By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

BILOXI — Veteran Picayune head football coach Dodd Lee has been honored by his peers in the coaching profession.

Lee has been selected as the head coach for the South team in the annual Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic.

Lee’s South team will face off with the North squad on Thursday, July 16th at Robinson-Hale Stadium on the campus of Mississippi College at 7 p.m.

“It’s a big honor for me. One of the biggest of my career,” Lee, who has recorded over 100 wins in his 12 years at the helm of the Maroon Tide, said. “I thought it was an honor when they asked me to be an assistant coach a few years back. So this is really special.”

Joining Lee will be his longtime offensive line coach Brian Edwards, who will serve as one of his top assistants for the game.

“Having Brian with me will allow us to install things with the players a lot more quickly,” Lee said. “It will really help with him being there.”

Lee and his staff had their first preliminary meeting about selecting the South team on Thursday at the World Gulf Coast Coaching Clinic.

The final team selection meeting is set for Feb. 11th in Clinton.

Lee and Edwards could have other familiar faces join them in the prestigious affair, as several Picayune players could be named to the South roster.

Any out-going senior that wasn’t selected for the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Football Classic is eligible to play in the annual North-South game.

The game pits the rest of the top players from the state against one another in that North-South format, regardless of classification.

Among those Picayune players that could be selected are Reggie Bailey, T’Daryl Grays and Chris Nixon.

Bailey is a two-time Class 4A All-State pick, while Grays was a second team all state pick this year.

Picayune’s Jon Billups played in the Ala./Miss. game and is not eligible.