Excitement was running high Monday morning at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in Jackson as coaches and players gathered to participate in the 2021 Football Championships Media Day/Press Conference event.
After more than a decade hiatus, Kirk Academy’s coaching staff, along with five senior players, were in attendance as they prepare to take on Tri-County Academy (13-1) in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools’ Class AAAA state title game at 7 p.m. Friday at Jackson Academy.
Second-year head coach Mike Beagle said the championship contest will be another test for his 8-5 Raiders, which entered the playoffs as the No. 11 seed.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge in playing them,” he said from the podium. “My hat’s off to our football team for what they have done. They are playing with a lot of heart and grit.”
Beagle added that in his 42 years of coaching, this year is “probably the most exciting year that I have had coaching football.”
Tri-County head coach Phillip Wasson was complimentary of the Raiders.
“Kirk Academy is a really good opponent; we’ve got our hands full,” he said during the event. “They have a lot of skilled guys and are a good all-around team, so we didn’t get much sleep last night preparing.”
Active players joining Beagle and assistant coaches Mike McLendon and Jacob Carpenter included, quarterback Colbert Hathcock, tailback and defensive back A.J. Wren, linebacker Mason Byars and defensive end Peyton Mitchell. Lineman Rodney Defenbaugh, who has been sidelined following an early-season knee injury, also joined the team with Beagle speaking highly of him.
“He’s kind of our heart and soul of our team for the past two years since I’ve been there,” Beagle said. “He’s a team leader by example bar none.”
Following the event, Defenbaugh expressed how much he enjoyed the experience with his teammates.
“I thought that today the guys that came to the Hall of Fame saw how amazing it is to be winners and now I feel like they want to win it even more,” he said. “With us rematching Tri-County, I think we are going to be focused the whole week. I will try to support them and get them to be hungrier for the state championship than ever.”
Hathcock said the media event would be something he would cherish always.
"Today was an incredible experience and I will remember this day for the rest of my life,” he said.
The starting trigger puller also expressed his confidence in the team.
“We are firing on all cylinders and playing together as a team,” he said. “It is a rematch from last year’s first round and we are ready to play. This is something that hasn’t been done at Kirk Academy since 2008. We are going to need everyone to come to Jackson Academy Friday at 7 and support us.”
Byars echoed Hathcock’s sentiments.
“I really enjoyed today, it was a great experience,” he said. “I think that’s one of all seniors dream in high school. I’m feeling confident for Friday night. We’re hot and rolling right now, and we’re looking for our revenge from last year.”
As for Wren, he believes the game will come down to execution and big plays, which he puts the pressure on himself to make.
“It was a very good experience today and it felt really good to be there with a lot of other good teams and coaches,” he said. “I really feel good about this week, but we also have to execute in order to win this game and I have to make big plays for us. We will have to play as a unit.”
As for Mitchell, he’s excited to be a part of history.
“I am excited because Kirk hasn’t been to anything like this in a long time,” he said. “I feel like if we keep our heads up and work as a team, we can get it done and bring it home.”
Judging by the Raiders’ playoff run, Friday night’s game should definitely be worth the price of admission.
