Tony Stanford and his coaches have reason to be proud.
In 2008, Stanford came to Columbus High School with coach Bubba Davis with a goal to transform the school’s football program.
Stanford continued that mission after taking over for Davis as head coach prior to the 2010 season. Like Davis, his formula included a core principle: Hard work in the weight room pays dividends.
The eight Columbus High School football players who signed scholarships to play football in college are proof the Falcons are moving in the right direction.
“We’re real proud,” Stanford said. “This is probably the most players to sign out of here in a while. I think that is showing our program is making progress.”
Columbus High will send players in different directions, as Kenny Averhart, Deontae Jones, and Byerson Cockrell signed to play at national champion East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Damian Baker, Jabari Edwards, Cedrick Jackson, and Jamel Grant signed with Northwest Mississippi C.C. in Senatobia, and Tim Hudgins signed with Northeast Mississippi C.C. in Booneville.
“This was a good class, and I think we have a good junior class behind it and the sophomore class we have behind that class has some good athletes that are getting better year by year,” Stanford said. “I think all eight of them as freshmen we really got them started in the weight room hard and they put in the time in the weight room. I think they finally figured out that the weight room is where they were going to get better. They really put a lot of time in the weight room. You look at them and you could tell they dedicated themselves to the weight room.”
Baker led Columbus with 1,404 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had 239 receiving yards. He said he likes the offense coach Ricky Woods’ Rangers use in part because it is similar to the Pistol-style attack Columbus ran this season. Once Baker adjusted to being next to the quarterback in a shallower shotgun formation, he excelled at running down hill.
“I thought it would be a good advantage for me knowing what kind of offense they run because (the offense at Columbus High) is pretty much the exact same thing,” Baker said. “I felt I have had a lot of success in the offense.”
Jones, who also is a standout on the school’s boys basketball team, had 45 catches for 680 yards and eight touchdowns.
Like Baker, Jones feels EMCC is suited to his strength, which is catching the football. He said the EMCC coaches have told him he projects as a outside receiver in an offense that likes to throw the football 40-50 times a game.
“It is basically the same formations with different plays, so I will be familiar with the formations and be on top of that,” Jones said. “We’re used to doing a lot of no-huddle tuff.”
Jones said he hasn’t talked to EMCC men’s basketball coach Mark White, but he would like to try out for the basketball team in hopes of playing that sport, too.
Jackson split time at quarterback with Trace Lee and also played wide receiver. He was 44 of 82 for 581 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 247 yards and five touchdowns and had 11 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
“I really liked coach Woods the times we sat down and talked,” Jackson said. “We had long talks and I felt comfortable around him and there was no pressure to have to go to school there. He said I had to make the best decision for me. I just felt very comfortable around them and at college.”
Jackson said the coaches told him he likely will play slot receiver at EMCC, and that he feels he will be able to make that transition because he knows what to look for and how to read defenses from his time playing quarterback.
Hudgins had 56 tackles and two sacks, Grant had 41 tackles and a sack, Averhart had 35 tackles and two sacks, and Cockrell, who missed the 2010 season with an injury, had 69 tackles, seven interceptions, and seven pass deflections. Edwards was a quarterback as a freshman and a fullback as a sophomore who turned into a key contributor at middle linebacker in his final two seasons.
“It was a big transition from playing offense all my life, but I like the change,” Edwards said. “I am glad I did it because I think I am a better linebacker than a quarterback.”
Jackson summed it up best for the signees later that day after he had time to reflect on his career and what he learned at Columbus High.
“Our class is one of the first to have more than one or two sign,” Jackson said. “I felt really good to be a part of that. It just shows that even though our record didn’t show that good we had some very good players and we worked hard. Everyone who got signed worked hard to get this. The ones who didn’t get signed are still working hard to get to the next level.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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