MACON — Macon, Mississippi, is a town of less than 3,000 people, situated in the heart of Noxubee County, which has a population of just over 10,000.
If there’s one thing that bands this rather small community together, it’s Noxubee County High School football.
The Tigers have gotten their name in the spotlight of the sports landscape in recent years thanks to the success of current Tennessee Titans defensive end Jeffery Simmons, but their football program has been a powerhouse throughout the 21st century.
As that wall of Noxubee players continuing their careers at the next level continues to grow, this most recent Tigers team has cemented itself plenty among those names.
“It really means a lot to me,” senior Lekyleron Dancy said. “I’m very excited about it.”
The defensive back committed to Northwest Missouri State in mid-November, the third Noxubee County player this season to verbally commit to playing at the next level and second member of this season’s senior class.
He’ll be joining a powerhouse Division II program with six national championships to its name, but football won’t be everything he’ll be up to. Along with starring on the field for Bearcats, he’ll be starring on the track, earning scholarships in both track and field and football from Northwest Missouri.
“He’s a big track kid,” head coach Teddy Young said. “He loves track. His main focus originally was to go to school for track. I told him that he’s good enough to earn two scholarships and if he works hard and continues to develop, give the sport a second chance, he can play at the next level and he bought into it.”
The two-sport star has undoubtedly made his mark within the Noxubee County secondary, but he’s dazzled that much more on the track as a state champion runner.
He’s the reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A 100-meter dash champion, winning gold with a personal best time of 10.80 seconds.
“Continuing on with both sports was very important,” Dancy said. “I said for college, I wanted to be able to do both and now I will be.”
Speed kills, and his speed in the secondary has been invaluable to Noxubee County’s overall success defensively.
He comes into Saturday’s MHSAA Class 3A state championship game with three interceptions and 80 total tackles this season, among the team leaders in both categories, and his dominance on the field has only seemed to grow as his role as a leader has grown.
“The biggest thing with him is hard work,” Young said. “In the weight room, on the field, in the classroom, he’s always going to work hard. … To see him grow from middle school playing linebacker to now playing defensive back, it’s all attributed to that hard work he’s put in.”
For as much as Noxubee County’s offense has stolen the headlines in recent years, the Tigers’ defense has been an unsung and important part of their success. That success, thanks in part to Dancy’s leadership and personal success, now finds them one win away from a state title.
Against a high-scoring offense like Winona, that secondary will be key in containing an offense that’s scored roughly 45 points a game this season, so what better time than the last time to have the biggest impact.
“Last year, we said we never wanted to have that feeling of losing a state championship game again,” Dancy said. “That’s been the big motivator for us throughout the entire season.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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