering year seven under head coach Aaron Pelch.
 
Millsaps finished the 2015 season with a 3-7 overall mark and a 2-6 record in conference play, while the Blazers posted a 2-8 mark in its first season as a member of NCAA Division III.
 
Belhaven won three straight games in the all-time series versus the Majors from 2003-05, but Millsaps has won the last three meetings in 2008, 2009 and 2015. 

Belhaven ended the 2015 season on a good note, defeating American Southwest Conference (ASC) opponent Sul Ross State 12-6 at home in the season finale, and will look to carry that momentum into the Thursday's season opener at Millsaps. 

"We're just going to try to win one game a week," said Coach Mumme. "I think a lot of it has to do with how well we prepare and how healthy we stay. Last year we were pretty much all freshman, and this year we're pretty much all sophomores. Those guys have gotten a year older and a year stronger. We've improved in a lot of places, the offensive line being one of them and the defensive line being another."

Under Coach Mumme's Air Raid offense, the Blazers led the ASC last season in passing yards per game (316.8), completions (311) and racked up 3,168 yards through the air to go along with 24 touchdowns.

Coach Mumme certainly doesn't shy away from a challenge as the Blazers will once again be the owners of one of the toughest schedules in the country. Belhaven will face three teams ranked in the Top 10 of NCAA Division III this season and another ranked in the Top 25. 

"Last year our schedule was the third hardest in the nation, and this year it's the same," said Coach Mumme. "But we're a year older now and we've done it before. So we're excited about how we can compete against Whitewater and Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin Simmons and all of those highly ranked teams." 

Returning for the Blazers on offense will be the team's top receiving threat last season - senior Nate Williams. Williams led Belhaven in both receiving yards and number of catches in 2015, totaling 721 and 67 respectively. Senior Kevin Shief also returns to help bolster the receiver ranks. Shief recorded 443 yards on 43 catches last season. 

Alvin Vaughn led the Belhaven defense and ranked fourth in the ASC in tackles per game (8.7) last season coming from the defensive backfield, and was one of just seven league defenders with more than 80 tackles on the year. He returns for his senior season. Defensive back Isaac Nelson is also back for his senior season after earning All-NCCAA honors in 2015. Nelson recorded 35 tackles last season and ranked second in the ASC in interceptions (5). 

Co-Captains for the Blazers this season will be sophomore quarterback Clayton Webb and junior linebacker Garrett Osborne. Additionals captains include Vaughn, Marvin Grady, LaMiquell Roberts and Hunter McEachern. 

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