The Boys High School Basketball Team from Coahoma County made us very proud recently.
Your Red Panther Boys Basketball Team claimed the 2A State Championship with an impressive 67-34 win over Shelby Northside High School at the Coliseum in Jackson.
They finished the season 30-2 and a perfect 10-0 record in district play.
You can see how much your Clarksdale Press Register and this community thinks of this team on Page 16 of today’s paper.
They are winners!
It’s easy to talk win/loss records and spectacular plays but we want to talk about the things Coahoma Coach Derrick Moore said recently as he spoke to the Clarksdale Rotary Club.
“We do everything together,” said Moore when asked about his team. “We work together. We watch out for each other at school and after school. We practice together, we play together, we church together and we share each other’s burdens together.”
Those are big words and big ideas from a coach who has made our kids winners.
Basketball is probably the most athletic game our kids play. Our coaches take shy and skinny boys in the eighth grade and four years later they have grown into big, strong men who can grab the world by the tail.
In a day and age when men are pounded to be something other than men, it is refreshing to see Coahoma coaches, our school district and this community, get behind a program that trains boys to be men.
We want to thank the coaches for bringing our team to this level of excellence. We know you will never forget this special group.
We want to thank the fans for filling the stands this winter. You supported the home team win, lose or draw. You conducted yourselves in a courteous fashion and, despite some questionable calls, did not bring shame on your team, school or community.
Last, we want to thank the players who gave their blood, sweat and tears to play this game we call basketball. You played and won a State Championship game because – well, you are champions.
You brought honor and glory to your team, your school, your community and yourselves. You proved to the world what it means to be a Panther.
Thank you Coahoma County Panthers for making us winners.
