Nobody expects a brainy computer enthusiast to also enjoy manhandling and hurting large opponents.

Then again, nobody expected an 0-5 team to circle the wagons and make the playoffs either.

Yes, nobody surprises quite like the Adams County Christian School Rebels and senior lineman Justin Thorton, who was selected to this year’s MPSA All-Star team.

At 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, Thorton looks more like a lineman than a computer salesmen, but he makes a tidy profit with his hobby.

&uot;I work on computers all the time,&uot; Thorton said. &uot;I used to build them myself, but now it’s easier to order them pre-built.&uot;

And while the 17-year-old entrepreneur enjoys his business, it involves the stress and headaches with which any self-employed person can identify. Enter football.

&uot;It’s definitely a stress reliever,&uot; Thorton said. &uot;If I’m mad at somebody, I’ll just go out and practice and run until I can’t move. At the end, I’m not worried about what made me mad. I’m worried about breathing.&uot;

Thorton apparently endured a great deal of stress his senior year, as his performance as both an offensive and defensive tackle was consistently solid.

&uot;He’s a football player,&uot; said ACCS coach Bo Swilley. &uot;He’ll play hurt, sick; he’ll do anything you ask him to do. He’s a coach’s dream.&uot;

Thorton was the only Rebel to qualify for the All-Star game. To be eligible, the player must be a senior and an All-District First Team selection. Coaches in all MPSA districts then rank those players to select the All-Stars.

His selection to the team was a surprise, Thorton said. &uot;I guess it seemed like I worked harder,&uot; he said. &uot;I don’t know if I did or not, but I tried to do my best, anyway.&uot;

Thorton left today for Clinton to practice with his new team for a week before the actual game at 6 p.m. Friday at Mississippi College’s Robinson-Hale Stadium.

He hopes the game will help get him some exposure, especially to Delta State University scouts, he said.

&uot;I’ve had a few friends go there, and they loved it,&uot; he said. &uot;Everything I’ve read, I’ve liked.&uot;

He is also considering Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Wesson campus, another school that would provide an opportunity to continue his football career.

Especially now that his stint as an ACCS Rebel is over.

&uot;I’ll miss the coaches,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ll probably see my friends somewhere later in life, but I don’t know where my coaches will end up. I’ll miss them most of all.&uot;

Thorton, a Natchez native, is the son of Ivy Ray and Deborah Thorton.