Columbus High School senior defensive end Tahj Sykes heard the criticism.
Then he heard the praise and admiration.
“We want to change what the Columbus football program is all about,” said Sykes, who has verbally committed to Southern Mississippi. “When we got here, the program was known for losing. Day by day, we have changed that. Now, Columbus is looked at as a competitor.”
With arguably its best preseason ranking in school history, Columbus will open the season at 7 tonight against Kemper County in DeKalb.
The Clarion-Ledger Super 10 has Columbus ranked No. 8 in the state. Southern Elite Sports (SES) Mississippi has Columbus No. 6 overall and No. 5 in Class 6A.
Coach Randal Montgomery has carried the squad a long way in a short amount of time. Tony Stanford had three seven-win seasons at Columbus High, but he made the playoffs only once. Stanford’s final team won four games in 2013. Montgomery’s first team in 2014 won the same number.
“The rankings mean nothing because the game is played on the field,” Montgomery said. “However, it is great to see the kids’ hard work recognized. It is great when you go into a season and people think you are going to be good. It makes practice better. It makes your motivational level better. We don’t pay attention to the rankings, but at the same time, it is nice to know people are considering you a contender.”
The hype surrounding Columbus is centered around Mississippi State commitment Kylin Hill, who ran for 1,801 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He also had three receiving scores and two kick-return scores.
“We have given Columbus a new identity,” Hill said. “Everybody looks down on Columbus, but we have something to show them. I think we have a special team and we have the attitude to get it done. When people are talking about other teams, they are sleeping on us.”
Columbus finished 8-4 last season. It was the second-most wins in a season in program history. The Falcons finished second in Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A, Region 1 play with a 6-1 record. A return to the playoffs was short-lived, as Columbus dropped a 56-42 decision to Clinton in an opening-round game at home.
The loss to Clinton placed a chip on the shoulders of Columbus High’s players. Perhaps, it just made a chip that was already there larger.
“For three years now we have felt like the underdog,” Columbus senior quarterback C.J. Gholar said. “Columbus is taken lightly. People do not circle this game on their schedule, and we know that. We are the ones who believe. We go out each Friday night and fight for our brothers. That is what makes this team so special.
“When other schools win, it is expected. We win, people start talking. Now that we’ve been to the playoffs, we are even more hungry. We want to make a run and really change the perception of the entire school.”
Montgomery inherited a senior-laden squad. As the losses for the first team mounted, the rebuilding job started sooner than expected. After committing seven turnovers in a home loss to Northwest Rankin that pushed the team to the brink of elimination from the playoffs, Montgomery made wholesale changes. A new lineup featuring several sophomores debuted the following week. While Columbus went on to finish 4-7, it won three of its final four and the Montgomery way of doing things was established.
“Coach was not happy after that game,” Sykes said. “The one thing about him is he always tells you the truth. If you need to do better, he tells you you need to do better. Really after that season ended, he put a plan in place that told us we could be successful. From day one, he believed in us.
“Once the guys started buying in and working harder, things really turned around. We got more players out for the team and everybody was just feeling more confident about everything we were doing.”
Columbus again will face a challenging non-region schedule with Class 5A favorite West Point and two-time reigning Class 4A state champion Noxubee County on the docket. Region rival South Panola is the other Super 10 opponent on the schedule.
The challenge will be supreme for Columbus’ defense. While the offense has almost all of the skill position players back, the defense will have a lot new faces. However, Sykes, Derrick Beckom, and Devon King plan to push the team to the next level.
“I think this team has a totally different attitude this year,” King said. “We won some big games last year, and that has made a big difference in our preparation this year. After we won some region games early, we felt like we belonged. The bigger the game, the better we played in the last month of the regular season.”
Columbus rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit to beat DeSoto Central 23-21 in the region opener. Beckom called that game “the turning point of the season.”
After that, Columbus recorded a 33-9 win at Tupelo. Hill said that game made Columbus believe it was a playoff team.
The comeback magic continued after Columbus erased a 10-0 halftime deficit to earn a 20-10 victory against Southaven. Even in a 35-13 region loss at South Panola, Montgomery felt like the squad grew up.
“Columbus hasn’t played big games over its history,” Montgomery said. “Playing in the really big games is new. You have to play in some of those before you learn how to win those. I think last year really helped set this year up. Our kids have never been intimidated. That has never been a problem.
“However, even if you aren’t intimidated, you have to learn how to win. What we did a year ago really made this team believe they are capable. We have to leave that in the past and prove we really belong among the elite.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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