Velma Jackson senior awarded Mr. Football title
Velma Jackson Senior Tyshun Willis was awarded with the MHSAA 1A Mr. Football last week, making it the second year in a row that a player from Velma Jackson has won the prestigious award. Gavin Griffin, who is now at East Mississippi Community College, brought home the award last season for the Falcons.
Willis has been committed to Mississippi State since April and has enjoyed a dominant senior season for Velma Jackson. He has made an impact in almost every way possible for the Falcons this season, compiling 45 total tackles, with 31 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and three defensive touchdowns on that side of the ball. Offensively, Willis totalled 520 rushing yards on 34 carries with eight rushing touchdowns, 16 catches for 291 yards and four touchdowns receiving, and has also returned eight punts for 446 yards.
“God did bless him with great natural ability, but the thing that separates him from a lot of other players is that he has a different mode about himself and a different work ethic,” Velma Jackson Head Coach Euell said in an interview earlier this year with the Madison County Journal. “He just works so hard and for us as a team, it sets the example.”
Willis is one of the state’s top recruits, being rated as a four-star recruit by every major recruiting service. He is currently rated as the 217th best prospect in the entire country by the 247Sports composite rankings, which combines rankings from the recruiting industry. Willis also holds offers from schools such as Ole Miss, Baylor, and Missouri.
Willis was also a major part of last year’s Velma Jackson team that lost in the MHSAA 1A state title game and has now led the Falcons to a number one ranking in the 1A class in the midst of another playoff run.
“It's the last ride and we have to play every game like it’s our last,” Willis said in an interview earlier this year with Madison County Journal. “When we took that loss last year, it woke something up inside of us and it made us practice harder and grind harder everyday.”
The Falcons started their playoff run last week with a 62-6 win over Mount Olive and will now set their sites on a big home second round matchup with West Tallahatchie, who sits at 9-2 on the season. Kickoff is set for 7 PM at Velma Jackson on Friday night.