STARKVILLE — When Natrone Brooks heard Starkville High School football defensive coordinator Brooks Oakley was leaving, he didn’t know what to think.
Oakley was hired as the new Senatobia High football coach in April just as spring practice was about the start. The announcement left Starkville coach Ricky Woods needing to call an old friend. He reached out to Chuck Friend, a former Starkville High football coach, to fill the vacancy. Friend showed up and immediately earned the respect of the defense.
Brooks, a senior cornerback, had hoped to have Oakley back for a shot at another Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State championship, but he realized there wasn’t that much of a difference between the two coaches as he got to know Friend.
“I didn’t really want Oakley to leave because I really didn’t know coach Friend,” Brooks said. “But when he came in, I saw he was a good coach and I liked it. It was all right.”
Starkville (3-1) will look to continue it fine play for its new defensive coordinator at 7 tonight when it plays host to Callaway (5-0) at Yellow Jacket Stadium in the MHSAA Class 6A, Region 2 opener.
The Yellow Jackets’ defense is allowing 227.5 yards and 15.75 points per game. Noxubee County scored 21 and Oxford scored 16 in the first two weeks. Against a good West Point offense, Starkville allowed six points. Meridian scored 20 points in a win last week.
Starkville senior linebacker Willie Gay said the players had to get used to Friend, but he said they like him a lot.
“He’s a real laid-back coach,” Gay said. “It really helps us out. He’s not hollering at us all the time. He yells when he needs to.”
Oakley spent six seasons with the Yellow Jackets, five under coach Jamie Mitchell, and the last with Woods helping him make the transition.
Gay, who is committed to Ole Miss, said Oakley was a little bit harder on the players in practice when he was trying to make a his point. Friend takes a different approach, but Gay feels both are effective communicators.
Friend’s attitude was seen early in the spring. He joked with the media that he was happy being a position coach and didn’t really want to be the defensive coordinator. He’d rather cut grass he said with a laugh.
Friend served as the head coach of the Jackets from 1994-2000 and won state championships in 1994 and 1995.
Friend developed a feel for the defense in the spring and during summer workouts. He feels the bond he built with his players in that time helped make the transition smoother. The decision to keep many of the defenses and schemes Oakley used made it easier on the players.
“We probably play a little bit more read defense than coach Oakley did,” Friend said. “He played a lot of it. We still use a lot of the same terminology he used.”
Gay has 32 tackles (six for loss), one interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick. The interception came last week against Meridian.
Friend has been impressed with the way Gay has played the last two games.
“Hopefully he’ll continue to play well,” Friend said. “We count on him as a tackler and he’s a great tackler. He’s a good pass rusher and covering the pass, so we need him every game to play at his best.”
Friend said the defense has to find a way to stop giving up explosive plays. That was a primary reason Starkville lost to Meridian. Meridian quarterback Eddie Martin hit wide receiver Mack Martin for a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats the cushion they needed to seal the win.
Friend said that has been the biggest emphasis in practice this week, especially with Callaway wide receiver Malik Heath a big threat on the outside. Heath, who is committed to Mississippi State, has 19 catches for 486 yards and five touchdowns.
“Most of the time, like against Meridian, we were in man coverage and their guy just outjumped our guy for the ball,” Friend said. “We have to blitz some and probably shouldn’t have, but we did. Usually we play mostly zone, but that particular time we were in man coverage. We work on it and we’ve practiced hard against the deep ball trying not to give up long passes. We’ve got to be good tacklers and pursue. Those are probably the main things.”
Friend has a young secondary. Brooks and safety Jaquez Akins are veterans. Akins began the season as the starting quarterback, but injuries led to Malik Brown taking over. Akins has been moved back to safety and is getting healthy enough to make an impact.
Friend has been impressed with Brooks’ ability to lead the younger players. Brooks said he has been helping sophomore Alexis Stallings along.
“I think I’ve handled it pretty good,” Brooks said. “I’m setting a good example for him at practice and in the game. I’m telling him to keep his head straight.”
Brooks has 20 tackles (two for loss), one interception, and a team-high eight pass breakups. He went against current Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown in practice every day last year. That work helped him become a better cornerback.
The transition from Oakley to Friend hasn’t been as hard as Brooks thought it would be. As the season progresses, it will get easier. As a result, the defense should get even better.
“It’s still pretty much the same. Coach is a good coach and we’ve got a good defense. We’re just going to keep on improving and getting better every day,” Brooks said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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