FULTON — Most senior college football teams have a handful of elder statesmen. It is not uncommon for players in their fifth or sixth year in a program to be leaders on the field and in the weight room.
Such veteran leadership usually doesn’t happen in the junior college ranks, where most players are ushered in and out in two seasons or less.
Former West Point High School standout Kadarius Forside holds that rare role at Itawamba Community College. Forside is in his third season with the ICC program.
“I am pretty much the caretaker around here,” Forside said Thursday at the football team’s annual Media Day. “All of the first-year players come to me because I have been here for what seems like forever. It is unique being here for this (amount of) time. You are used to everybody coming and going. Some are only here a semester. This is my fifth semester. Sometimes you feel like you may never leave.”
Forside eventually will leave after this season but not before trying to leave his mark on the ICC rushing record book. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound Forside broke his ankle in the second game last season — a victory over Hinds Community College.
The injury allowed Forside to draw a medical redshirt so he could finish his second season of eligibility this season. The season opener is Thursday when ICC takes on Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. in Perkinston.
“You feel great when you can turn over the backfield to a player the caliber of Kadarius,” ICC first-year offensive coordinator Chad Cook said. “He is back to 100 percent and has really regained his speed here in recent weeks. After you see the hard work he put in to get back, you know he is poised to have a super season.”
Forside, who gained gaining 104 yards last season, said be broke his ankle in two places. The rehabilitation took slightly less than six months. While he never doubted a return to the field, he had no idea how hard he needed to work to get back.
“As football players, you are used to lifting weights and doing the training and all that,” Forside said. “This is different. You are not used to the script for this. Some days, you feel you are getting better. Other days, you get depressed. That is when you need your teammates. When a teammate sends you a text and tells you to keep going, it makes your day.”
Forside’s veteran leadership will be key for an offense that former Starkville High standout and ICC sophomore quarterback Montario Montgomery says “will put up serious points.”
“(Forside) is the veteran,” Montgomery said. “Everybody goes to him for everything. It’s a unique setup. We missed him a lot back there last year.”
Montgomery and fellow sophomore Den Ellington are fighting for the nod at quarterback. They will work behind a veteran offensive line that returns four starters.
“We have some talented players on offense,” Forside said. “A lot of these guys played together last year, so camp has gone much better. There are some spots on the team without a lot of experience. Having the offensive line back is huge because you need to have good line play to have success in this league.”
Scoring points will be vital since four of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges’ (MACJC) seven North Division teams are ranked in the top 11 in the preseason. ICC looks to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
“That is what you sign up for in this league,” ICC fourth-year head coach Sean Cannon said. “Now that the districts are gone and recruiting has opened up statewide, it has changed the game completely. Now, every team has some players who can play. There are no off Thursdays.
“If you don’t play to that potential, you can lose that game that sets your season back big time.”
Forside hopes his setbacks are behind him.
“This is the hungriest I have ever been playing the game,” Forside said. “My first year, I was trying to figure out where my classes were. Last year, I was ready to have that breakout year and move on to the next level. My plans got pushed back a little bit. That has really made my fire burn stronger. My passion for the game is greater than it has ever been.”
Forside is ready to lend his insight to his coaches and his teammates to help the team in any way.
“They call me a player-coach on the field,” Forside said. “I have been here so long I am pretty much ready for every situation that comes up on the field. The players look at me to coach. The coaches look at me to play. It’s a fun situation.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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