MACON — You can hear the frustration in Tyrone Shorter’s voice.
Shorter has seen nearly everything in his 20 years with the Noxubee County High School football program. He has seen injuries ravage his team early in the season only to have the Tigers emerge in the second half to win a state championship. Shorter also has seen plenty of offensive wizardry and defense dominance in his time as assistant coach/defensive coordinator and now as head coach.
But this is the first year Shorter has been a part of a five-game stretch that has tried his patience as much as Tigers have this season. Through the first five games, Noxubee County (2-3) has allowed 152 points, which is the most points it has surrendered in that span since it gave up 174 in 1995. In the last 14 years, the Tigers have allowed more than 96 points in their first five games only twice (133, 2016).
Shorter acknowledges offenses have changed and teams are scoring more points, but he also said questions linger about the 2017 team as it prepares to take on West Monroe (La.) High at 7 tonight in its final non-region game.
“I am frustrated because of the way we are playing,” Shorter said. “I know we have a tough schedule, but we normally have more fight out of our kids than we are having. It seems like this group of kids, I don’t know if they want it bad enough.”
Noxubee County is coming off a 47-14 loss to West Point. A 43-3 loss to Starkville and a 35-20 loss to Meridian have Noxubee County in a similar situation to the 2015 season, when a four-game losing streak at the end of non-region play left the Tigers wondering if they were capable of repeating as Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A State champions. Noxubee County returned to health as the season progressed and put together a 10-game winning streak to close its fourth championship in eight seasons.
While injuries played a key role in the Tigers’ growing pains in 2015, youth was a primary reason the 2016 season ended short of a trip to the state title game with a 29-20 loss to Pontotoc.
Noxubee County appeared to have put that loss behind it as it prepared for the 2017 campaign. Shorter talked optimistically about having experience at quarterback with senior Armoni Clark and junior Maliek Stallings. He also liked the Tigers’ size up front on both sides of the ball. But Shorter said earlier this week he is still searching for ways to get his team on the right track.
“At the beginning, I was excited, but I don’t know if they really want it bad enough,” Shorter said. “They talk it, but their actions on the field, it is like they’re not giving me 100 (percent). What is frustrating about it is I know we can be better than what we are showing.”
Shorter said his usual motivational methods haven’t produced the desired results, so he wonders what will have to change to get his players to be more disciplined and for them to execute more consistently for longer stretches. The loss to West Point was a prime example because Shorter said Noxubee County played well on both sides of the football in the first half. In addition to stopping the Green Wave, the state’s No. 1 team, the Tigers moved the ball on offense and were within one score before a fake punt right before halftime sparked West Point.
Shorter said the Tigers have struggled to get their offense, defense, and special teams playing well on the same night. Penalties and the inability to stop teams on third and fourth downs also have been constant problems.
“The last two years we just haven’t been tough like we should,” Shorter said. “We’re not a tough football team like we used to have.”
Shorter voiced similar concerns two years ago when he wondered if the Tigers were going to be able to put individual goals and accolades aside and come together. He said the difference was the seniors on that team were able to rally all of the players behind the fight to win a state title. Shorter hopes someone emerges this season to be a galvanizing force before it is too late.
“I guess I have been here so long (since 1998) that I am just used to hard-nosed, tough football players,” Shorter said. “The last two years we just haven’t had that hard-nosed, tough, going-to-knock-your-butt-off-the football type of players.
“Since the last championship team, the last two teams have been different. It seems like the effort hasn’t been there from the kids. I know we coaches are coaching our tails off. The plays are there, but we just aren’t making plays.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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