MACON — Focus has been a word that has been on Tyrone Shorter’s mind a lot this week.
If you recall, the Noxubee County High School football coach highlighted the importance of that word in his team’s quest to become the school’s first squad to win back-to-back state titles.
With a murderer’s row of non-conference games lined up prior to Class 4A, Region 4 play, Shorter didn’t imagine the Tigers would have many slip-ups, especially with a solid group of senior leaders who wanted to make their mark.
Unfortunately, Shorter saw last week how bad things can get when the Tigers aren’t focused. The veteran Noxubee County coach admitted Monday that his team had a “horrible” week of practice coming off an emotional 26-20 double-overtime victory against Class 6A Starkville. A year ago, the Yellow Jackets humbled the Tigers 51-19 in Starkville, so it’s natural to believe Shorter’s squad would have been extremely high following that win.
Trouble is Noxubee County nearly overlooked Columbus as it recovered from the victory against Starkville. If not for a turnover just before halftime that gave his team the lead, Shorter’s Tigers would have been locked in a scoreless tie entering the final 24 minutes. But after struggling to finish drives against the Falcons in the first half, Noxubee County pulled away in the second half for a 25-8 victory.
The victories against Class 6A opponents impressed nearly everyone in the state of Mississippi. On Tuesday, Noxubee County moved from No. 5 to No. 2 in The Clarion-Ledger’s Super 10 poll, which ranks the state’s top 10 teams. Later in the day, Noxubee County was ranked No. 2 (tied with Starkville and again behind Class 6A South Panola) in The Associated Press’ first poll of the season.
Incredibly, though, the same Noxubee County that received one first-place vote in The AP’s overall rankings was No. 2 in Class 4A despite receiving 11 first-place votes in that classification. The AP’s Catherine Hills said in an email Tuesday afternoon that one voter in the poll didn’t place Noxubee County in the top five in Class 4A, which allowed Lafayette (with 113 points to Noxubee County’s 110) to claim the top spot in the that classification.
If that isn’t enough to help Noxubee County re-focus, Shorter’s murderer’s row of a schedule, which also includes Meridian, West Point, and Kemper County, has another built-in focus apparatus lined up for Friday: a game against Aledo High, the reigning Class 5A, Division I state champion in the state of Texas.
Noxubee County is scheduled to leave the school early Thursday morning and make the nearly 600-mile bus ride to Aledo High, which has won five state championships in the past six years.
The matchup will mark Shorter’s first time playing or coaching a game in the state of Texas. He said it also will be the program’s first game in the state of Texas. In 2011, Noxubee County traveled to Hoover, Alabama, to play Spain Park, but this trip will be a little longer and will include more distractions, which is a concern for a coach who already has his team’s focus on his mind.
“We just have to make sure they stay on task,” Shorter said. “We want them to enjoy themselves. We have a great plan. We are going to take them on a tour of the city and to the movies, but we want them to stay focused.”
Aledo entered the season as the No. 1 team in Class 5A. But Aledo lost to Cedar Park, the Class 5A, Division II runner-up in 2014, 31-13 in its season opener on Friday. The loss dropped Aledo to a tie for No. 6 in Class 5A. It also marked the first time the program has been below .500 since 2011, when it started the season 1-2.
Aledo has 31 seniors on this season’s roster. It lost seven starters on offense and five on defense from a team that finished 15-1 last season and scored 770 points.
If those numbers and the Bearcats’ tradition aren’t enough to get the Tigers focused, Shorter isn’t sure what he will have to do to get his team ready. He understands that a packed itinerary, which practice Thursday afternoon and a movie that night and a tour of TCU on Friday afternoon, will provide plenty of distractions. But he also knows that the Tigers are taking their chance to represent Macon, Noxubee County, and the state of Mississippi very seriously.
“I think it’s a good experience and good exposure for our kids,” Shorter said. “A lot of those kids have never left Mississippi or been to Texas, and a lot of kids won’t experience that type of bowl experience or that big-time college football experience, so I am trying to make this trip like they are in college.
“I am trying to make this trip like they are in college. This is something these kids will cherish and remember for the rest of their life.”
Shorter said Noxubee County will dress out 75 kids. He said about 70 percent of them never have been outside of the state of Mississippi. One positive, though, is Shorter said many of the players’ families are taking advantage of the holiday weekend to travel to see the game, so the Tigers could have a good crowd to cheer them on nearly 600 miles from home.
The presence of family members could be a distraction or it could help the Tigers focus on the task at hand. Shorter isn’t sure because it is all new to him, too, so he will have to wait and see how his team reacts to the long bus ride and to an itinerary filled with new experiences. Those firsts will set the stage for a final first: a chance for the Tigers to play a reigning state champion before what likely will be the biggest crowd to see them play this season.
If that’s not enough to get you focused, you better stay on the bus.
“I have a great coaching staff, and we have control of these kids,” Shorter said. “These kids feel the same way we feel. They are going to go out and represent. I am not worried about these kids getting in any trouble out here or doing anything they aren’t supposed to do. These kids know they are going out there to take care of business.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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