Tiger Football: Setting the stage

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November 24, 2009

Tigers in 2009 set table for a return to the top

Anonymous The Corsicana Daily Sun Tue Nov 24, 2009, 12:29 AM CST

As already has been reported, there was sorrow in the Tigers’ locker room after Friday night’s season-ending loss to Marshall, but there was also a sense of accomplishment too.

The scene said a lot about where Corsicana football had been, and where it is headed.

Two seasons of not making the playoffs. And now a postseason win, and a sense that this is only just the beginning of a special era of Tiger football.

You can count on that.

But don’t take it from me or Chuck Williams or Rusty Hitt or the guy standing in line behind you at Wal-mart.

Take it from someone who has built a mountain of credibility. Senior running back Cody Evans, who finished a yard shy of 1,700 for the season.

Evans expects big things out of his underclassmen teammates.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys around here,” Evans said. “They’ll do good next year too.”

Junior linebacker Martin Davis sure thinks so.

“We’re going to state next year,” Davis said. “We can promise you that.”

Davis is taking a big step out there, but why not. The foundation is there now for Phil Castles and his coaching staff.

Castles gets a full offseason to prepare for the 2010 season. Spring practice. The summer. Two-a-days. I’m sure there will be a boot camp in there.

And because of seniors like Evans, Javonti Hines, Ben Caton, Jakolby Polk, Matt Speed, Ryan Arnett, Justin McCollum, Colby Duren, Shane Fletcher, Bryant Jackson, Christian White, Dominique Miller, Taveon Kelly, Dontrell Coleman and others, the mood has changed around this Corsicana program.

The talk around town last week was about beating Marshall, not about how bad are we go to lose to Marshall.

The culture has changed. The confidence is back around town.

No excuses.

“It was fun,” Evans said. “We changed the program around, back to the playoffs.”

Castles’ job is so much easier now because of a leader like Evans, who should go down as one of the most important players in Tiger football history. I’m serious.

“He’s the one that always bought in,” Castles said.

I still remember talking to Hines back during boot camp during the spring. Watching this player mature as a leader and as a football player, something I personally won’t ever forget.

“We made it to the playoffs,” Hines said. “I respect everybody on the team.”

Team chemistry means everything in winning. I’m a true believer of that. It will be new leaders that will have to carry on for the seniors.

Who will be next year’s Hines? My personal early pick is defensive end Ike Hunter. It was Hunter who better than anyone else handled a big, bad Marshall offensive line.

If Hunter and his teammates carry over their attitude, their togetherness from late Friday night, then playing after Thanksgiving will happen next year.

Evans has one last message.

“Stay in it,” he said. “Don’t give up. Just stay in it and keep going hard.”

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