MACON — Two statement victories in August might be enough for some teams.
But Tyrone Shorter’s Noxubee County High School football team is hungry, and it appears to be playing with a chip on its shoulder.
Shorter doesn’t want Noxubee County to lose that mind-set coming off a victory against Class 5A North State champion Starkville High and a victory against Craigmont (Tenn.) last week in the Memphis-Mississippi Gridiron Classic.
“I don’t think we are trying to prove anything. We’re just playing football,” Shorter said. “These kids have worked hard since the spring, through the summer, and up to this point. These 23 seniors have been together since the seventh grade, and they are determined to win a championship.”
Shorter was pleased with his team’s performance on special teams last week. He said the Tigers’ “beefed up” their special teams lineup by moving more experienced players into the mix. He said it was a welcome change after special teams play nearly cost Noxubee County in its 29-8 victory against Starkville in week one.
Shorter hopes for a similar showing at 7:30 p.m. Friday when his team plays host to New Hope (1-0), which had a bye last week. He also is looking forward to having a packed house to give the Tigers a true home-field advantage against the Class 5A Trojans. Last season, Noxubee County built a big lead before holding on for a 45-29 victory against New Hope in Columbus.
With eight returning starters leading the way on defense through two weeks, Shorter feels confident his defense can set the tone. He believes the offense is a little further along than he would have anticipated, which is a good thing considering Noxubee County has road games against Aberdeen and West Point in the next two weeks.
“We knew we had some great skill guys coming back,” Shorter said. “We knew we had three offensive linemen coming back, but when you lose a Terrence Barron, a Ladarrell Hunt, a Kamal Chamberlain, we lost some playmakers last year. We knew we had two playmakers (Deangelo Ballard and Darrell Robinson) coming back, but these other guys are stepping up and it is like we haven’t missed a beat. I think our offense is even better than it was last year. We have so many weapons that we can go to.”
Friday’s game and the next two will determine how much Noxubee County can climb in the rankings before district play begins. The Tigers were ranked No. 12 in the preseason Mississippi Public Broadcasting poll. They climbed to No. 7 after beating Starkville in week one. This week, Noxubee County is No. 7 overall and No. 3 behind Lafayette and Tylertown in Class 4A in The Associated Press rankings.
Those polls, not to mention the fact senior lineman Dylan Bradley wasn’t named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen, which recognizes 12 of the state’s top players, will continue to serve as fuel for the Tigers. They also will use the memory of a 21-20 loss to Amory in the second round of the Class 4A North State playoffs. Shorter said his players still watch the film from that game to remind themselves how any team can lose a game at any time, especially if it is just a little bit overconfident.
Shorter, who was an assistant coach to former head coach M.C Miller, coached the seniors when they were in middle school. He has watched them mature and feels the team is capable of staying humble and hungry to realize its goal of matching the 2008 team that won the program’s first state title.
Defense might be the thing that people remember from the 2008 team. This season, Shorter said a key will be for the defense not to be overaggressive and to let its natural talent and skills take over. If that happens, Shorter likes the speed and athleticism of that unit to compete with any team.
“One thing we’re trying to eliminate this year is the personal fouls,” Shorter said. “We had too many offsides penalties and things that kept drives alive. In the first two games, the guys have been playing smart football. We haven’t had a lot of penalties.”
That could be a scary thought if Noxubee County’s defense continues to play that way. Even though Shorter said the Tigers might not have something to prove, a hungry defense that is shooting for shutouts can be a driving force to helping the team make statements in December.
“I feel this offense and our defense still have a lot of improvement to do,” Shorter said. “Hopefully our kids can learn from the mistakes they make and don’t make them again and get better and better and better.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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