STEENS — Bill Beck appreciates the importance of timing.
The Columbus Christian Academy football coach just didn’t know he was going to have to wait two months between victories. The veteran coach is willing to be patient when that second victory comes in a game that decides a district championship.
Win No. 2 in Beck’s first season at the school came Friday in a 21-20 decision against Deer Creek in Steens. The victory helped CCA (2-7) secure the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class A, District 2 title.
“We tried to give it away,” Beck said, “but the kids made a stop at the end when they had to.”
Isaiah Cooper had two touchdowns and Lawson Studdard caught a touchdown pass to help the Rams snap a seven-game losing streak. Next week, CCA will try to earn its first playoff victory since 2014.
Even though the playoff pairings haven’t been announced, Beck is nearly certain CCA, which earned a No. 3 seed, will play host to No. 6 seed Lee (Ark.) Academy at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in Steens. The winner will take on No. 2 seed Union Christian Academy on Nov. 9.
Beck said CCA could have filled its schedule by playing Union Christian Academy, which is in Farmerville, Louisiana, this week, but he opted not to make the six-hour drive to give his team added time to prepare for the postseason. The time will give Beck a chance to help the Rams get even more comfortable under center as they prepare to play host to the first round of the playoffs.
“We found some things that we did a little bit better than what we had been doing,” Beck said. “It has been an experience trying to figure all of this out, to say the least.”
Beck said a move from the shotgun back to putting quarterback Dakota Shaw under center has helped the Rams better protect the football. He said the depth at running back with Cooper, Jaden Henderson, Bryar Kemp, and Jordan Meek gives CCA plenty of options.
“The kids have worked hard,” Beck said. “I think the kids have bought in a little more and they realized we have to do it this way to be successful.”
Beck said the offense has developed some consistency, while the defense has had to weather the number of concussions suffered by the linemen.
CCA lost to Lee (Ark.) 41-0 on Sept. 14 in Steens and 52-38 on Oct. 12 in Marianna, Arkansas. In the second game, CCA trailed 30-0 at halftime before Beck said the team rallied and gained confidence from its second-half showing.
Beck said at one point the Rams were without four starting offensive linemen and had to use an eighth-grader at strong side guard. He said the team is nearly back to 100 percent and that he hopes to build off the momentum from last week. Unfortunately, he said the Rams nearly gave the game away due to mistakes only to see them stop Deer Creek on a two-point conversion to seal the district title.
Deer Creek won the first game 30-0 on Sept. 7 in Arcola. But that game didn’t count toward the teams’ district records due to a pre-arranged decision. Numerous Class A teams were forced to scramble to fill their schedules after several teams moved to Eight-Man or schools closed. As a result, CCA and Lee (Ark.) and Deer Creek agreed to play twice in the regular season to fill schedules.
Last season, CCA lost to West Memphis Christian 49-0 in the first round. CCA won two games in 2016 and 2015 and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
In 2014, CCA had its best season under then-coach Greg Watkins when it went 7-5 and won the program’s first 11-man district title. The campaign included a 34-14 victory against DeSoto School and Beck in the first round of the MAIS playoffs. It was the program’s first home playoff game in 11-man football. The finish helped the Rams earn their most wins in a season since 2003.
Beck hopes to build CCA into a consistent playoff participant. The second step next season will come as a member of Class 2A, the second of two Eight-Man classifications. The MAIS recently announced reclassification for the 2018-19 school year that included the creation of a six-class system that creates a two-tier system for Eight-Man football. Class 2A will be for larger classification schools. It will include Hebron Christian in Pheba.
Beck said he hopes the move will create some stability for schools and a more level playing field for all of the private schools.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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