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Being a High School head Football Coach is a 24/7 365 day a year job. The pressure to win in a lot of places isn't as important as winning with the right kids on the field. Parents and boosters in some places can dictate all the way down to what kind of offense and defense you run all the way down to play calling. Admins will listen bc the parents with the political stroke also control their jobs. You don't have to just build great young men and win games Wich is hard enough. You also have to do it while swimming in shark infested waters for not a lot of money for the hours you spend and stress you put on your family and loved ones. No coach's wife and children should be hurt by the decisions of such boosters and political crap but it happens every day. This is why young great coaches who could pore into the lives of their players for decades are getting out. sad but true

To build on the Meridian blue turf thread I thought about starting one for all schools. I got the idea from seeing Choctaw County’s new stomping grounds. They did big things this off-season. Very impressive for a 3A school. Feel free to add any changes your school has made this summer.

It got announced in another in another thread so I am sure not a lot seen it. Tib passed away suddenly back in December right after I last talked to him. This was a shock to the few that just found out. I will just put what I did in the other thread . I want to see where this one goes for my own reasons. I am not ashamed to say i wept when I found out . I just figured he was busy and waiting on August to start communicating . He busted his tail for his family and would give you the shirt off his back. He was my friend and I already miss Patrick. Every time I look that way where he was always parked my mind will always drift to times he was still here. Save me a seat and we will catch up when I see you again Tib.

Oh yeah I bet Choctaw County, Noxubee County, Raleigh, JDC, Magee, Seminary, Winona are all extremely glad they don’t have to worry about Enterprise.

West Point brings back the 4 of the 5 offensive lineman. And TE's. Running backs won't be Daniels, Tillman, and Ewing but you kno we stay loaded in that area. Defense only losing 3 starters. Best defensive player missed the entire season and he's a Jr. Yeah the rumor is that Cham is retiring but he mainly let the OC and DC have free range to do what they do. I'm pretty sure they'll hire from within so nothing will change. Talented 9th grade group coming up.

The food and drink is good but the older I get the more it rings true. The kids running around screaming, climbing on me with dirty feet and hands all sticky from god knows what. Family cooking, cleaning and having ten different conversations at one time. We all are here . That is something you can’t cook in the oven or pour in a dam cup. Happy Thanksgiving boys

I’ve been on MST since the glory days of this site (2006ish) seen all of the changes it has gone through. There are still some familiar names here that have been around since that time as well that I recognize every year that have been loyal to their schools since day one. This site isn’t as active as it once was when there was less social media presence but the loyal few along with myself keep the train running every season.

Congratulations to Picayune!

What I've seen is that administrators kowtow to the squeaky wheel parents because they are afraid to lose their own jobs and will not take anything like a stand to support a coach for doing what is right to build team and individual character. In a word, it's cowardice. And in three: failure of leadership. And it's endemic in both public and private schools.

I've went back and forth the last few months on what to do to at least keep the memory of my friend alive on here. If it wasn't for this site I would have never known Patrick along with many more over the years. I have been half catch myself waiting to get word from him on how this or that would play out as the season has gotten ready to be kicked off. Tib, myself and a core of about 20-30 people kept this site from being thrown in the trash heap of failed message boards as the years progressed through the 2000s. He butted heads with some but he was a fair person and could let things go in order to move forward. Not a word from certain people has been put in recognition of him by some that have been on here as long as we were and some that haven't been here as long but have acted like they built this site. Hell oldtiger was pinned to the top and grieved there for I don't remember how many years. I'm not lessening his presence on here either but Tib cast just as big a shadow as that. I will even be more frank I think there is a certain one that still holds a grudge against him because Tib proved him wrong in front of us all and he couldn't take it. When I tried to make the peace and get said "person" to meet him halfway to get Tib back on here they flat out refused. Tib was absent from here for a long time behind that but he finally came back at the behest of several of us and this place was better off for it. Tib always resented that situation and honestly so do I with the way it was handled. It was as wrong then as it is now. This site has gotten less and less traffic in the last fifteen years. We are not a family anymore. I will leave everyone to come up with their own reason for why. I know why and no one will convince me otherwise. I don't know how long this will stay up because of what I said above but I really don't care. He would have said it for me. I feel like I could look over my shoulder right now and he would be nodding his head yes. I miss you on this Friday old friend. I know you would be bugging me this morning about going to stand in the rain with you tonight.

Vance forced his son into being the main focus of their offense from the first series and didn’t really try to involve their skill players . His ego envisioned making him MVP and multiple highlight reels. He deserves every bit of the criticism coming his way. He can’t get over the hump because he is not a good coach. He had no answer when Grenada figured them out halfway through the first quarter.. Ever since he came on the scene down here I couldn’t stand him. Hell, nobody outside of there does He’s the perfect Hattiesburg Tiger. this is mst tonight

Pending isn’t winning a championship. You invalidated your whole topic

Winona going to turf

So I am confused it this thread about Shelton Gandy to Meridian or Petal? May need to rename the post!

