Clarksdale High School lost 23 seniors from the 2020 football team, but the Wildcats will still be bringing back plenty of experience for the upcoming season.
Eighteen seniors are on the 2021 roster and coach Henry Johnson has high expectations.
“We’re going to have about 15 to 20 seniors average per year, so we’ve got another good group of seniors,” Johnson said. “We expect to be good again. That’s just our expectation. We’re trying to win a state championship. We’ve got work to do.”
CHS was the Region 3-4A District champion in 2020 and won a home playoff game, but was forced to forfeit the second round due to a COVID outbreak on the team.
“Last year was a heartbreaking year for me and for the kids because we had a good football team. But it carried over,” Johnson said. “We went and played our spring game. We looked pretty good. I feel like we’ve still got a good opportunity to win it this year.”
While many of the 2020 seniors started, the 2021 seniors saw significant action.
“A lot of these kids, they played a lot,” Johnson said. “They didn’t start, but they played a lot. Now I would say at the quarterback position is our least experienced senior, but other than that, all these seniors are on the field a lot.”
Senior Martez Williams was the starting quarterback in the spring game. Junior Kelley Jones is the other quarterback.
Jones is also a free safety, but that would not stop Johnson from making him the starter.
“If he’s the best at that position, we need to play him at that position and he may have to go both ways,” Johnson said. “He may have to play some wide receiver.”
However, Williams is currently the top quarterback on the depth chart.
Johnson said Williams and Jones will both play significant roles on the team.
Four offensive line starters from last season are returning. They are left tackle James Walker, center Fred Dumas, right tackle DK Harris and guard Emmanuel Tenner.
Almetris Smith, who will play for Coahoma Community College in 2021, is the only starting lineman from 2020 that the Wildcats lost. The experience on the line has already paid dividends.
“We ran the ball very well in the spring game,” Johnson said. “We’re deep at running back. We lost one senior. We lost Sammie Ray. All of our running backs are back. All of them.”
Seniors Solomon Kemp, Amari Gipson, Trent Chess and Leroy Boulton are three running backs who Johnson believes will see significant action in the upcoming season.
Wildcats juniors and seniors went to a prospect camp at Ole Miss Friday night and Johnson expects big things from his upper classmen.
“Every year, we’ll have kids sign from Clarksdale High,” Johnson said.
The Wildcats are lifting weights, doing agility drills and working on football fundamentals during the summer. While Johnson is familiar with his team, no athlete is guaranteed a starting position.
“We’re wide open,” Johnson said. “Every position is open.”
The Wildcats added two new coaches to the staff. Ricky Fields will coach the offensive line and Tamera Allen Sr. the running backs. Allen Sr. is the father of Tamera Allen Jr., who was the starting quarterback the past two seasons and just graduated.
Fields is replacing Greg Wilson on the coaching staff. Wilson will still be the Lady Wildcats coach. Allen Sr. is replacing Birley Gipson, who was promoted to the WA Higgins Middle School assistant principal position. Curtis Kemp Jr. will not be on the coaching staff this year, but he is still the head baseball coach.
Johnson said he is looking for two more assistant coaches.
The Wildcats will be in the Region 3-4A District once again. Gentry, Yazoo City and Greenwood high schools will also be in the district again. Senatobia, previously a 3A school, is now the district. Rosa Fort High School is no longer the district. Rosa Fort is now a District 3A school.
“It’s going to be strong and competitive,” Johnson said. “Adding Senatobia immediately makes it more competitive because they’ve got a good ball team. Greenwood is still there. Yazoo City is improved. Gentry is making improvements also. We go in with the mindset of a one game at a time mentality. We just prepare as we go.
“I’m excited about it (the season). I think we’ve got a great group of kids coming back. I think we’ve got an opportunity here to compete and go far in the playoffs. We’ve got a great coaching staff.”
COVID is still a concern for Johnson, but the Wildcats are somewhat back to normal.
“We’re back to normal as possible,” Johnson said. “You see our kids in there. They’re not wearing masks and things like that. We kind of scrapped the masks based on the state recommendations.”
Everyone had the option of being vaccinated, but it was not mandatory.
“Some of our kids have been vaccinated,” Johnson said. “Some of them have not. I can only give them that option. I haven’t been vaccinated. I don’t plan to get vaccinated. I wear my mask. They have the option to wear theirs.”
Precautions are still being taken.
“We’re still cleaning big time,” Johnson said. “You see all this hand sanitizer and spray. We’re still wiping it down and cleaning. Like I say, I keep my mask on. Most of my coaches still wear their masks, too, but most of my coaches have been vaccinated.
“It’s about the same to me. COVID, I guess it’s still here in Mississippi. I think Mississippi is one of the lowest states to have the vaccination.”
