#HSFT21 Stop #33 – Calhoun Academy Cougars

  https://cdn.field59.com/WCBI/1627693748-d153785c53fd13c4306ce48ce8057aff64a15d94_fl9-720p.mp4 CALHOUN CITY, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s the dawn of a new era of football for the Calhoun Academy Cougars. Cougars fans welcome first-year head coach Jojo Pearson to the fold. Coach Pearson replaces Gerry Winters. Winters coaching ties with the program go back to the 1980s. The sound of that can be pretty intimidating. However, Pearson is excited to build on Coach Winters’s foundation. “We still have a lot of people in the community that were coached by him,” Pearson said. “There’s a lot of people in the community that thought a lot of him. I do too. It’s definitely going to be a learning process. We’ll have to take it step by step as we go forward.” Pearson was an assistant football coach at Northpoint Christian School in Southaven. He brings his unique coaching style to Calhoun Academy that the locker room enjoys. “He knows what he’s talking about,” senior quarterback Logan Stewart said. “He cares about us and it’s nice to have a coach like that coaching your team.” “There are some coaches that are in your face-screaming or dogging you,” senior guard and nose tackle Carter Reeves said. “He’s a coach that lets you learn. Fix mistakes that you make. He’s pretty good.” The Cougars went 6-5 last season, yet have plenty of experience returning. Ten seniors are on this year’s team. A large group to help Coach Pearson in year one. “I think having these seniors step into these roles on our team is something that will make my job easier,” Pearson said. “Along with the staff that we’ve built here, I think that is a huge part of the equation.” Bringing back your starting backfield is too! Quarterback Logan Stewart and leading rushers Austin Stroup and Seth Walker lead the Cougars’ offensive attack! “It’s important to have those two guys to see if we can throw the ball,” Stewart said. “If we’re in dire need of a first down and need three yards or so, get those boys running!” If everything comes together on offense and defense, Calhoun Academy has a chance to make a postseason push. Still, the Cougars are making sure that they worry about today and not tomorrow. “I believe that our guys definitely think we have the ability to make a run in the playoffs,” Pearson explained. “We’re gonna a have to take it one game at time. I think if we can stay healthy, that should be the goal.” “We’re mentally tough, so it’s hard to take us down,” Stewart said. “We push hard. Individually, we’re all like that.” Calhoun Academy starts the season on August 20th on the road against Newton.