I get that people in some parts of the state have to drive more for the championship. But... it's the championship. You can't make a long drive once a year to support your kids? Keep the UM, MSU, USM rotation and be done with it. If folks don't go to the game because it's "too far," then that's on them. If going to the state championship is such a burden on you, watch it online. There is no centrally located stadium that is big enough AND that is in a place desirable to go.

The irony:

The one game I was looking forward to seeing and because of you guys I missed the first half. Thanks a lot for absolutely nothing!!!!

I think everyone has already expressed my sentiments on the WJ 2nd half play calls. Let me give a big thumbs up though to the tide broadcast on the NFHS stream. Although I missed most of their halftime, came back to it they were talking family praying together, mentoring young men, and dad’s being real dads. We need a lot more of that and I admire them for not being ashamed to express it publicly. I plan to go back an listen to the parts I missed.

Congratulations to Bray Hubbard, with a shout out to all of the other deserving players in consideration. Bray might be the first two time 6A winner, and he’s worked hard for this honor. Great player, good kid, wonderful back story including honoring his Mother in receiving this award after losing her to cancer five years ago. He and his family make Ocean Springs proud.

All of you are acting like expected fathers in the waiting room waiting for your child to be born with the release of the classification numbers. LOL. This is not really a big deal.

North Forrest is going to beat mize watch what I tell y’all

Clarkdale 16 Enterprise 13 Final Injuries and mistakes led to another Enterprise loss, let's get healed up and get ready for Hazlehurst or Raleigh; Enterprise can still win 3a.

I’ll play along. I really can’t understand the meaning of what you wrote. Maybe this will help . Ryan Earnest can’t coach defense. Has never had one in 2A or at Ridgeland.. That one y’all had last season was running on fumes from when Breland was there. Laura’s gotten as close to a championship as they ever will with him as head coach in class 5A. You will score points early in the season but as it drags on and weather turns skill people get dinged up . That’s the time defense has to tote the weight and the point where Laurel gets bounced. At that point you will run away from the board never to be heard from again. Defense wins championships. Unless you get lucky and the other teams best players are hurt, y’all know all about that.

Mississippi Schools High Association Schools Schools

As a teacher/coach...I can tell you first-hand that it is 100% due to 3 things: 1. Lack of support from administration 2. Lack of supportive and realistic parents 3. Availability to make more money for the same hours at a less stressful job. Coaches are just NOT appreciated like they were in the past for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis for OTHER PEOPLES CHILDREN! If admin, parents, government, and society does not wake up and recognize the importance of this profession...you will see "WE'RE HIRING" signs on your local schools.

I’m willing to bet if your school wins a state title you won’t feel this way.

I’m no expert, but John Perry & Prep seem like oil & water to me.

Most likely coincidence. Calpreps runs a computer based algorithm to make these projections. Pretty sure the page isn’t populated by a person but by that algorithm

sounds like Jackson needs to consolidate down to 3 large high schools and build new stadium for each

State is a sleeping giant that with the right hire could rack up national championships. As an Ole Miss fan I hope they strike out with the hire lol. Seriously though with the facility and MLB success, there’s no reason why State shouldn’t be a consistent Omaha team year in and year out. It’s a destination location and college baseball blue blood. Ugh I gotta go take a shower and clean up after saying that.

Call Lane Brady and give it to him.

Shannon blew a 16-0 halftime lead. A 17 point lead with 5 mins left in the 3rd. Was outscored 14-0 in 4Q. Failed to convert on 4th down late in 4Q that would’ve sealed the game. Let West Lauderdale march down the field 92 yards in 1:20 and failed to defend a 45 yard Hail Mary as time expired. Prob need to look at someone else at fault instead of the refs.

West Point vs. Louisville was a dawg fight between 2 physical defenses. Refs got a little too involved late in the game against both teams but definitely was worth the price of admission

I think the Picayune offense vs West defense will be a push. Mustangs will get some stops and the Maroon Tide will score some points. The game will hinge on the other side of the ball. The slow start by the West offense won't work next Friday and they can't wait until their offensive line wears down the defense to start breaking runs. Corey may be sitting on some plays that he hasn't shown yet to break them out. If he does they are going to need them. It will be a four quarter game as far as scoring goes. Eye test I don't think West can keep up with just smashing into the line and I haven't seen a passing attack that is sustainable over the whole game. It's in SoSo so they will have a TD advantage right off but the Tide will keep coming. It will be a nailbiter but I think the Tide advances. It will be a great atmosphere with the seats in that old stadium right on top of the players. I would love to be able to go.

