From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY – There was no break for Pinson Valley standout Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry. The 5-star Alabama commit ended last week with the Super 7 Championships in Tuscaloosa, where he earned MVP honors in the Class 6A finals Friday night, and began this week with Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic practice in Montgomery.
The 34th annual All-Star Classic is scheduled for Saturday at noon at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
McKinstry, the top-rated senior in the state, has drawn rave reviews from Alabama All-Star head coach Steve Mask, who loves the collection of talent on this year’s roster.
“We have an outstanding team put together, and the highlight has to start with our receivers and secondary,” said Mask, who is less than a week removed from coaching his St. Paul Episcopal High School Saints to the Class 5A state title. “As a coach, it is a dream come true to see this much talent on the same team.”
Along with McKinstry, the receiving corps includes Pleasant Grove’s Christian Lewis, Thompson’s J.B. Mitchell, Oxford’s Roc Taylor, Decatur Heritage’s Sean Zerkle, Eufaula’s Jay’Juan Townsend and Fyffe tight end Brody Dalton.
“I had a chance to see Chris Lewis in the state finals last week,” said Mask. “And I watched Koolaid on TV Friday night. I can tell you those two are great players. I hear great things about Mitchell and Roc Taylor and Zerkle. It is obvious Dalton is a big-play man at tight end. When Coach (Paul) Benefield called for a pass, it was usually to Dalton.”
Alabama and Mississippi reported to Montgomery Tuesday to begin preparations for Saturday’s Alabama-Mississippi Classic. Each team had one workout Tuesday night – Mississippi at Huntingdon College and Alabama at Cramton Bowl. The two teams will have morning and afternoon drills Wednesday and Thursday.
Mask said both Alabama’s two quarterbacks, Oxford’s Trey Higgins and Gardendale’s Will Crowder, have strong arms and are very athletic. Higgins, who helped lead Oxford to the 6A state last season and to the quarterfinals this season, threw for more than 3,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards while accounting for more than 50 TDs in 220. He is heading to Mississippi State, however, to play baseball. Crowder, a West Virginia commitment, completed more than 70 percent of his passes for the Rockets this season passing for 2,615 yards and 25 touchdowns.
“They will have a lot of talent to work with at receiver,” said Mask.
McKinstry, rated the state’s top senior prospect according to most recruiting services, earned MVP honors in the Class 6A finals last week making five catches for 60 yards and his 11th TD of the season. Already committed to Alabama, he is considered one of the top defensive back prospects in the nation as well – especially after spending the 2020 season under the tutelage of new Pinson head coach Sam Shade, who was a standout DB at Alabama and in the NFL. McKinstry finished the season with 45 catches or 705 yards and 11 TDs and had two interceptions on defense – both returned for touchdowns and 109 total return yards.
Pleasant Grove’s Lewis had 72 catches for 1,154 yards and 19 TDs for the Spartans in 2020 and closed his career with 146 receptions and 42 TD catches. Mitchell was the anchor in Class 7A state champion Thompson’s strong receiving corps as well. He had four catches for 69 yards in the state finals and finished the season with 74 catches, 1,232 receiving yards and 12 TDs.
Eufaula’s Townsend had 45 catches for 645 yards and five TDs this season, and Zerkle emerged as one of the state’s top small-school receivers grabbing 40 passes doe 949 yards and 11 TDs. Fyffe’s Dalton caught most of the Red Devils’ passes thrown – including two big ones on Fyffe’s winning drive last week in the 3A finals.
The AHSAA and its coaching wing, the AHSADCA, hosts the All-Star Classic in conjunction with the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC). Mississippi won last year’s game at Hattiesburg 17-16 in overtime for their third win in a row. Alabama holds a 22-11 edge in the series, however.