Mississippi Football: Potentially Toxic Twist for High School Football

Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trae Elston (7) celebrates with the Egg Bowl trophy after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trae Elston (7) celebrates with the Egg Bowl trophy after the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi won 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

As the Egg Bowl continues to grow in both intrigue and venom, stories that seem like crazy internet fodder are becoming reality.

It seems like Hugh Kellenberger of the Clarion-Ledger knew something before the rest of us did about how the events of this week would play out, especially concerning Mississippi football.  He published an article claiming there was too much hate in the Egg Bowl Rivalry.  Yawn.

Rivalries are part of what makes SEC football special.  Mississippi Football is no different.

Hugh Freeze took time out of his holiday weekend, though, to share that he agreed with Kellenberger.  Why Freeze insists on addressing every bit of social media that concerns Ole Miss is beyond me, but it seems to work for him.

Things took a far stranger turn yesterday, however.  Ever heard of elitedawgs?   Lee Woolridge?  Coach34?  It’s about to get weird.

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According to our friends at maroonandwhitenation, Lee Woolridge got his start there when the site was independent blog.  He went on to form his own blog and named it elitedawgs.  Justin Strawn of Maroon and White Nation described what Woolridge (referred to as Coach) does over at elitedawgs as the following:

When it comes to Ole Miss, Coach hates them. All you have to do is look at his activity on Elite Dawgs to see that. Not only does he hate Ole Miss, he hates them with a passion that burns with the heat of a thousand suns.

Suffice it to say things got really interesting when Yancy Porter, an Ole Miss writer for Scout, posted the following tweet.

For those not in the know, South Panola is one of the preeminent programs in Mississippi football.  They’re expected to win state championships and are a primary pipe line school for Ole Miss.  Having Lee Woolridge there, who many suspect would let his fandom influence his relationship with potential recruits there, would be an obvious conflict of interest to many.

Many involved in Mississippi football cried foul.  They let it be known that, in their opinion, Woolridge was racist, sexist, a fan boy and worse.  Just google “lee woolridge coach 34 south panola” and sift through the garbage if you must.  I’d link but I’m giving you the cleaner descriptions.

Many suspect parents and Ole Miss fans contacted South Panola with the internet activities of Woolridge, leading to this tweet the same day he was hired to coach Mississippi football.

One thing is for certain, though.  You cannot coach Mississippi football and actively steer student athletes away from opportunities.  If Lee Woolridge would have steered recruits away from Ole Miss, South Panola was correct in not hiring him in the end.

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More fans become keyboard warriors when their favorite school begins achieving greater success, which has been the case for Mississippi football fans of the SEC.  But things haven’t changed much for the diehard fans of Mississippi football.  It’s just the minority of fans that are crazed and newly impassioned that make the rest of us look bad.  Lee Woolridge, on the other hand, earned his way into not working with high school Mississippi football programs.  I hate it impacted his ability to make a living, but let his life be a lesson to watch what you post on the internet.