Quinshawn Lucious had the goal for as long as Anthony King could remember.
But while some student-athletes hope to play a sport in college, King always saw Lucious work to realize his objective.
“I wish more kids from here had the desire to want to go to college and play college ball,” said King, the West Lowndes High School football coach. “Everybody can’t go. You have to put in the hard work. You have to be blessed and gifted with ability, so everybody doesn’t get a chance, but you have to have that work ethic to try to get there.”
That work ethic paid off Wednesday for Lucious as the West Lowndes High senior signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale.
“Coahoma came down, gave me a visit, talked to me and told me some good stuff, and I liked the coaching staff,” Lucious said. “I fell in love with it.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder showcased his versatility in a three-year career on the football team in which he played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and defensive back. He also has been a standout on the school’s track and field team competing in the 100, 200, and 400 meters as well as the 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 relays.
Lucious said the opportunity to play a key role on the 2018 Coahoma C.C. football team was the deciding factor that sold him on the school.
“They needed me. They just didn’t want me. They needed me,” Lucious said. “I am going to go down there and change the program around a little bit.”
Lucious, who also considered Itawamba C.C., said Coahoma C.C. coaches told him they liked the ball in his hands and planned to give him a lot of work on offense. He said he felt he developed a better connection with the coaches at Coahoma C.C. than the ones from ICC.
The connection solidified last week all from a text message. Initially, Lucious said he was “75 percent” committed to ICC until last week when coaches from Coahoma C.C. got back in touch with him after speaking to him approximately two weeks earlier.
“I didn’t think they would have been able to change my mind,” Lucious said. “They came in with some good plans, so I wanted to go for it.”
King said the goal this past season was to have Lucious play wide receiver. Unfortunately, the team’s youth on the offensive line forced a change in those plans and caused the coaches to move Lucious to quarterback and running back.
Lucious said it doesn’t matter where he plays in college as long as he is on the field and making a contribution.
King feels Lucious will be able to play wherever he wants because he always has “dreamed big.” He said he loves when kids do that because it pushes them to work hard and to achieve things others might not believe are possible.
“Now he just has to hit the weights, put some good weight on, and get his speed up and I think he will do well in college,” King said. “I think the competition (will bring the best out of him). At West Lowndes, we don’t have the numbers, and kids may not have to work as hard as they would have to work at a bigger school. Once he gets there and sees that competition, it will push him to work harder.”
Lucious isn’t sure which position he will settle on. He believes his experience playing so many positions will give him an advantage when he starts to compete for playing time.
Lucious also knows his willingness to work hard will help him make the most of his opportunity.
“I have worked hard,” Lucious said. “I worked for it and that hard work got me here.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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