Football season officially ended for Chris Craven on Oct. 27.
On that night, Craven’s Oak Hill Academy lost to Tri-County Academy 33-13 in the first round of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AA playoffs.
But that doesn’t mean Craven packed up all his football paraphernalia.
Earlier this month, the veteran coach was named head coach of the MAIS Blue team in the organization’s annual All-Star Game, which will be at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at Jackson Prep.
“Any success I have or the players have is a direct result of the team,” said Craven, who recently completed his third season as head coach at Oak Hill Academy. “As a head coach, you try to lead the program in a certain way and to get people to follow that leadership. It takes assistant coaches to follow that leadership and everybody to buy into that program.”
This will be Craven’s second opportunity to coach in the annual game. In 2015, he was an assistant coach on the Blue team. That squad featured Oak Hill Academy players Heath Ford and Caleb Roberson and Starkville Academy’s Colt Chrestman. The rosters for this year’s game haven’t been announced.
Oak Hill Academy went 6-4 this season and finished second to Marshall Academy in Class AA, District 1. The Raiders earned an at-large bid to the postseason thanks in large part to a five-game winning streak early in the season.
Oak Hill Academy persevered through the death of football player Thomas Lee Bales. The Raiders also rebounded from a 2-8 finish in 2016 after the players helped the coaches establish a new culture and a new attitude in the program.
“We had a good measure of success this year with a winning record and we made it to the playoffs,” Craven said. “We played above ourselves at times, and any success I had is a testament to the Lord’s blessing and the hard work of the coaching staff and the team.”
Craven, who was named The Dispatch’s co-Small Schools Coach of the Year in 2015 after a 7-4 finish, recently completed his 11th season as a coach at Oak Hill Academy. He graduated from West Point High School in 1994 and from East Mississippi Community College in 1996. He then went on to study at Mississippi State before finishing his studies at Blue Mountain College.
Craven said he was surprised to be asked to coach again so soon after his previous work. He said he welcomes the chance to work with some of the state’s top players and coaches. Craven said being around so many talented individuals will make his final football game of the season that much more fun.
“The challenge in trying to be the head guy revolves around getting the coaching staff and players you have drafted in the right places and positions to succeed,” Craven said. “A lot of guys can play multiple positions, so our challenge will be to get those people on the right side of the ball to do their jobs. That is a big responsibility. You can’t have an offensive or a defensive plan or scheme in five practices. It is All-Stars, so we’re going to let All-Stars do what All-Stars do.”
The game will feature the top senior players from all MAIS classifications. Tickets for the game at $10. Gates will open at 1:30 p.m.
Players will report for the game Tuesday. There will be an awards banquet Thursday at Hinds Community College’s Clyde Muse Center in Pearl.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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