Dinkins’ pick-six keys Middle Georgia All-Star Classic victory

Desean Dinkins spent all of his senior season as Northside’s primary running back, but in the Middle Georgia All-Star Classic, he got to play on the defensive side of the ball.

With his Red team trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, Dinkins stepped in front of a Bradley Hunnicutt pass and took it 66 yards for a score to get the Red team right back in the game.

The Red team intercepted the Black team four times in the first half and Jam’l Dillard and Armand Childs also returned their interceptions for touchdowns as the Red team’s defense set the tone in a 27-18 win Saturday at Fort Valley State.

“It felt so good getting to play linebacker (Saturday), and I was looking to make a play,” said Dinkins, a senior at Northside who is still looking for a college home. “I saw the ball and broke on it, and once I caught it I knew that I wasn’t going to get caught.

“It doesn’t take the sting away from the way my real high school season ended, but I was glad to get to play in this game. I knew from the first practice that we had a great defense.”

Dinkins was named the game’s MVP, but it was evident that both teams came to play.

Hunnicutt led the black team right down the field on its first possession and hit Tyson Harris for a 42-yard score to give his team the lead. Peach County’s Omar Cervantes added a 42-yard field goal to give the Black team a 10-0 lead, but the Red defense stiffened and did not give any more points up until the final minute of the game.

The play in the all-star game was aggressive from the start. Peach County linebacker Jaquez Jackson leveled the Black team’s quarterback, Antonio Gilbert, in the first quarter, and that hit set the tone for the game.

What made the hit a little different is that Jackson and Gilbert are teammates at Peach County.

“I don’t get to hit him too much at practice, and I saw the opportunity and I went after him,” Jackson said with a smile. “I let him know that I was going to be there the entire game. I mean we are very good friends, but this does give me bragging rights for a little bit with him. I think everyone out here really enjoyed playing the game, but it’s always great to get the win.”

Dillard also enjoyed the game, especially the interception for the score.

“I didn’t score at all last year, and when I saw the ball come to me I had to make sure I caught it,” said Dillard, who also starts on the Warner Robins basketball team. “Once I caught it, I knew I had to get to the end zone and I just tried to run as fast as I could.”

Several other locals had big games. Michael Bradley from Warner Robins had six catches, while Jones County wide receiver Jaquez Durham had five catches for the Red team.

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Dinkins’ pick-six keys Middle Georgia All-Star Classic victory."