MACON — Travorus Hatcher, fresh out of Noxubee County’s postgame huddle, looked surprised when an unfamiliar voice called his number from some 15 yards away.
“Hey, 94!” Columbus assistant coach James Richardson yelled as he crossed the sodden turf to talk to the player who had just led the charge in beating the Falcons. The junior defensive lineman bulldozed his way into the end zone for two rushing touchdowns and ensured the Tigers pitch their second straight shutout in as many games en route to a 18-0 win Friday in Macon.
“You looked fantastic,” Richardson told Hatcher, who broke into a smile. The two talked a while longer — “he just told me he knew my mama,” Hatcher said — then shook hands and parted.
Hatcher is far from the first player wearing the 94 jersey to steal the show for Noxubee County. Former Noxubee County and Mississippi State star Jeffery Simmons, picked by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of April’s NFL draft, was the most recent — and he’s Hatcher’s cousin.
So when Hatcher was issued the 94, he knew he had “a lot of shoes to fill.”
“When they gave me 94, it’s not an ordinary number,” Hatcher said. “94 has a lot behind it.”
A high standard
Thanks to Simmons, the Noxubee County No. 94 jersey has two state championships, countless school records and the first NFL first-round pick since 1985 to its credit. That’s a tough act to follow.
“You’re wearing that 94, you’ve got a lot of pressure on you,” Noxubee County coach Teddy Young said.
According to Simmons, Hatcher was more than ready for the pressure.
“He was like, man, ‘I want to wear that number,’ and once he got it, I knew he was going to live up to the standard of that number,” said Simmons, standing on the Tigers’ sideline while he watched Hatcher wreak havoc against Columbus. “We take a lot of pride in 94 — my brother, then me, now him wearing that number.”
Hatcher knows he can live up to the high expectations set for him. But Simmons may be even more confident in Hatcher than Hatcher is in himself.
“He sees something about myself that I don’t see,” Hatcher said. “Every day, I try to figure out what he sees in me that I don’t see.”
‘God made a gift to me’
Simmons shows his faith in his little cousin and his old school as much as he can. While at MSU, he made it to as many Noxubee County games as he could. He drove down from Nashville to watch Hatcher and another cousin, Ja’Shaun Hatcher, play in Friday’s game. He even gave a halftime speech to the Tigers, who went on to complete their second straight shutout win.
“I think he’ll still be great for this team,” Young said. “Kids still look up to him.”
Simmons noted that he doesn’t come back just to show off being in the NFL.
“I come back here for the inspiration, especially these young guys,” Simmons said. “I feel like me coming back, it’s a big motivation to these guys. I’m just happy for these guys.”
Young called Simmons a “mentor” to the Tigers, but he’s even more to Hatcher. Simmons texts Hatcher every Friday before Noxubee County’s games, telling his cousin to “go out and play hard.”
“He said God made a gift to me, so I’ve gotta work hard,” Hatcher said. “He believes in me, and I’m not trying to let him down.”
Two games into his junior season, Hatcher has done anything but let Simmons down. He’s the guy the Tigers trust most to punch the ball into the end zone, and he makes routine appearances in opposing backfields.
Just like his cousin.
“He showed a lot of resemblance,” Young said. “He’s got a lot of room for improvement. The sky’s the limit for the kid. He’s just gotta keep working, keep working hard.”
Getting the call
For Simmons, that hard work paid off April 25, when the Bulldogs’ star hosted a family get-together in Starkville for the draft.
And while he had to wait a while, it was “just a weight off your shoulders” when he was picked 19th overall by Tennessee, Simmons said.
Hatcher, who was there when Simmons got the call, said the moment was worth the wait.
“I really had fun when he got drafted because of just what we came from, Macon, you know,” Hatcher said. “It’s gonna change his life.”
Not long from now, it could change Hatcher’s life, too.
The junior isn’t drawing any recruiting interest yet, but he’s planning on it.
“I’m really not worried about it,” Hatcher said. “They’ll find me later on.”
Among his goals for 2020 are recording at least 12 sacks — he’s well on his way — earning an invite to the All-American Bowl and signing with a Division I college.
And he could be the next NFL star out of little Noxubee County.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Hatcher said. “It’s my dream.”
Whatever it takes
Hatcher briefly moved to Starkville before eventually heading back to Macon. He’s glad he returned.
“I talked it over with my family, and now I’m back, putting on for my hometown,” Hatcher said. “Coming back, playing for Noxubee, I won’t ever have a second choice.”
With the Tigers ranked third in Class 3A, Simmons said the time is now for his cousin to bring home another state championship.
“I know him, and I know he likes to win,” Simmons said. “Our family likes to win. We hate losing. Whatever it is it takes to win, he’ll do what it takes.”
Hatcher certainly has the drive to lead the Tigers to a state title. He’s got the talent. He’s got the support. He’s got the 94, too.
With all that on his side, he knows he can make Simmons proud.
“He did pretty big things,” Hatcher said. “I’m not gonna let him down.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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