Tyrone Shorter sets the tone in every way for the Noxubee County High School football team.
Whether it’s his desire to keep the program’s field house spotless or his edict that his players wear a buttoned-down shirt, a tie, and a blazer on Fridays during the season, Shorter wants his players to look and to act like one of the top programs in the state of Mississippi.
On Wednesday, eight members of the Noxubee County High football team showed they have learned Shorter’s lessons as they arrived at the program’s National Signing Day ceremony in the school’s gymnasium resplendently dressed in their Sunday best. From velvet bow ties to dress shirts with floral patterns to jackets with yellow flowers, each of the Tigers impressed the packed gathering of classmates, friends, and family members as well as a live Internet audience that was watching the streaming feed of the proceedings.
Those assembled watched Deveon Ball (Jackson State/Hinds Community College), Qendarrion Barnett (Idaho), Timorrius Conner, Bobby May, and Quincy Stokes (East Mississippi C.C.), Shunessy Sherrod II and LaDaveon Smith (Mississippi Delta C.C.), and Jeffery Simmons (Mississippi State) put the finishing touches on prep careers that saw each player contribute to a history-making season in which Noxubee County (12-4) won its final 10 games to capture its second-consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A State championship. It marked the first time in school history a program has accomplished that feat.
“I knew this group of kids was going to be special when they came from the junior high school,” Shorter said. “For this group of seniors to be a part of three state championships, that says a lot.
“The closeness I have with this bunch of seniors it kind of reminds me of the group I had in 2012 (that also won a state title). It was more of a father figure to all of these guys.”
Shorter left the college decisions up to his players. While he was ready to help in any way needed, the only order he gave his players was to look good for the ceremony. All of the Tigers complied, with Simmons perhaps earning the prize for Shorter’s favorite outfit. The 6-foot-4, 272-pound defensive end wore a size 48 jacket with yellow flowers and touches of brown, black, and green he purchased from The Suitcase in Columbus. He also bought the rest of his outfit, including a grey bow tie, in Columbus, and picked everything up Tuesday just in time to try it all on.
When Shorter was asked which piece of clothing — Simmons’ jacket, May’s velvet bow tie or his floral shirt — Shorter didn’t hesitate.
“I got to go get me one,” Shorter said of Simmons’ jacket. “When he came in this morning, I was like, ‘Wow.’ He really looked good. All of the kids looked good, but his jacket just set it off. I like the way he looked today. I told him that this morning.”
Shorter looked sharp dressed in a brown jacket he said his wife purchased. Although he said he didn’t know what shade of brown he was wearing, he said he was pleased to have helped organize a special day for his seniors and their families.
Simmons, who surprised some in attendance by picking MSU over Alabama and Ole Miss, said Shorter deserves a lot of credit for helping all of the players look great and be even better representatives for the school and the community.
“It all comes from coach Shorter,” Simmons said. “He always tells us to look presentable, especially on an occasion like this. I take my hat off to him for something like this.”
Speaking of hats, Simmons acknowledged that the adjustable one he picked up from the table to announce his signing didn’t go with his outfit. While the maroon on the front of the hat might have clashed with his jacket, the STATE on the underside of the bill suited him perfectly.
Simmons’ hat wasn’t the only perfect fit or the only piece of headgear that didn’t exactly go with an ensemble. The winner of that award goes to Stokes, who donned a fluorescent orange hat with a camouflage bill to announce his decision to play for coach Stephens and the Lions.
Dressed in “professionally” in white shoes, navy pants, and a red jacket, Stokes also had his hair done by Sadie Reed, a senior at Noxubee County High. He said he picked his hat up during a visit to Scooba and said he waited until Wednesday to wear it for the first time, even though he had decided on EMCC a few weeks ago. He said he picked EMCC because he wants to help the Lions add to the national championship tradition. EMCC won championships in 2011, 2013, and 2014.
While Simmons and Stokes dazzled with colors, Barnett and Conner stayed conservative with similar multi-colored dress shirts. Conner won the battle of accessories with green suspenders, but no one on this day was there to outdo their teammates.
Barnett, who might have drawn the biggest cheer when he announced his decision to attend the University of Idaho, which is located in Moscow. The city, which is in the northern part of the state along the border with Washington, had a population of 23,800 in the 2010 census. It is about the size of Columbus.
Barnett said the coaches have told him he likely will get a chance to come in and start as a freshman at strong safety and an outside linebacker. Barnett primarily played middle linebacker in his career at Noxubee County High. He said he played a little strong safety during seven-on-seven camps in the summer. He doesn’t believe the transition to a new position will be a problem.
Barnett, who is listed at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, paced the Tigers in tackles the past two seasons. He said he will go to Idaho to prove to other people he can be an impact player at the Division level.
“I heard it throughout the season when coaches would call me or when I would see a coach,” Barnett said when asked if he had people or coaches ask him about his size. “I just use that as motivation, and I will continue to use that as motivation for the next four years.”
Barnett said he also couldn’t help notice Conner was wearing a shirt that resembled his.
“When I looked at him I was like, ‘We have the same taste,’ ” Barnett said. “I guess great minds think alike.”
Standing behind a curtain that served as a backdrop behind the podium in the center of the gym floor, Shorter took it all in. He saw the Cheetah print bow tie made by Smith’s mother and the black scarf Sherrod bought from Walmart and had Mississippi Delta stitched onto the end. He couldn’t help but smile because this group played a crucial role in saving a season that almost was lost in a four-game losing streak before the start of Class 4A, region 4 play.
Instead, Shorter called his seniors in and told them to fix it, which is exactly what they did with an eye for detail and little margin for error. In a way, it was a dress rehearsal for Wednesday, when all of the signees were in the spotlight and had to look their best.
Shorter said the seniors picked up on a lot of the things he preached about — the neatness, the cleanliness, the attention to detail — over the years, which makes it bittersweet because he won’t have another chance to coach them.
“They are great leaders,” Shorter said. “They did everything we asked them to do. A lot of people gave me credit for pulling this team back together after the four losses, but it was this group of seniors. I met with the seniors and they pulled everybody back together.
“When you have some adversity and lose four-straight games and come back to win 10 in a row to win a state championship, that says a lot about this group.”
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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