By Mark H. Stowers
Not enough rocks. Not enough David.
The 2023 football season ended for the Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans on the road to East 52-6. Injuries are not uncommon this team of the season but the Trojans had very little to back up the starters who were either out or should have been out. Trojan Head Coach Tavares Johnson Sr. noted the team didn't have the sizzle of the previous week's road win at Jones.
"It didn't go the way we wanted to at all. Injuries didn't help me at all. We had key players out on both sides of the ball. It should be the mentality of 'Next Trojan Up' but we've got to get to that mentality," he said. "Griffin was banged up against Jones. He had a back injury. We put Stephen in and two plays later he's out with a broken foot. When it rains it pours. We were flat. We played absolutely flat. I can't make any excuses. I have to do a better job getting them ready. I can't blame anyone but myself."
Coach Johnson is focused on recruiting and looking to beef up his offensive and defensive lines. And he's looking far and wide for players that fit his Trojan mold.
"My priority is to beef up, up front. We have to get better up front. I'm going to get shot and hung and drug for what I'm about to say, but I have to look outside of the Delta for the offensive and the defensive line. We have to do what we have to do," Coach Johnson said. "The reality of it is, and I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone. How many legitimate offensive lineman coaches are in the Delta? Three – Cleveland Central, Gentry and Carterville."
He's even gone as far to hold offensive and defensive lineman summer camps for only $15 per player.
"We are out recruiting right now," he said. "It's one thing to block in high school. If you're 6-foot, 5-inches and 290 coming out of a 2A high school, when you're in high school you're blocking folks smaller than you. What are you going to do when you have to block someone as big or bigger than you?"
He was complimentary of his first-year Offensive Line Coach Jordon Meyer.
"We have a solid staff and Coach Meyer is doing a phenomenal job with what he had and I know he got frustrated. Heck, so was I. But he kept chopping wood and I'm pretty pleased with his overall effort. We just have to go out and find players that fit our mentality," he said.
He noted that looking at the overall MACCC standings, the Trojans made improvement over last year. Coach Johnson's team improved their wins from one to two and finished above three other schools.
"One thing I can say this year. We're not at the bottom of the barrel this year and we're doing more with less. But it's not to my standard where I want to be. I always want to get better but we did improve," he said. "We'll continue to work. That's what we know how to do."
Coach Johnson was meeting with the 2023 exiting sophomores on Monday. Several are getting looks from other colleges and universities to continue their playing careers.