MACON — DeAngelo Ballard listened and watched.
The first game of his senior season was still months away, but Noxubee County High School football coach Tyrone Shorter wanted to establish a foundation. First, he showed his quarterback tapes of the Tigers’ three losses from 2011. He then presented each of the Mississippi High School Activities Association state championship games and encouraged Ballard to watch the quarterbacks on each team.
“Those guys are the best players on their teams,” Shorter said.
Ballard didn’t need to watch very much of those games to see how the quarterbacks performed and, ultimately, played key roles in leading their teams to titles.
Those lessons stayed with Ballard in the offseason and served as motivation in the preseason for him to mature into a bigger — and louder — leader for the 2012 Noxubee County High football team.
Ballard’s performance is just one reason why Noxubee County is flying high off to a 3-0 start as it prepares for its game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Aberdeen. Coming off a 60-14 victory against Class 5A New Hope, the Class 4A Tigers will travel to Monroe County to take on the Bulldogs, a perennial power in Class 3A.
Shorter said Ballard has impressed him with his leadership skills in the first three game, even if he hasn’t put up dazzling statistics in the passing game. Shorter is more concerned with Ballard’s ability to run the offense, to make sure his teammates are in the right spots, and to make the right decisions.
“I think he just took it upon himself that he has to be the difference-maker,” Shorter said. “I talked to him about the three losses and showed him the mistakes, and he already knew about the mistakes. I also showed him the state title games, and I think he understands what I am trying to get at: That he has to be the leader on offense and to be the person who takes command in that huddle.
“I see that in him. Every position, he knows what that player is supposed to do. This early in the season, that is what you want. He is a very smart guy. He has taken it upon himself to be the best player for this team to make it to Jackson.”
Ballard started strong in 2011 but suffered an injury in a victory against New Hope that forced him to miss playing time. He admitted he didn’t go hard all of the time in practice and didn’t have the proper mind-set to re-take control of the team.
This season, Ballard took Shorter’s constructive criticism to heart and knew his coach wasn’t trying to tear him down. He realized he needed to get better and to do his job to the best of his ability.
“I am doing a better job of leading the team than I did last year,” Ballard said. “I kind of felt I should have done things differently last year. I was trying to let the seniors lead the team last year. I wasn’t really vocal. I just heard people say that when you’re a leader sometimes you have to be vocal, so I came in and tried to talk more.”
Shorter has seen Ballard do that by checking the team out of run plays and into passing plays. Ballard said confidence is a big part of why he is more comfortable speaking up and being a bigger leader.
“I am way more confident. I just practice with a different swagger about myself,” Ballard said.
Ballard said the key is making sure he plays games with that confidence. He has heard the talk around town, and he knows he carries a big burden on his shoulders to get the Tigers, who won the 2008 state title, back to Jackson.
“It is a big challenge,” Ballard said. “All I hear in the neighborhood is, ‘We have to go to Jackson his year, We have to go to Jackson this year.’ All I want to do is go to Jackson and win because ever since I have been in high school we have had the teams to win but we have always come up short.
“I think I am doing pretty good. I probably can do better in the passing game to help the running game.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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