Columbus High School senior cornerback Devon King considers himself a veteran.
After starting in each of his first two varsity seasons, King has more experience than most of the defensive players for the Falcons combined.
That experience will come in handy when Columbus opens the season against reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State champion West Point at 7 p.m. Thursday at Hamblin Stadium.
“I feel like I have been out there for a lot of games,” King said. “Experience is something we really need with this year’s team. For the seniors, it is our time to lead. There are not a lot of us, so we try to make every day count. Each day in practice we are just trying to get better. We have a lot of young players to get right.
“It is exciting when the young guys catch on to something for the first time. We have a lot of talent on this team. We just don’t have a lot of experience.”
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound King turned heads as a sophomore with some critical interceptions. That squad was physically tough. Columbus finished with eight wins — the second most in a regular season in school history.
Last season, Columbus finished 6-6 and returned to the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs. The Falcons lost 21 seniors from that team.
“I was real fortunate in that I had a lot of juniors and seniors to learn from,” King said. “I can relate to the sophomores on this team because I was in that position. I was asked to play and you are going to make mistakes. You just have to learn from them and move on. I feel real fortunate to have had the career that I have had.
“Playing early like that built my confidence. Once I started making some plays, I felt like I belonged. I hope having to play right away will do the same thing for some of the players on this team.”
Columbus coach Randal Montgomery said four or five returning starters will start against West Point. He is happy King is in that group.
“Devon has been an anchor on defense for quite some time,” Montgomery said. “He is a gamer. He competes hard every day in practice. It has been important that the seniors lead this year with so many new faces. You can tell Devon has taken that to heart.”
King is looking forward to making the most of his senior season. His summer included camps at Louisiana-Lafayette and Mississippi State. The rest of his time was spent in the weight room.
“I spent some time every day in the weight room,” King said. “My goal has been to get bigger, faster, stronger. That has been my mind-set the whole summer. You want to be a team leader, and the best way to do that is by setting an example. It’s now the senior season, so you want to go out giving your best.
“At the camps, I learned more about technique and worked hard on my speed. My biggest strides have been in the weight room. Pretty proud at how the summer has gone. Hopefully, my teammates will benefit from that hard work.”
With a difficult non-region schedule of West Point, Noxubee County, Starkville and Vicksburg, Columbus’ will have to grow up fast.
“We have some talented players,” King said. “You can tell the expectations have changed around here. The last couple of years have been rewarding. We can be a good defensive team once some of the young guys grow up. The only way to get better is to play good competition. We are going to do that.
“Hopefully, it pays off with a strong finish to the season.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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