By Scott Walters
STARKVILLE — Preston Baker feels like he is ready to take the next step.
After standout careers at Starkville High School and East Mississippi Community College, Baker left Sunday for his next destination — the University of Tennessee at Marin.
“This is something you work your whole life for,” Baker said. “You know this may be your last chance to play football, so it is an exciting time. I just look forward to the chance to go up there and show what I am capable of doing.”
EMCC has made a habit of producing senior college players. This season, the Lions will enter the season on a 24-game National Junior College Athletic Association win streak. A well-connected EMCC coaching staff has moved several Lions on to the next level.
A lot of players complete course work early and enroll at a senior college in January in time for spring drills. Baker’s situation was a different. He was not able to graduate early, so finding his next home took a little bit longer.
“Very stressful times,” Baker said. “You know what you are capable of doing. Everybody is high on your upside and potential. When you see most of your teammates start going places, you can’t help but be nervous. At the same time, I did have an extra advantage in having a little more time to make sure I was headed to the right place.”
UTM is coached by Mississippi native Jason Simpson. Simpson, who played football and baseball at Mississippi State first and later Southern Mississippi, knew exactly what he was getting when he signed a player from the junior college system in the state.
“The Mississippi junior college system is the best in the state,” Martin said. “You know you are signing a player that has played some of the best competition possible. You are picking up players able to play and contribute right away from ultra-successful programs.”
Winning tradition
Baker hopes to continue his winning ways at Martin. In high school, Baker teamed up with current Mississippi State player Gabe Myles to help lead Starkville to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship in 2012.
Starkville won its final 11 games to finish 12-3, winning the school’s first state championship since 2001. The Yellow Jackets battled back from a 1-3 start. Baker ran for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets during an all-state campaign.
“We learned how to deal with adversity,” Baker said. “The program was down when Coach (Jamie) Mitchell came in. His first season (2010 we won five games but you could tell things were changing for the better. There wasn’t any doubt that we were going to find a way to win a championship.”
Actually, there was still some doubt on a bitterly cold night in Starkville when arch rivals Starkville and West Point met for the North State championship.
West Point held a touchdown lead in the fourth quarter before Darius Grayer scored on a 16-yard touchdown with 5:11 left. In the overtime, the Yellow Jackets were again down a score before Myles hit Kentrell Spencer on a 15-yard touchdown and then kept on the game-winning 2-point conversion.
The victory was sweet revenge for Starkville after a 47-22 defeat to West Point in the regular season. Starkville routed Pascagoula 28-11 a week later to win the state title.
“We felt like we had the team because we had some special players,” Baker said. “The West Point (playoff) game was the best game I ever played in. There was such emotion and it was such a great game. The crowd was really into it. It was a lot of fun. Above all else, I will remember that game more than any other.”
Talented teams
Baker then found himself on another pair of talented teams in Scooba.
EMCC finished 12-0 in each of his two seasons there. The Lions won a pair of Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges North Division championships and state championships. Bowl success game in the form of wins over Georgia Military College in the 2013 national championship and Iowa Western Community College in the 2014 national championship.
The Lions were fitted for rings for both the state championship and national championship. Thus, Baker’s ring haul has been five in less than 36 months.
“Blessed, truly blessed,” Baker said. “I know how hard it is to win a championship. How much time it takes and how much effort it takes. To be able to make it look so easy is rather humbling. Everybody ought to have the thrill of winning a championship.”
As a freshman, Baker served as the understudy to former West Point running back Lakenderic Thomas. A year later, Baker moved into the leading role but also got a lot of help from Florida native D.J. Law.
“The thing I learned from (Thomas) was how to run over people,” said the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Baker. “In high school, you just turn on your speed and run away from people. In junior college you can’t do that. On that level, you have to learn how to take contact and how to beat your man one-on-one. It’s a challenge. You have to change your style a little bit and reinvent yourself.”
Workhorse backs
Thomas ran for 1,334 yards and 18 touchdowns his sophomore campaign. Baker was not as fortunate as a newly-introduced MACJC mercy rule meant the Lions played with a second-half running clock most of the season.
For his two-year career, Baker ran for 1,096 yards and 16 touchdowns, with 383 receiving yards and six more scores.
“When you turn on the tape, Preston isn’t going to overwhelm you,” said EMCC offensive coordinator Marcus Wood in December. “But you look carefully and you watch how hard he plays on every down. He competes the same way on the practice field and in the weight room. So he has natural ability and then an incredible work ethic. That is the type of skill set you want to work with as a coach. He tries hard every day to make the most of his opportunity.”
That opportunity now presents itself in the Ohio Valley Conference at Martin. Simpson will begin his 10th season with the squad coming off a 6-6 record.
Southwest Mississippi Community College defensive back Rakeem Battle, Hinds Community College’s Olandrious Booker and Jones County Junior College’s Tyrone Patterson were other MACJC players in the Skyhawks signing class.
Baker, a handful of the junior college signees and all the high school signees reported this week for the start of the second session of summer school. Fall practice begins the first week in August. The season opener is Sept. 5 at Ole Miss on the SEC Network.
“You dream of playing the big boys,” Baker said. “That is what you want when you get this opportunity. There is already a lot of excitement. I am looking forward to getting this started.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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