It’s not unusual for a coach to say a defensive back goes 100 mph.
Columbus High School’s Dontae Gillespie plays football that way, so it’s easy to see how Eric Rice, his coach in 2018, would use those words to describe the play of his senior standout and team leader.
But Gillespie isn’t the only Falcon to earn that kind of praise from Rice. It’s just that the other recipient plays a position you probably wouldn’t expect.
Given Rice’s dealings with Gillespie and offensive lineman Ellis Barry this past season, it was fitting Wednesday morning that both players received the same plaudits as they took the next step in their football careers.
In front of family, teammates, and friends in the Columbus High library, Gillespie signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, while Barry signed a NLI to play football at Northeast Mississippi C.C. in Booneville.
“Whatever we had going on he was 100 miles per hour at all times,” Rice said. “He definitely is going to be an asset to Northeast Mississippi Community College. They are getting a great, respectful young man who is going to come to work every day, who is going to work hard, and who is going to do what it takes to be successful.”
Barry played guard for the Falcons the past two seasons. At 6-foot-3, 330 pounds, Barry has the size to make an impact at the next level. Rice said Barry’s work ethic should serve him well as he takes his skills to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).
“He is one that wanted to be good, so he worked toward that goal,” Rice said. “It definitely worked out for him today. He is going to continue to get better and to develop.”
Barry said Northeast Mississippi C.C. started to recruit him at the end of the season. He said going 100 mph is something he has done all of his life because that is the only way to do things.
Barry said the speed of the game will be one of the adjustments he will have to make, but he laughed when told the transition won’t be that big because he already goes 100 mph.
“This has been a goal ever since middle school football,” Barry said. “I thought I would be able to do it if I put in the work.
“It was the beginning of my senior year (when he realized he could play at the next level). The game got a lot faster, but everything was smooth and I was able handle the speed of the game.”
Rice said the 5-11, 185-pound Gillespie is a lead-by-example player who made sure the Falcons were doing what they needed to do this season. He said Gillespie also set the example vocally and by being the first one at practice and the last one to leave.
“Coahoma is definitely getting a player who is going to be able to help them in every area of their team,” Rice said. “I am extremely proud of both young men. I know they are going to do a great job at their community colleges. In two years, I look forward to them signing and going on to a four-year university.”
Gillespie said he developed that work ethic and his leadership skills as early as 7 years old when his mother, Yolanda, told him that a leader was going to face a lot of adversity but he still had to push through it. Gillespie said his mother’s words stuck with him through the years and served as motivation for him to realize a dream that has been years in the making.
“I just built a bond with the coaches,” said Gillespie, who started at outside linebacker as a junior and at strong safety as a senior. “It was the best fit for me. They recruited me since the beginning of the season and stayed on me all season.”
Follow Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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