While this year’s baseball and softball seasons are in full swing, the Southwest Mississippi Community College football coaches have been busy with spring training and preparing for this fall.
Looking to improve on last season’s 4-5 record, the Bears will kick off the 2011 season with a Sept. 1 home date versus Holmes.
“We feel like we had a very productive off-season,” Bears’ head coach Charles Anthony said. “And we got stronger and faster. That was a good lead-up to spring ball.”
Anthony said the Bears will have a small sophomore class in 2011, but have signed 43 players to come on board.
“On paper, we feel we had the best signing class we’ve ever had,” he said.
With only 26 players in practice at the moment, Anthony said. “We’ve really gone back to very basic football, which has been very productive for us. We’ve spent a lot of time with fundamentals, and on ‘pads day’ we’ve spent a lot of time on winning one-on-one battles.”
Anthony said the team has spent time “in almost every drill blocking, getting off the block and tackling somebody, and that should pay off in the fall.”
Offensively, the Bears have spent time emphasizing the passing game with Vintavious Cooper back at quarterback. Southwest needs to replace four starters on the offensive line. Anthony said the only returning starter, Rico Cole, “has had a very productive spring. We’ve moved Anthony Parozzo (from the defensive line to the offensive line). He’s getting better every day.”
The Bears have signed nine players to refill the receiving corps, and also replace the primary running backs from 2010. They have signed three players to handle those duties.
Defensively, the entire front will be new in 2011 with nine players signed. Anthony said Edrick Henyard has worked at nose tackle this spring and “has gotten better every day.”
Having lost all of their starting linebackers, the Bears have signed eight players to battle for the spots along with returning player Keith Gibson, who has shown marked improvement this spring.
In the secondary, Southwest will have five players with experience in the fall to replace departed J. D. Ratcliff and Darius Buck.
“Ontario Berry had a productive spring and should be a leader” in the fall, Anthony said. “Josh Manning has (also) made a lot of progress.”
Also in the secondary, the Bears are looking to develop returnee Fidel Montgomery as a free safety and will have Deon Howard back at rover.
Look for Ken Brown back at the other corner spot.
