Although the regular season record showed a losing record for the Trojans, the team improved on the field. A reflection of that progress was quite evident when six Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans garnered post season honors.
Lebarron Jones was named to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State first team. The sophomore wide receiver made the team as a kick returner with his 1,582 all-purpose yards – first by a large margin in the MACJC. He ended the season with 594 yards on 23 kickoff returns (first in the MACJC) and had 92 yards on seven punt returns. His wide receiver skills were honored as well as he was named to the All-State second team in that position. Jones was the second leading receiver in the conference with 60 receptions for 896 yards and seven touchdowns. MDCC Head Coach Jeff Tatum is proud of his players.
“Lebarron had a great year and was also in the top ten in the nation in all-purpose yards,” Coach Tatum said. “Had a really good season for us. In our two, come-from-behind fourth quarter wins, one of them he made a huge catch against Coahoma that put us in scoring position and he had the game-winning catch – 82 yards against Holmes in the final seconds of the game. He’s a big play receiver with big hands and nothing but a bright future in front of him.”
The other five trojans honored included Lane McGregor and Austin Pickett as All-State second team recipients on offense, while Kyle Cass, LaDarrius Glover and Isaiah Karriem were the three All-State second team members on the defensive side.
McGregor, a sophomore punter, had 55 punts for 2,204 yards, equating to a 40.1 yards per punt average. This mark put him at fifth in the MACJC in yards per punt average.
“Lane came here as a walk-on. Matter of fact, he came here the first year and we didn’t take him and then he came back the next spring and tried out again and we told him he could walk-on. He turned out not only being the number two average punter in the state but in the top five in the nation,” Coach Tatum said.
Pickett, a freshman offensive lineman, helped clear the path for the Trojan offense that averaged 318 yards (212.6 passing, 105.6 rushing) per game.
Cass, a sophomore defensive back, ended his second season by finishing third on the team in total tackles with 42 (32 solo, 10 assists) and had three tackles for loss while leading the team with six pass breakups.
“Kyle Cass really worked hard in the off-season to make himself into a cornerback. Had a great summer and spent a lot of time by himself on the field working on his feet so he could become a great corner. He’s being highly recruited by a lot of Power Five schools,” he said.
Glover, a sophomore defensive lineman, anchored the MDCC front line, as he led the team with six sacks, had 7.5 tackles for loss and forced four fumbles, while finishing with 28 tackles and two pass breakups.
“He finished second in the state in sacks and comes from a winning program (two state high school championships at West Point) and he brought that attitude to Mississippi Delta Community College and was a big leader on our defense,” Coach Tatum said. “He was a big play guy.”
Karriem, a sophomore linebacker, was second on the team in tackles with 49, and also had 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one sack and one fumble recovery.
“He didn’t play a lot last year but didn’t get frustrated. What little playing experience he got he used it to his ability and really worked hard in the off-season and made himself into one of the top linebackers in our league.”
The Trojans have two vacancies on the coaching staff.
“(Offensive Line) Coach Martin decided that he did not want to stay in coaching and is getting into the business world,” Coach Tatum said. “We’ll hire an offensive line coach and whatever is the best fit for the second coach.”
