FULTON — In elementary school, when Keyon Higgins was losing a backyard wrestling match to older brother Stanley, he would remember his mother’s advice.
“She would always remind me to never give up,” Keyon Higgins said. “It didn’t matter what you were trying to do. It didn’t matter the long odds or the obstacles in front of you. No matter what your chances were, she always said to never give up.”
Bernadette Agnew has raised three children with the same motherly advice and love. The Higgins brothers, along with sister Audreana Higgins, think fondly of their mother.
Stanley and Keyon Higgins take her advice to the football field as well.
When it came time for Keyon Higgins to sign a community college scholarship offer, Stanley Higgins gave him some brotherly advice.
“I really stayed out of the recruiting process until the very end,” Stanley Higgins said. “I wanted Keyon to meet other coaches and take trips. However, at the end of the day, I wanted him to play with me. I was going to see to it.”
While both Stanley and Keyon Higgins played at Starkville High School, Keyon Higgins did not play high school ball until his senior year. So this season at Itawamba Community College is the first time the brothers have played together.
ICC faces No. 6 East Mississippi Community College in a showdown Saturday in Scooba. The game is EMCC’s homecoming.
“My brother has always been there to show me support and guidance,” Keyon Higgins said. “I have an advantage. These freshman players typically ask sophomores for help on this and that…I have someone I can go to that I trust and care about who can tell me everything I need to know.”
Stanley Higgins completed three years on the varsity level when he caught 21 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns on the Class 6A state championship team at Starkville in 2012. He signed with East Mississippi, but an injury led him to transfer to ICC.
“Playing at Itawamba has been a great experience for me,” Stanley Higgins said. “I have really grown up and become a man during my time here. When you play ball in junior college, you just feel humbled and blessed. A lot of people do not get this opportunity.”
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Stanley Higgins played tight end his first season at ICC and has been used more as a slot receiver this season. Entering Saturday’s game, he has six catches for 54 yards.
Keyon Higgins, like his brother, has also appeared in three games, with one catch for 16 yards.
“With Stanley you have a true leader in every sense of the word,” ICC offensive coordinator Nick Coleman said. “He plays like a veteran. He also teaches like a veteran. The younger guys really look to him to set the standard in practice, in the weight room, everything. He has molded himself into a special player and is steadily piling up the (senior college) offers.
“Keyon’s situation is different since he only played one year of high school. Each day, you see the freshman players take a couple of steps. Keyon is taking gigantic steps because so much of the game is still new to him. You can certainly tell that his best days of football are ahead of him.”
Keyon Higgins, who is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, had 19 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns for a Starkville team ranked No. 1 in the state most of last season. Keyon said playing with current Memphis quarterback Brady Davis made him a better player.
“The biggest challenge for me is the speed of the game,” Keyon Higgins said. “We don’t huddle. We go up-tempo and we go fast all the time. It’s quite an adjustment…it is a challenge. It’s a fun challenge, though. I am learning more each day.”
EMCC (3-1 overall, 2-0 division) will be looking to continue its North Division mastery. EMCC is 2-0 in division play for a fifth straight season. The Lions have won 14 straight division games and not lost a division game at home since opening their new stadium in 2011. However, ICC handed EMCC its last division loss in a 24-23 stunner to close the 2012 regular season in Fulton.
ICC (2-2 overall, 1-1 division) enters the game fresh off a 31-24 home loss to Northwest Mississippi Community College. ICC is looking for its first playoff berth since 2013. To achieve that goal, the Indians can ill-afford to lose a second division game before the calendar hits October.
Kickoff is set for a 2 p.m. at Sullivan-Windham Field on Saturday.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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