An opportunity was all Trace Lee wanted.
After two and a half seasons as starting quarterback for the Columbus High School football team, Lee wasn’t ready to give up on a sport he loves. That’s why he wasn’t satisfied with schools that were willing to give him a chance to play baseball and not football.
The waiting game officially ended Wednesday, and Lee was more than happy he didn’t have to settle.
Following a recruiting process Lee admits went on longer than he expected, he signed a National letter of Intent to play baseball at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville. The caveat that sold Lee is he will get a chance to play football for the Tigers.
“I was waiting and I was waiting, and I had some baseball scholarships and I was waiting on that one football scholarship,” Lee said. “There was a lot of prayer and a lot of talking to the family. The Lord is faithful. That is what we have been saying. Finally, coach Smither from Northeast called and he said he was going to give me an opportunity. That is all I need, an opportunity.”
Four other Falcons also received chances to continue their athletic careers in college. Jarquarius Clark, Corey Brown, and Kris Reliford signed with Northwest Mississippi C.C. in Senatobia, while Jalen Stewart signed with defending national champion East Mississippi C.C. in Scooba.
Lee battled injuries this past season for Columbus in a 4-7 season that fell short of the playoffs. As he turned his focus to his final high school baseball season, where he will play pitcher and shortstop, Lee wanted to keep playing football, so he held out hope a coach would give him a shot. He said he is glad he waited and believed his time would come.
“It is going to be a process (of preparing to play two sports in college) I am going to have to get into very quickly,” Lee said. “In the summer, I am going to have to learn to be more independent than I am right now, but, at the same time, I have a great, supporting family at home that will encourage me. Most of all, the Lord is with me wherever I go. It is going to take a lot of effort, but I have made the decision to play both, so I am going to do it an give God the glory in everything I do.”
Tony Stanford, who coached the Columbus High football team for the past four seasons before resigning after the season, said Lee has been a team leader in his time with the team. He is confident lee will make the most of his opportunity to play football.
“He did everything he had to to be a good quarterback,” Stanford said. “He worked hard, and our team looked up to him.”
Columbus High baseball coach Jeffrey Cook said Lee has grown and matured as a pitcher the past two seasons. He feels Lee’s chance to play last summer with Team Mississippi at the junior Sunbelt Classic baseball tournament in McAlester, Okla., helped him realize he had to think about playing baseball in college a little harder.
“I think he realized his potential this summer when he went out to Oklahoma and was able to stand with the big guys. He was just as good as they are,” Cook said. “His velocity is not as much, and I think that is from not doing baseball year-round. I think that will come as he grows and matures. He will play somewhere else after Northeast.”
Cook, who was an assistant coach to former New Hope coach Stacy Hester on Team Mississippi, said Lee’s showing in Oklahoma was instrumental in his realization that baseball was a viable option for him to pursue. While he understands Lee’s love for football and desire to compete in that sport, Cook believes baseball might be the best route for Lee.
“I think he sees maybe a career in baseball to expand even further after he did so well this year that he could be as good as everybody else,” Cook said. “He has a passion for football, but he has a passion for everything. He is such a passionate young man about his life, his Christian faith, and everything about him. We are excited for him and the opportunity to play.”
Stewart had given a verbal commitment to attend Alabama Birmingham, but a coaching change ultimately played a role in a change of plans. Stewart said the coaching staff informed him late last week that it was going to drop him from its recruiting plans, so he was forced to call EMCC to see if he could find a spot there.
“I feel I can get better exposure there,” Stewart said. “I know they already got D.J. Jones down there, and he got offered by Florida State. I am trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Clark, who is 6-foot, 225 pounds, thanked God for helping him earn a chance to keep playing football. He said he worked through ups and downs, including some missed games due to disciplinary problems at home, to make those nights he slept with a football worthwhile.
Stanford said the Falcons were fortunate to have Stewart join the program this season and play a role in making defense the strength of the 2013 team. He feels EMCC and Northwest Mississippi landed quality young men who have the potential to play at the next level.
“Corey Brown is a four-year starter who did about everything he could for the program,” Stanford said. “He is a tremendous athlete. I am looking for big things out of him. … Jarquarius moved around for and played defensive end as a sophomore and moved him to MIKE linebacker in his junior and senior year and we finally found a spot he could play. They are getting good linebacker. Northwest got three of our top athletes this year. East Mississippi missed out on three good ones this year.
“I think Kris’ future really is in front of him. He has the frame to be a big-time football player. He has the long arms and the height. When he gets there and really gets dedicated and gets in the weight room he could end up being 6-3, 290 and running a 4.6 40-yard dash in two years. I really think the colleges are going to be after him after his two years at Northwest.”
Reliford hopes that is the case, too. He understands he is fortunate to get an opportunity to play football, but, like Lee, it is a dream he has held for a long time. He said he remembers throwing the football outside with his younger brother, Tylan Harris, and coming inside and telling his mother he was going to play football later on in his life so she wouldn’t have to work.
“I played hard on the field,” said Reliford, who turned 19 on Jan. 5. “Hard work pays off. Set your goals high because as you go on later on in life you will want to achieve them. I kept my fingers crossed and wished I could get to the spot I am in today.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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