MERIDIAN, Miss. — Demopolis wrapped up its spring practice session Friday night with a pair of jamboree scrimmages against Meridian and Quitman. Demopolis lost to host Meridian 14-0 to start the night before tying with Quitman 7-7 after one half of play.

Demopolis struggled from the outset against Meridian, proving largely incapable of moving the ball offensively while simultaneously surrendering chunks of yardage defensively.

“I wish we would have played a little better,” Demopolis head coach Tom Causey said. “I think we came out a little dead-legged and a little shocked to start with.”

The Tigers, who were replacing a bevy of defensive starters, picked up their game in the second half when they challenged Quitman.

In that round, the Demopolis offensive line proved more effective in creating running room for running back DaMarcus James, who proceeded to break free for a handful of long runs while helping Demopolis to position itself for a score.

The Tigers also got significant offensive contributions from junior-to-be James Wilson, who displayed his prowess at the A-back spot both running and receiving. At the beginning of the second quarter, Wilson scored the Tigers’ lone touchdown of the evening on a two-yard run. Spence Overstreet added the extra point to knot the game at its final score.

“James had a great spring,” Causey said of Wilson, who could be significant boost to a team that graduates its top four receivers in two weeks.

Causey said going into the 10-day spring session that his goal was to get experience for his younger players and identify athletes who can help. Friday seemed an ample realization of that goal.

“We got to see a lot of new guys,” Causey said. “We had some bright spots tonight.”

That take is consistent with his overview of the team’s spring, a 10-day span in which he believes his team may have identified who will lead it in its quest to repeat as Class 5A state champion.

“Tramaine Irby had a great spring. New guy, Dantrayle Wheeler had a great spring,” Causey said. “Logan Holley had an unbelievable spring. Reid Barkley went from day one to day 10 at 100 miles per hour. Wesley Anderson had a strong spring.”

The Tigers will resume summer their quest for improvement this summer.