#HSFT21 Stop #8 – Noxapater Tigers

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NOXAPATER, Miss. (WCBI) – “Bring the juice!” Noxapater head coach Roy Rigsby said.

The Noxapater Tigers have been bringing the juice all summer long in advance for the 2021 season. What does “bring the juice” mean?

“There was a senior last year that the only way he played ball was to describe it as bringing the juice,” Rigsby said. “He played with enthusiasm. Every time he was around and making plays, he encouraged the other players. They started to get more energized by it. We ran with it. Multiplied it. Added a little something to it. Now we’re going to juice it up.”

“Bring the juice, which is working hard 100% of the time,” sophomore offensive and defensive lineman McCown Stalcup said.

A group that’s been working hard to do just that is the team’s linemen.

“We didn’t have such a good interior,” senior linebacker and safety Connor Thrash said. “D-line or O-line really. This year they have all been here. We’ve been working out. They’re looking a whole lot better this year.”

The Tigers anticipate having a much improved season as well. Last season, Noxapater finished with a 3-7 record. Now, in head coach Roy Rigsby’s second season, the Tigers plan to turn those losses into lessons.

“You never lose if you learn,” Rigsby explained. “My belief and hope are that we learn from all the mistakes that we made in the past. Make the actions to correct them. Being young and inexperienced is only one way to get past that. You have to put them in the game and get experience.”

“Older players and the young players make up for the mistakes,” junior linebacker and running back Emmanuel Carter said. “Do better.”

“We tasted defeat last year, so we’re hungry for success,” junior athlete Kyle Phillips said.

The Tigers have ten seniors and an even larger junior class. With another year of experience under the belt, those same players who tasted defeat last year feel more comfortable this season.

“We’ve really gotten where we can work together a lot more,” Stalcup said. “We’re working a lot better.”

“They understand the expectation,” Rigsby said. “They get more comfortable in what they’re doing. They get more confident every day. They come and work. They know the work ethic we expect from them. They know what to do now. They know how to do it. Once the player knows what they are doing the confidence level goes up.”

Confidence has been a staple for the Tigers during training. After suffering critical injuries last season to quarterbacks and others, the team expects to have more depth in 2021.

“When we played West Lowndes, both of our quarterbacks went out,” Thrash explained. “Donnie Chun and K.D. Carter. We had to stick a wide receiver in. Now, we have the depth. We have three or four guys that can go in at any position. It helps us out a lot better. Not everyone is getting winded.”

“Definitely the whole team, but they have to look out for me too,” Phillips said.

Noxapater kicks off the season at home against Nanih Waiya in the Cross Creek Rivalry on August 26th.