Last Wednesday, Tedarious Brown was selected to play in the Bernard Blackwell Mississippi All-Star football game. On Friday night, it took him exactly four plays to show why.

The Vicksburg High receiver caught a wide receiver screen on the first play of the game and zipped up the left sideline for a 24-yard gain. Three plays later, he took a swing pass to the right side, beat a defender to the edge and came to a dead stop at the 20-yard line. As a defender whiffed on the tackle, Brown cut sharply back toward the left and ran the last 20 yards into the end zone to give the Gators a 12-0 lead.

It was a special kind of play that got the crowd fired up, but as Brown crossed the goal line and immediately handed the ball to an official, he made it all look routine.

“Playing with a player like him, I get used to those plays,” VHS quarterback Joe Johnson said after the Gators went on to beat Lanier 51-12. “Every Friday night he’s usually the fastest person on the field, so as soon as he clears them it’s time to let it rise. I’m going to miss him when he’s gone.”

The Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game is Dec. 19 in Gulfport.

Brown’s all-star selection is the first for a Vicksburg High player since 2011, when A.J. Stamps was picked for the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, and came in the middle of a breakout season. In seven games the senior Brown has caught 36 passes for 567 yards and five touchdowns.

“It was one of my goals in the beginning of the season, to make one of the all-star games. So I was real excited when coach told me about the news,” Brown said.

Brown’s reception and yardage totals have already surpassed those he put up as a freshman and sophomore, and have made him one of the most prolific receivers in school and Warren County history.

With 89 career receptions, he’s on track to become the third player in county history to finish his high school career with more than 100. He’s already one of only four players with at least 1,300 receiving yards.

“It’s one of those awards that’s a body of work, and he’s been productive for three years,” Vicksburg coach Marcus Rogers said of the all-star nod. “And the best, I think, is yet to come with Tedarious. He can still get a little complacent at times, and that’s attributable to his god-given ability. I just hope he realizes what kind of potential he has. He’s a big-play guy. I haven’t seen anybody that can run with him.”

Rogers added that Brown has “good measurables,” a term that can be taken a number of ways.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Mississippi State football camp this summer and has also excelled in the classroom. He has a 3.6 GPA and made a 19 on the ACT.

He’s gotten scholarship offers from nearly every junior college in Mississippi, as well as smaller four-year programs like Jackson State and Texas Southern. He’s hopeful that a strong finish to the high school season and a good showing during all-star week will increase his profile on the recruiting trail.

“A couple of colleges have been coming to talk to us, a couple have been contacting my coach. Some people told me this will give me a little more exposure,” Brown said.

Besides the offers that have already come in, Rogers said a few other schools like Southern Miss have inquired about Brown. He, too, believes more interest will come as recruiting season goes on.

“There’s some stuff that’s going to start happening for him, because people are starting to open up their eyes. He was under the radar. Now he’s getting on the radar a little bit,” Rogers said.

For now, Brown is plowing ahead with the season. Friday’s win over Lanier improved Vicksburg’s record to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Region 2-5A. There’s still hope for not only a playoff berth but a region championship, and there’s little doubt Brown will play a big part in whatever success the Gators have.

He finished with four receptions for 97 yards and the one touchdown against Lanier, and also had a kickoff return touchdown negated by a penalty. He’s caught at least two passes in each of his last 11 games dating back to last season.

The all-star nod cemented what his performance had already done — put him among the state’s best receivers, even if he’d never taken the time to think of it that way.

“I haven’t thought about it like that, but it’s nice to be among the best and see where I stand and how I compete among the best,” Brown said. “You can always get better and put things on film for them to see. I’ve got to make a lot more plays. I’ve got to get through the season first, before I go to the all-star game, so I’m really just thinking about finishing the season and trying to make the playoffs.”

Up next

Ridgeland at Vicksburg

Friday, 7 p.m.

Radio: 1490 AM

Online: For live scoring updates on Friday night, visit Facebook.com/thevicksburgpost or Twitter.com/vicksburgpost