Nathaniel Walker, Maison Dunn stand out in Amory-Tupelo jamboree
Aug. 18—TUPELO — Nathaniel Walker is an established defensive star, and Maison Dunn is one in the making. Both of them shined during Amory's jamboree scrimmage against Tupelo on Friday.
Walker, a senior linebacker for Amory, recorded two sacks and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. It was the only score for the Panthers, as Tupelo won 20-7.
That score didn't matter much to Walker, who was just glad to be on the field. He and his teammates have been without a stadium and field house since both were destroyed by a tornado in March.
Amory will be back on Tupelo's field three more times during the season to play its home games.
"It feels just like home. Which it's going to be our home for a little minute," Walker said. "It just feels good seeing the scoreboard, the stands, the fans out here, and playing. All good vibes and energy. I love it so much."
Dunn is a junior defensive back who saw only very limited action for Tupelo last season. He'll be a key part of the Golden Wave's secondary this fall, and he showed why. Dunn returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown and broke up two other passes.
"It felt pretty amazing, first pick this year," he said.
Amory and Tupelo had three offensive possessions each, taken in four-minute increments.
The Golden Wave's offense wasn't especially sharp. Quarterback Jeremiah Harrell completed 11 of 16 passes for 129 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Running back Jaeden Hill led all rushers with 58 yards on five carries.
"We looked sloppy; it was first-game sloppy stuff I saw," Tupelo coach Ty Hardin said. "That's a really good 4A team, but we made a lot of stupid mistakes and errors, turnovers and stuff like that. That's not like us on offense."
Amory opens its season next Friday at Pontotoc, while Tupelo will meet Whitehaven (Tenn.) at Northwest Mississippi Community College on that Saturday.
"We've got a real test next week against a team that's got all the talent in the world," Hardin said. "I'm excited about getting to work Monday, for sure."
