For Mississippi State University freshman Robert Woodard II, it was a high school career with some ups and downs.
However when he and the Falcons were up, the sky was the limit for the team’s success.
With Woodard polishing off his career as one of the best to ever play at the school and complimentary players playing their role to perfection, Columbus High School won its second Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A state championship in boys’ basketball in three seasons.
In its only season with Anthony Carlyle as head coach, Columbus beat Meridian 47-37 in the state championship game played at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
Today, Columbus’ run to the state title is being recognized as The Dispatch top prep sports story for 2018.
“This team just had a great group of guys who really bought in during the season,” said Carlyle, who is now coaching at Yazoo City High School. “When you have a coaching change, the biggest challenge is the buy-in. You have to have the guys believe in what you are trying to do. It was a special group. We couldn’t tell early on, if we had everything that it took. There was a lot of talent there. As the season progressed, things fell into place.”
Woodard II signed with Mississippi State early in the season. He then went to work on finishing off a second state title in three seasons, while playing four varsity seasons under four different head coaches.
“There were times when it was a challenge,” Woodard II said. “The adversity we went through made us a better team. It’s hard to win a state championship. I feel fortunate that we were able to accomplish this twice.”
Columbus had to reinvent itself. Under Luther Riley, Woodard II’s sophomore season saw a high-flying Columbus team, which liked to run the floor and liked to score points. Carlyle totally changed that philosophy.
After leading Velma Jackson to four state championships, he took his coaching talents to Columbus. In Lowndes County, he made the Falcons defensive-minded.
In a season-endeding 16-game win streak, only two opponents scored 40 or more points (41 and 42). The Falcons held five opponents to 25 points or less.
The more deliberate style meant less offensive numbers. Still, Columbus was more than capable.
In the state championship win, Denijay Harris carried the big stick with 26 points en route to Most Valuable Player honors. Harris is presently at Southwest Mississippi Community College. He has already signed with the University of Southern Mississippi for his next stop.
Former point guard Casey Smith is now at Jones College.
“This team just had a lot of fun playing the game,” Smith said. “A lot of players don’t take a lot of pride in playing defense. We knew that was our main job. If we played the type of lockdown defense that we were capable of playing, then we just needed a little bit of offense. It didn’t matter where it came from. When you have player like (Woodard II), you always have a chance to win. He was our best player, but he was also a leader. He just kept pushing us.”
Columbus did not lose a game once the calendar turned to 2019. A roster with 11 seniors was focused and playing defense like a machine.
In the postseason, the Falcons survived a major scare from rival Starkville. In the regular season, the teams split two games. In the rubber match, Columbus won 44-34 in the semifinal round of the state tournament.
Ironically, it was the second high-profile meeting between the rivals in three seasons. Columbus beat Starkville in the 2016 state championship game.
Last season, the victory over Meridian came in a similar refrain to the victory over Starkville. The Falcons built a lead, withstood a rally and held the other team scoreless for a critical stretch in the game’s fourth quarter.
“I am always going to win with defense,” Carlyle said. “That’s just how I like to coach.”
As the state championship trophy was presented, memories of a first-round playoff loss from the season before were put away.
“We couldn’t go out losing in the playoffs again,” Woodard II said. “That didn’t feel right. We knew we were a team capable of winning it all.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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