Coahoma Early College High School was plagued with injuries throughout division play and was winless in Region 2-3A action going into the final regular-season game at Independence Thursday night, but still had an opportunity to make the playoffs with a 7-point win and some help.
The Tigers (4-7, 0-5) could not get the job done as their season came to an end with a 47-12 loss to the Wildcats (5-6, 2-3).
Junior quarterback Willie Eagins and junior wide receiver and free safety Thomas Williams Jr. both came out of the game with ankle injuries. Sophomore Kendrick Honeycutt finished the game at quarterback since junior Chris Russell, normally a running back and also the backup quarterback, was not able to play due to a shoulder injury.
“The whole district schedule, we were banged up,” CECHS coach Jeremiah Brassell said. “Next year, going into district, hopefully we won’t be so banged up.”
Brassell said there will be a stronger emphasis placed on weightlifting and conditioning during the offseason.
“That’s where it all starts,” he said. “We’ve just got to get the rest of the kids to buy into that. No one wants to come to practice when it’s not the season or summertime.”
The Tigers went 4-2 in non-district play. Brassell will continue to play his starters in the first half of the 2019 season without fear of them being injured and sidelined for division games.
“The injuries this year were just things that happened,” he said. “Whether they played a lot or not, an injury can happen anytime, but I’m going into every game next year trying to win the game.”
Junior receiver Demarco Williams caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Eagins in the loss at Independence, while sophomore Kiarrouse Elmore scored on a 2-yard run.
Defensive lineman junior Jaquarious Mitchell led the Tigers with more than 10 tackles.
“I just wish the rest of the defense could have matched his enthusiasm,” Brassell said. “We missed a whole lot of tackles tonight in the backfield. Once we missed the tackles, they broke for long runs, but overall, it was the same story struggling on the offense with the offensive line and missed assignments.”
Brassell completed his third season as the Tigers coach. His first year, in 2016, they went winless and won one game in 2017 before earning four victories this past season.
“We have a really strong junior and sophomore class that we’re going to depend on,” he said. “Next year, hopefully, they should turn the corner and we should make the playoffs next year.
“Honestly, we should have made it this year. We don’t have control of a lot of things such as injuries, but I’m going into this offseason focusing on trying to get as many guys as I can to buy into the offseason program.”
With injuries and a better offensive line to protect Eagins, Brassell believes CECHS could be a whole lot better.
“You’re going to have a strong senior class coming in,” Brassell said. “We’re going to try to ride them and, hopefully, they will lead us to a deep playoff run because they’re all experienced.”
Brassell said all of his skill players will be returning in 2019.
“We had a little better support this year and, hopefully, it will get a whole lot better next year,” he said.
