By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

JACKSON — Picayune’s Jonathan Moore has been selected to compete in the annual Bernard Blackwell All-Star State football Classic.

Moore, a wide receiver and cornerback, was picked to the South team as a receiver. The 61st edition of the North/South game is set for Dec. 19 at Gulfport’s Milner Stadium. The South leads the series 27-25-4, including a 30-14 victory in July at Mississippi College.

In that game, Picayune was well represented as head coach Dodd Lee, assistant coach Brian Edwards and a trio of Maroon Tide players were on the winning team.

Moore will be a part of history also, as this will be the first time the game will be played in December and also the first time the game will be played on the Gulf Coast and not in the Jackson area.

“It’s an honor for him to be picked for that game,” Lee said of Moore. “He’s a great kid and he deserves this.”

The game has been a summertime staple on the Jackson-area sports calendar until the Mississippi Association of Coaches, which sponsors the game,, announced plans to move the event from July to December as well as a change in venues.

The roster for the annual Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Classic was also announced this week but no local players were selected. It marks the first time in four games that Picayune won’t have a player in the contest.