I will say this about 1A and 2A: In 1A, I said Velma Jackson was a lock to win it all. I still think they win it all for right now, but I no longer think they are a lock. I had suspected that Taylorsville would struggle some early on with losing TK Keyes and most of their line from last season. But that’s not gonna be the case. They are absolutely loaded offensively. Now, defensively they have some improving they will have to do. We moved the ball against them fairly easily, but then again we probably will have a strong offense. But we were expected to be pretty strong defensively and we had no answer for their offense at all last night. They were big, long, fast, and athletic on offense. When Tville and Velma Jackson play, that should be a really really good game to see. In 2A, I think it’s so wide open that I don’t think there’s any way to have a clear cut favorite. I know Raleigh beat Bay Springs, and I have a feeling Taylorsville is also going to beat Bay Springs too, but by the end of the season Bay Springs will be right in the mix. Scott Central is going to be better than I thought they were going to be, and if I had to call it right now today I would say they win their region and Bay Springs finishes 2nd. Raleigh and Mize play in 3 weeks and I think that’s going to be a very good game. I think both of those teams win their regions. One of those 4 teams (Raleigh, Mize, Scott Central, and Bay Springs) will come out of the south.

I hate to pat myself on the back but maybe I will. This game was over before halftime with as much the Brandon defense stayed on the field. Brandon scores beyond the first one were the result of prevent defense and Picayune letting them burn clock. Not as close as score indicates. Picayune is the best team in the state at managing clock.

This NIL stuff is going to hurt high school football in our state. I do not believe our state allows high school players to profit off of NIL which will be a driving factor in some of these kids leaving in the future. These private trainers and 7 on 7 coaches are going to be driving these kids to places they can get NIL deals and all. It is going to turn into the wild wild west very fast I am afraid.

Neither school plays in the highest classification where coast schools have minimal playoff success. Ocean Springs shoulda threw a parade for making it to south state for the first time in God knows how long.

Here's another that may not show up on the radar and that is Warren Central-Clinton.

Thanks a lot. This was a tough game against a great opponent.

I'm not one to toot my own horn but if not me then whom ? ,,, ahem...

Good comeback picayune. WJ offense just not good enough to close out a 10 point lead. Both defenses left everything on the field.

You play the games for a reason, anything can happen in football. Look at the incredible Enterprise, they lost first round after clearly being the best team in 3a.

I am excited to watch the machine in Picayune in person. I have a little cousin on Gautier’s team so I’ve had a chance to watch them in every game this year. I’ll admit after that performance against Provine I didn’t think they would be in this position, but I guess that’s why they play the games week to week. There are a few things that worry me about this game from a non biased standpoint. 1. Coaching: against PRC, Gautier had a chance to get the ball back before halftime by getting 3 stops and calling 3 timeouts. They let so much time run off the clock and never called a timeout. You can’t be calling yourself all gas and no brakes and don’t press the gas. Need to maximize those chances for points this week. Also, stop passing on 4th and 3 or less when you got a QB who can fall forward for 3 yards. The inability to run the ball cost them an upset last year against West Jones. 2. mental mistakes/ dropsies: As talented as they are, sometimes Gautier still makes that bonehead head scratching penalty, usually in the form of taunting nature or extra curricular activity after the whistle. They’ve cut down on them a lot since about mid season but one is too many especially in a game like this. As good as the receiving core is, they get bad cases of the dropsies. Against Provine, I’ve never saw anything like it. Almost wanted to check the ball for crisco grease . Numbers are already great but they’d be astronomical if they cut down on the drops. 3. Defense particularly the run defense: The East Central game was one to circle because they gashed Gautier all night. Final score doesn’t indicate it but you would have to be there to see what I mean. 42-35 with 7 minutes in the game and EC fumbles on a toss play on the 1/2 inch yard line. Gautier scores after that and goes up two scores and that EC offense ain’t built for comebacks of course. Gautier got some timely stops when needed. However, If any of these backs from Picayune get daylight , you’re not catching them like you did those EC backs. I can’t wait to head over to Picayune tomorrow. Praying for a safe trip and NO traffic on I-10

Some find it a struggle to count. I understand and you have my sympathy.

I hear and see all your saying. But the game is to played on Friday. We are slow and don't stand a chance. Nothing you said in the above statements gets you a win. Saturday morning, you'll be going through you realization mode. Asking yourself was Friday night results just a bad dream.. Your gonna be surprised at what Neshoba Central brings to Clay county.. 27-20 Neshoba

As a former MHSAA football official, I hate to see the way things are falling off as far as more people getting involved. A lot of the younger officials see it a a stepping stone and I don't blame them. Work a couple of years getting your feet wet and then take some JUCO games on Thursday, followed by adding some smaller college games on Saturdays and next thing you know, they give up the Fridays for travel. That is a good path for the younger guys that want to make it to the next level. Problem is, the old guard in MHSAA has done a poor job of trying to replace those guys. They need to be hitting up the colleges and universities trying to get the kids that officiate intramural games and try to recruit them or go around to high schools and talk with kids that are graduating and not going to play at the next level. It keeps them involved in the game and they know the game. Lot of ways to get it done, just have to try different approaches.