STARKVILLE — Colt Chrestman had a heart-to-heart with then-Starkville Academy football coach Jeff Terrill when he in eighth grade.
“Coach Terrill told me in eighth grade that I could become a great football player,” Chrestman said. “He told me I would become a great leader and had a chance to become one of the best players to play at my school.
“That’s motivation. When you hear that from your coach, you take it to heart. It makes you want to work that much harder and become that much better.”
Chrestman blossomed into one of the premier players in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. He and his tight-knit senior class left a mark on the Volunteers’ history book.
Throughout the season, Chrestman did a little bit of it all, from quarterback to running back to slot receiver to cornerback.
For his leadership and defensive excellence, Chrestman is The Dispatch’s Small Schools Defensive Player of the Year.
“Colt could play any position on the field,” Starkville Academy first-year coach Chase Nicholson said. “You knew you were going to get somebody who worked extremely hard at whatever was asked. He was going to say yes sir, step in the trenches and get it done. If you played with him, you had no other choice but to follow.”
While the Volunteers fell shy of netting the school’s first state championship in 10 years, this senior class will long be remembered as the group that brought the program back to prominence.
Under Terrill in 2014 and then Nicholson in 2015, the Volunteers finished 11-2 each season. This season ended with a second-round loss to Simpson Academy in the Class AAA playoffs.
“Even though we didn’t reach our final goal, we should did have a lot of success,” Chrestman said. “When I first started in junior high, the varsity program was way down. We knew we had some special players though in my class. Our goal was to get up there and helped get things turned around. We take a lot of pride in being the class that helped put Starkville Academy football back on the map.”
Terrill’s first team won three games in 2010. A year later, Starkville Academy played for the MAIS Class AAA, Division II state championship.
Things regressed from there with back-to-back losing seasons.
While the Volunteers had a smaller roster than most Class AAA schools this season, the togetherness of the team helped turned the tide.
“We really wanted to show that 2014 was not a one-time thing,” Chrestman said. “We didn’t have a lot of players but we made up for that with a lot of heart and determination. We have played together forever it seems like, so the chemistry was really good. After last season’s run, we wanted to keep things going. When you have a large class of seniors, you know you want to go out doing your best.”
The ability to be the best is something Terrill saw in Chrestman a long time ago.
“All we have had has been great coaches,” Chrestman said. “With coach Terrill first and then coach Nicholson, you can’t ask for two better role models. You have two great men of God. They motivated. They made you believe. They gave you everything to be in a position to be successful. Then you add in Coach (Tony) Stanford and Coach (Bubba) Davis this season. Those are two Hall of Fames coaches. Then Coach (Brad) Butler is one of the best defensive minds in the game.
“A lot of times it is all about the players. Not here, it was about the coaches. We owe it all to them. We were very blessed in that regard.”
Chrestman, who also plays baseball at the school, grew up in a family where athletics was the norm. His biggest influences came right there.
“My parents (Gale and Angie) both love sports,” Chrestman said. “They have always supported me and done all that can to make me a better player. My coaches have also been big influences. Coach Terrill taught me a lot while I was here. He developed into a good, young man, who could compete with anybody in the state. Coach Nicholson has always been there, too. When coaches have confidence in you, there is no reason you can’t succeed.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.