MACON — Tyrone Shorter knows what it takes to be alone on an island with everyone watching you.
That’s part of the responsibility of being a “lock-down cornerback.” New England Patriots cornerback Darrell Revis brought fame to the terminology when he was with the New York Jets and coined the term “Revis Island” for his ability to go one-on-one with the other’s team’s top receiver and shut him down.
Shorter had similar success as a cornerback in his playing days at Port Gibson High School, at Hinds Community College in Raymond, and at Austin Peay. Shorter was invited to the San Diego Chargers’ training camp in 1996 and made the practice squad before he was hurt. He then spent a year playing defensive back for the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos in 1997 before he returned to the state of Mississippi.
In his time as secondary coach and defensive coordinator for M.C. Miller, Shorter coached numerous defensive standouts, including his fair share of standouts in the secondary. Now in his fifth season as head coach at Noxubee County, Shorter has another defense that ranks among the state’s best. The play of senior cornerbacks Wesley Bush and Mahlon Robinson and senior linebacker Kevorkian Brewer has helped move to Tigers two wins from the program’s third state title. Bush, Robinson, Brewer, and their Noxubee County teammates will be put to the test at 7 tonight when they play host to Greenwood (11-2) in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State title game The winner of that game will advance to face the winner of tonight’s St. Stanislaus-Purvis game at 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at Davis Wade Stadium on the campus of Mississippi State in Starkville.
Shorter said Bush and Robinson should play key roles tonight as the Tigers (12-2) try to contain quarterback Booker T. Chambers, who has thrown for 2,494 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also is second on the team with 700 yards rushing and is tied for the team lead with nine rushing scores.
Robinson said part of being a “lock-down cornerback” means shouldering the pressure of having quarterbacks and top receivers pick on you. He feels there is a “Bush Island” and a “Robinson Island” outside the hashmarks on the Tigers’ game field in Macon.
“It makes me have a better work ethic and it makes me play harder because (coach Shorter) believes in us that much,” Robinson said.
Shorter compares Chambers to Aberdeen High senior quarterback Josh Williams because both players can make things happen with their arms or with their feet. He said Chambers will keep defenses honest because he can throw on the move. Shorter said Noxubee County will try to contain Chambers with its front seven and will rely on its cornerbacks to hold their own in one-on-one matchups against Greenwood’s receivers.
“Both of those guys are going to be college football players,” Shorter said of Bush and Robinson. “They are both getting a lot of looks. They are good-sized guys who can run. They have a great future ahead of them.”
At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and 5-11, 185 pounds, respectively, Bush and Robinson have the experience, knowledge, and speed to play on islands. Shorter said Bush, a two-year starter, and Robinson, a three-year starter, have done the job all season as part of a defense that has three shutouts and has allowed 21 points in three playoff games.
Shorter said being a “lock-down cornerback” means you have to have an attitude that your man isn’t going to catch the ball. He said he had that mind-set when he was in high school and developed even more confidence in college as he gained size and strength. He said he would have loved to have had the size of Bush and Robinson when he was in high school. He said their size is just one quality that allows them to play a valuable role in an aggressive defense that takes pride in setting the tone.
“They are so much ahead of me when I was in high school,” Shorter said. “Bush has long arms and can run and is a physical guy. Mahlon is a big, stocky corner who has all of the talent and speed in the world. Whoever they sign with is going to get two great football players.”
Brewer, a 6-0, 192-pounder, is fourth on the team in tackles with 54. He said Noxubee County is anxious for the challenge of playing against a team that beat Cleveland 41-40 in the regular season. Noxubee County defeated Cleveland 42-14 last week in the Class 4A North State playoffs. Brewer has played defensive end and outside linebacker in his career with the Tigers.
“We are going to have to stop their big plays,” Brewer said. “It is going to be a challenge because they have some good receivers, but we are going to get the job done and stop them and take away their big receivers.”
Shorter said Bush and Robinson also have the right attitude to play a position that is much like that of a closer on a baseball team. Even if you give up a big play on third down, you have to forget that play and get ready for the next one because teams are bound to pick on you when you’re alone on that island. Shorter praised the work of secondary coach Ed Square for the work he has done with Bush and Robinson and safeties Daveon Ball and Jataquist Sherrod, the brother of junior running back Shunessy Sherrod.
Bush, who is second on the team with three interceptions, said he and Robinson embrace the responsibility of being all by themselves and having to make a play. He feels confidence is a key ingredient to being out there all alone. He said he first developed that confidence in the ninth grade going against older players like Terrence Barron and Charles Hughes. Now that he is older, he and Robinson are setting the example for the younger players on how to shut down receivers.
“It is saying to yourself, ‘I can’t let this man beat me. I have to beat him,’ ” Bush said. “(Having two lock-down cornerbacks) is a great feeling because if we can send all of those boys to the quarterback and pressure him, either they will get a sack or we will get a pick, and that will give our team a better chance of winning.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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