Better to be lucky than good? Without even taking the field, the Demopolis Dixie Youth “Majors” All-Star team has already been lucky. But they’re working hard to make sure they can say they’re both.

The teams’ coaches organized a controlled scrimmage for Wednesday night at the SportPlex, inviting several other members of the Demopolis 11-and 12-year old league to participate and fill out a second team for a practice game. Coach Chris Stewart said afterwards that since the team had spent a lot of practice time working on the basics, the scrimmage was conceived with the goal of letting the players jell as a unit.

“We wanted to put the guys together in a game-type situation and see how they would respond,” he said. “We’re looking to see if they can work through a situation together, to see how they come together as a team.

The coaches will see exactly how much they’ve come together when they take the field Monday in Livingston, facing the winner of a Saturday game between Butler and Greensboro. Why the delay? Because in a random draw, the Demopolis All-Stars received the coveted “bye” position in the “Majors” five-team sub-District tournament. In addition to a potential extra day of practice, now two wins (as opposed to three) stand between Demopolis and the championship round. In the event of a loss, Demopolis would also be in better shape to advance from the loser’s bracket.

“It’s just the luck of the draw,” said Stewart.

Not that Demopolis is going to rely on any more luck from this point on. Stewart said the team has been practicing hard, and that the team and the coaches have gotten along well and are prepared for whoever they face in Livingston.

“We’re having fun,” Stewart said. “We’ve been working hard for a week and half now, so we’re ready to just go out and play.”

The Demopolis Dixie Youth “Majors” All-Star team is coached by Chris Cameron, Chris Stewart, Mark Hasty, and Keith Holley. The “Majors” All-Stars are Payne Hasty, Kole Thrasher, William Stewart, Matthew Barger, Logan Holley, Tyler Howerton, Bill Holeman, Jacob Roemen, Matthew Sellers, Walker McNiell, Ben Pettus, DeMarcus James, and Chase Cameron.