America loves a winner.
Other countries probably do, too, but this is the only one I’ve ever lived in. From youth sports all the way up to the professional ranks, the emphasis is always on winning. Now, that’s perfectly acceptable for professional athletes who are paid handsomely to produce. For college athletics, particularly football and basketball, reasonable fans are right to expect better results considering the financial incentives now available to those athletes.
But, at the high school level, where “amateurism” is still the name of the game (for now, as I believe NIL will be there soon enough,) the emphasis is often on growth and development. As it should be.
Over the course of our three-week high school football preview series, The Dispatch spoke with more than 20 area coaches and assistant coaches, all of them confident their teams would improve in 2024 and compete for championships. And, frankly, if you don’t believe that, what’s the point of sweating through a month of the August heat to prepare for the season? But, if you’re willing to wade through the coachspeak, you’ll see that their messages were remarkably consistent.
They all want to win, sure, but they’re interested in more than that. Take it from first-year West Point head coach Brett Morgan: “There is an expectation and level of a standard to play and compete at, a character we want to show on the field.” When the coach at West Point, winners of seven state titles over the last 15 years, is focused on something beyond wins and losses, you probably should be, too. In fact, the Green Wave have only gone undefeated once in those 15 years, as they continue to run a gauntlet of a schedule and come out better for it. Even if they have to take a couple of bumps and bruises along the way.
Talk to a few coaches and you’ll hear a lot about “culture,” something coaches like Barrin Simpson, Columbus’ new head coach, is working hard to build. “That’s the biggest thing we’re working on, having that discipline,” Simpson told The Dispatch. “I know these kids can play, but having discipline and a ‘give nothing, take everything’ mentality that is needed for this sport, that’s what I’m trying to build in them.”
Sometimes, learning to win means learning to lose. Simpson rightly noted that the Falcons had a chance in every game they played last season (they finished 1-10) but never seemed to close the deal. Despite the disappointment, Simpson believes there is value in that process, because it means there’s room for development.
“I’ve got a lot of energetic, passionate and knowledgeable coaches who love working with these kids…,” he said. “We’ve got 120 kids and everyone gets a rep. We’re trying to develop a program for every single kid.”
Starkville is no stranger to tough schedules either. Veteran Yellow Jacket head coach Chris Jones knows what’s at stake; to be the best, you have to play against the best, and you can’t be afraid to lose. “The goal isn’t to be undefeated,” he said, “…we want to get better so when it’s time to play district ball and championship ball it’s not our first time playing that level of competition.”
Reintroducing: Bully Banter
What the world needs now…is another podcast. And, readers, do I have one for you. After a near 18-month hiatus, The Dispatch is proud to present the newly reborn “Bully Banter,” a Mississippi State sports podcast. Each week, preps reporter (and host) Colin Damms, MSU beat reporter Benjamin Rosenberg and I will discuss everything you need to know in the world of Bulldog athletics, with access, experience and approachability you won’t find anywhere else. Our emphasis for the fall is (obviously) football, but we don’t ignore the other sports.
This week, we’re giving our version of a football season preview along with record predictions and position battles to pay attention to. For the record, I think State’s going 5-7, but tune in to see if Colin and Benjamin are a bit more optimistic. Bully Banter is available on The Dispatch website, www.cdispatch.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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