Greenville High School seniors James Cosie Jr. and Desmond Washington may have different personalities, but together the two make up a strong linebacking corps that has been punishing opposing offenses this season.
Cosie Jr., the Hornets’ inside linebacker, is the more calm of the two. He is a player of few words who lets his play on the field do the talking. He said it is his job to project both leadership and confidence to his teammates.
Washington, on the other hand, describes himself as “a dog.”
“I am an aggressive player because that is my personality,” Washington said. “I try to always stand up for myself, and I am not afraid to say the things that need to be said,” Washington said.
Together, the two linebackers have helped the Hornets win two early games this season as they head into Friday’s home game against Murrah High School. The Hornets (2-2) game against the Mustangs (1-3) will be Greenville’s first district game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
“We are playing in our first district game, and that means we still have everything to play for,” Washington said. “Our goal right now is to get into the state playoffs.”
The two linebackers also say they want to help change people’s outside opinions of their program, and they credit first-year coach Quintarus McCray in helping them realize just how good of a team the Hornets can be.
“I know a lot of people think that we are just the same old Greenville,” Desmond said. “They think we are still going to play undisciplined football, but we are out to prove them wrong.”
The Hornets had an open date last week, and Coach McCray said the time spent off has helped his team recharge its batteries. Murrah defeated Greenville 37-14 last year in Jackson, and the strength of the Mustangs this season is their defensive line, the Greenville coach said.
“They really do a good job of getting after the ball so we are going to have to be ready on offense,” Coach McCray said. “But, we are mostly working on ourselves and fixing the small things. We want to always work hard and make our brotherhood stronger.”
With players like Cosie Jr. and Washington leading the way, the Hornet family looks to be building for more success.
