Albert Williams and Marcel Young started their high school careers together at Hinds AHS four years ago. Together, they helped transform the War Dawgs from a doormat to a powerhouse. And now, on a field just up the road from Utica, they’ll finish their careers together.

Williams and Young, a pair of offensive standouts for Hinds AHS, will suit up for the South team tonight in the 57th Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Classic. The game, played at Mississippi College in Clinton, begins at 7 p.m.

&#8220It’s pretty cool. Chill out with my boy for one last game and see some of the best competition in Mississippi,” Young said.

For a while, the best competition didn’t include Hinds AHS.

When the duo arrived at the high school in 2002, the War Dawgs were mired in an 18-game losing streak and coming off an 0-10 season.

They were part of a talented young group, however, that quickly turned things around at the Utica school. Alongside quarterback Austin Divinity – who played in the Mississippi-Alabama all-star game in 2005 – Williams and Young helped the War Dawgs become an offensive juggernaut.

Hinds AHS averaged 34 points per game from 2003-05, reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons and went a perfect 10-0 in the 2005 regular season.

&#8220They mean a lot to me, more than just on the field,” Hinds AHS coach Michael Fields said in describing Young and Williams’ contributions to the program. &#8220They’re great leadership guys. You don’t have to worry about them on Saturday and Sunday.”

Not that they didn’t contribute on Friday, too.

Williams rushed for 1,233 yards in his sophomore season, and only a season-ending injury early in the 2004 season kept him from having three straight 1,000-yard campaigns. He finished his career with 3,275 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground.

He scored 20 touchdowns last season and will play at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in the fall.

&#8220It’s his speed, quickness and power combination. He’s very strong and he knows how to run the football,” Young said.

Young signed with Hinds Community College and took a different path to stardom.

While Williams became the War Dawgs’ featured back early in his career, Young had few opportunities his first three seasons. Before his senior year, Young had caught only one pass, a 10-yard touchdown toss in 2003.

So when a few more balls started coming his way last season, Young knew he had to take advantage of it. He caught only 14 passes, but took eight of them for touchdowns and averaged an astonishing 38.3 yards per catch.

&#8220Every time I touched it I was trying to take it to the house,” Young said. &#8220I knew I wasn’t going to get many chances, so I had to make the most of the ones I got.”

Young’s speed – Fields said he runs a 4.3-second 40-yard dash – and 6-foot-1 frame made him an ideal big-play threat and a college prospect despite his low career totals.

&#8220Marcel is one of those guys who’s a late bloomer. He has a high ceiling. There’s no telling what he’s capable of,” Fields said.