When the Greenville Christian School football team takes the field Thursday night in its season opener at Madison Ridgeland-Academy, Saints head coach Jon Reed McLendon will be just as interested to see what happens as everyone in the stands.
To say this is a transition year for Coach McLendon and his Saints is quite an understatement.
In many ways, the Saints will be a completely different team on Thursday night. Gone are the 22 seniors off of last year’s team, many of whom are now playing in college, who captivated the Delta and much of the state of Mississippi with their talented swagger and success. The Saints won the last two MAIS Class 3A state titles in a blowout fashion.
The Saints-Raiders game Thursday night will kick off the high school football season in the state of Mississippi.
This year’s Saints may not have as much talent as the last two years, but this does not mean they are laying down for anyone. While the players may be different, this GCS squad is still willing to take on all comers. That is why, like the last two years, the Saints are not only playing Madison-Ridgeland on Thursday, but they are also traveling to Jackson Prep on Aug. 19 and to Jackson Academy on Sept. 30.
“After Thursday’s game we will have a much better gauge of how far we have to go,” Coach McLendon said. “We are just young, and we don’t have a lot of guys who are used to being the ‘man’. We have some players with some experience but we don’t have guys who have had to be the main leaders on our team.”
Coach McLendon expects Madison-Ridgeland to come out fully engaged Thursday night. In last year’s season opener the Saints, despite trailing at halftime, traveled to MRA and beat the Patriots 64-32. The Saints big win last year was just the first strike that shook up many in the football world of Mississippi.
“That was the moment that we kind of felt we belonged among the best teams. We already knew we were going to be good, but that victory showed us how good we can be,” Coach McLendon said.
“We know that on Thursday night MRA is probably going to be wanting some payback, and that is to be expected. Coach (Herbert) Davis has established a great program at MRA. They have won the last three Class 6A state championships in a row, and that tells you everything you need to know.”
Coach McLendon had especial praise for MRA quarterback John White who is entering his junior season. White threw for 3,935 yards and 39 touchdowns last season on a Patriots team that finished 11-3.
On the other side of the field, the Saint fans will get a chance Thursday to see many talented players who have been patiently waiting their turn. Among these are quarterbacks Aaron Lee and Trey Rhodes who are expected to share time Thursday night. Seniors Kelvin Lyons (safety/wide receiver), Kingstonn Grant (linebacker), Latavion Knox (tight end/defensive end) and junior Patrick Spencer (wide receiver) are all expected to have strong seasons for the Saints.
Coach McLendon said he is also excited to see how senior wide receiver Tae Myles plays this season with more responsibility on his shoulders.
“Tae made some good plays for us last season, but he just didn’t get that many reps because we had so many talented players at wide receiver.”
This is the second straight season that the GCS will play on the road at Madison-Ridgeland, Jackson Prep and Jackson Academy. The Saints are willing to play these roads games, said Coach McLendon, not just because they want to test themselves against the strongest programs in the state. These road games make financial sense for the football program, the GCS coach said. The Greenville Christian school coaching staff is also not sure if they would have the locker room facilities and the stadium capacity to accommodate such large progams like MRA. MRA is expected to have more than twice as many players suit out Thursday than GCS’ 30-man roster.
Coach McLendon added that his players will gain valuable memories driving to Jackson and playing in front of so many people.
“We don’t mind being the road warriors. This can only help us down the line when we get to the playoffs.”
