JACKSON, MS- The Belhaven Blazers open up the 2018 football season this Thursday night against local rival Millsaps College in a game that will be featured throughout the state of Mississippi. Kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m. in the Belhaven Bowl Stadium on the campus of Belhaven University. 
 
The Blazers enter 2018 with a new look, under the direction of first year head coach, Blaine McCorkle. McCorkle, a four-year letter winner at LSU, enters his first season as a head coach at the collegiate level after stops at Liberty University, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Richmond University, and the University of Delaware.
 
McCorkle takes over a Blazers roster that returns a lot of talent on both sides of the football this season. On offense, the Blazers return veteran quarterback Hunter McEachern who finished 2017, 243-397 for 2,769 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, despite missing two games due to injury. McEachern's 2017 season followed a 2016 campaign in which the junior threw for 3,722 yards, 31 touchdowns and was 337 of 574 through the air. The Keller, Texas native currently sits in third place, with 6,491 career passing yards, behind Samuel Husband (6,704 passing yards) and Brian Zbydniewski (6,531 passing yards). McEachern already owns multiple school records including career touchdown passes (58).
 
Dominated by an Air Raid heavy offense in season's past, the Blazers will look to keep the ball on the ground more in 2018 with running backs Noah Nix and Brad Foley. Foley returns to the Blazers backfield as the leading rusher from a year ago. In 2017, Foley eclipsed over 400 yards on the ground during his true freshman campaign with 86 rushing attempts, 467 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Foley also played a major role in the passing game, finishing third on the team with 369 receiving yards, 48 receptions, and 3 touchdowns. Nix will be relied on more this season after finishing with just 12 receptions last year for 78 yards.
 
The Blazers receiving corp lost several key players from last year, but returns junior Wide Receiver, LaMarcus Caradine, and senior Jacob McNeill. Before ending his 2017 campaign with an injury, McNeill led all Blazer receivers in each receiving category. McNeill returns from injury after finishing with 27 receptions, 356 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns in just five games played in 2017. Caradine hauled in 29 receptions for 353 yards and a team high 6 touchdowns. The Blazers added junior receiver Joey Walden over the offseason. Walden, an Ole Miss transfer, looks to make an immediate impact for the Blazers in 2018.
 
On the defensive side, the green and gold return multiple veterans with quality experience. Linebacker Denarrius Noel will anchor the middle of the Blazers defense after leading the team in tackles in 2017 with 72. Noel also returns as the leader in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (7). Junior Linebacker David Lewis finished 2017 third on the team with 48 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. In the secondary, Safeties David Hudson, Justin Percy, Seth Gatson and Cornerback Maurice Stewart return. Gatson led the group with 40 tackles to go along with team high 2 interceptions. David Hudson recorded 1 interception and 35 takedowns. Percy and Stewart combined for 65 tackles (33, 32) while Stewart tied for the team high in interceptions (2). Highly touted freshman, Phazion Locke, will start in the secondary in his first collegiate game and will help anchor an already experienced group of Defensive Backs.
 
Thursdays contest will feature the ninth matchup between the two rivals (Belhaven leads series 5-3), with the first ever Battle of the Sword. The Battle for the Sword is the new tagline for the Riverside Rumble, with reference to the fact that both institutions use a sword as part of their Athletics brand images.  A presentation sword has been created to present annually to the winner of the football contest.  Each season's winner will maintain possession of the sword until the next year's game.
 
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