The success of the Grenada High School football program over the nearly two seasons is well-documented.
Coach Michael Fair’s Chargers are 18-5 since the start of the 2023 season with three games remaining in the 2024 regular season. While most people think GHS will head to the regular season finale at South Panola with a 9-1 record, Fair knows his team has games with Center Hill and Saltillo to focus on before facing the Tigers on Nov. 7. Now, the emphasis is on the Mustangs from Olive Branch.
“The main thing for us is beating Center Hill,” Fair said. “The time for reflecting of what has been done is later on. It’s all about the present and what it is going to take to win Friday. When the players get to practice every day, the coaches are talking to them about what it’s going to take to beat Center Hill. It’s not about what has happened or is going to happen – it’s about Friday night. It’s all about living in the moment and preparing like crazy for this week. That is the way we have approached it since the opening week of the season. It keeps us grounded and in the moment.”
The approach is something that the Chargers have done since Fair took over the program back in February 2023. Earlier this week, he saw his team have one of its best practices this season.
“Monday’s practice was probably the best we have had all season,” he said. “We have guys with bumps and bruises, and we had to sit out a few guys from practice. Still, I thought we had an intense practice and were really physical. Our main guys were getting after it – very physical. A lot of teams are scaling it back late in the season, but our guys were ramping it up. That’s what good teams do.”
Grenada will face a Center Hill team that is 5-2 on the season, following a 46-14 loss at the hands of South Panola. The first thing that jumps out on film, according to Fair is their size on the defensive line.
“They are extremely big on the defensive line and we aren’t that big on the offensive line,” he said. “It will be a challenge for our offensive linemen to get them blocked.”
Some of the size guys are senior Elijsah Westbrook (6-foot-3, 315 pounds), who plays defensive tackle and nose guard. Junior Willie Price (6-foot-2, 340 pounds) plays tackle on offense and nose guard and tackle on defense. Classmate Ananias Gray (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) is a defensive lineman.
The biggest chore for the GHS defensive unit is tackling Center Hill junior running back Lawrence Autry (5-foot-11, 195 pounds), who leads the Mustangs with 898 yards on 117 carries and 12 touchdowns.
“Autry is a big, strong running back,” Fair said. “If we don’t get him tackled, it is going to be a long night.”
Center Hill is coached by veteran Allen Peacock, who is in his 14th season at the DeSoto County school, which is located in Olive Branch.
Grenada is led by senior Macaleb Taylor, who has rushed for 1,564 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. Junior quarterback Brayden Trusty has completed 55 percent (69-of-125) of his passes for 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns to go with just two interceptions. His favorite receiver is classmate Zayion Cotton, who has 23 receptions for 384 yards and four touchdowns.
Offensively, the Chargers had more than 450 yards of offense in the 42-0 Homecoming win over Olive Branch. Grenada has a somewhat simplistic philosophy for offense, according to Fair.
“We go into each game wanting to take whatever the opposing defense gives us and being prepared for that,” Fair concluded. “Two weeks ago, we won a close game that was physical and ran the football well. Last week, we ran the ball well and stretched the field our vertical passing game. To be versatile and able to both run and pass the football, it forces them to try to stop everything, which is hard to do.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. It is also Senior Night for the Chargers.
