By Angie Ledbetter
Jim Tyler Dalrymple, a senior at North Delta School, was chosen as the 2007 Most Valuable Player of District 1A for All Purpose Offense of the Mississippi Private School Association.

Dalrymple, known to everyone as JT, is a senior at North Delta where he proudly wore the #10 jersey for the Green Wave team.  He has played quarterback, tailback, defensive back, punter and kicker for the last three years.

The 17-year-old always has a smile on his face when you talk to him about playing football. He lives and breathes football, according to everyone around him.  

Dalrymple had to overcome some adversity over the summer and during the football season.  In July, he had his tonsils removed that sidelined him a few weeks.  

He had to work extra hard to catch up and get back in shape.  To do that, he went to the track at South Panola and walked every day for about four weeks. He was anxious to get back in shape for the upcoming football season.  

Then Dalrymple faced a greater challenge that occurred in August.  He was injured in the game with Desoto, Ark., tearing his rotator cuff. He needed surgery but wanted to wait until the football season was over.

He took a chance and hoped it would pay off for him.  He had to make a very tough and heart breaking decision.  He not only plays football, but also baseball.  

Baseball is as much a passion as football to Dalrymple.

He had to decide between football or baseball.

The decision was made to finish the football season and have surgery when the season ended.  He was not able to finish the season as quarterback, but did get to punt and kick extra points for the final three games.  

He said that made him very happy just to be in the game and on the field.  His decision was based on the fact that he wanted to be able to play in the state championship game his senior year with his Green Wave team.

That dream fell short last week when his Green Wave team lost.   

Dalrymple is a leader on the Green Wave team this year. On offense, he rushed the ball 141 times for 898 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He had 11 receptions for 138 yards with one touchdown. He completed four of eight in passing for 84 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He made 22 extra points and two two-point conversions for a total of 86 points for the Green Wave team.  

He is ranked nationally for his punting by MaxPreps. He punted the ball 39 times for 1,509 yards for an average of 38.69 yards. His longest was 52 yards. On the defense, Dalrymple had 43 tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery, 15 pass breakups, and nine interceptions.

Dalrymple said this meant a lot to him.  

“All of those two-a-days, lifting weights, and working hard sort of gets you to play hard,” he said. “It is a big honor.  I was surprised. I didn’t think I would get something like this. I thought that I might get all district as punter but I didn’t think that I would get all district MVP.”

Dalrymple remembered back to spring practice and talked about everything that he had gone through.

“During spring practice, I played quarterback,” he said. “We got Michael Johnson to come to North Delta and I got excited. I figured that we would go out of the roof with passing yards.  

“In the Strider game, I threw the first pass to him for a touchdown and I told him that was the way that the rest of the year was going to be, throwing those touchdown passes,” Dalrymple added. “Michael was glad. Then in the next game, right at the end of the third quarter, I was tackled. My rotator cuff was torn.  I wanted to play the next game but my coaches and the physical therapist said that I wasn’t ready.”

Dalrymple sat out three games and got back in the Tunica game on September 28.

“I played my heart out that night and I played as hard as I could,” he said. “ I am still playing with it torn.  I have to have surgery but I never quit playing. That is why you play football and you get injuries. You just keep playing. I have had to fight hard to get this far and so has everybody else.”

Senior night felt good, according to Dalrymple.

“I was just ready to play the game that night. We got to go out on the field with our parents and they just told who we were and what we played,” he said.

Dalrymple was excited about the first district playoff game against Hebron Christian School.

“We won the coin toss and got to play at home,” he said. “It felt good to win the first game and especially at home.”

He is the son of Tim Dalrymple and Kim Jackson, both of Batesville. His grandparents are Jimmy and Betty Herron and  Harold and Peggy Dalrymple of Batesville.