For the last few years, Ron Price has had a core group of players that helped his team get into position to compete in Class 2A in the North.
Three of those are players that he watched sign college scholarship papers the last couple of months to continue their careers and it’s no surprise to him. Price relied heavily on Zy Ford, Kobe Smith and Jontavis Cunningham on both offense and defense and they left their mark at East Webster.
Ford signed his National Letter of Intent back in December to play at Louisiana Tech and last week he was honored at the school as the Mr. Football in the state for 2A. On Wednesday, Smith and Cunningham got their own signing day opportunities as Smith will be going to Itawamba Community College and Cunningham to Copiah Lincoln.
“Hopefully this is a great example for our young kids to see that hard work does pay off. Kobe and (Cunningham) have had outstanding careers here at East Webster. Both of them have played for us since the ninth grade. I hope that it will set the tone for the young kids to know that if you do things the right way and work hard, good things will come to you.”
Smith was one of the best linebackers in 2A for the last three seasons. He busted on to the scene two years ago as a sophomore when he made 95 tackles with 17.0 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks as he was named All-State. After missing out on a few games last year and seeing his numbers dip to 69 stops, 6.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in nine games, he went out with a bang this year.
As a senior, Smith became All-State in 2A, a Starkville Daily News All-Area player and a Bernard Blackwell All-Star. He put up monster numbers in 12 games with 154 tackles, 36.0 tackles for loss and 15.0 sacks and added five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles with a blocked field goal against East Union to win the ball game in the regular season.
He’ll play a big part on the next level at ICC as well in Price’s mind.
“Kobe has been a stud for us since he started in the 10th grade. He put up unbelievable numbers as a sophomore, his junior year he battled through injuries and his numbers weren’t as great but he came back this year and had an amazing senior year,” Price said. “The last two years, he’s been able to play with Zy and those guys complemented each other so well. You can’t block both of them.”
Cunningham was a 1,000-yard receiver over his three-year career with the Wolverines with two big seasons the last two years. After catching six passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore, Cunningham had career highs with 22 catches, 532 yards and seven scores as a junior. This past season, he closed out his career with 16 catches for 395 yards and five touchdowns.
He also managed to play defense as well making 89 career tackles and intercepting seven passes. At Co-Lin, Cunningham will be playing wide receiver full time and his best days are likely ahead of him.
“Jontavis has gotten better for us every single year. He was very raw when he came to us in junior high and it’s been a joy to watch him develop over the last four years. He’s been a playmaker for us on both sides of the football.”
Cunningham was thankful to experience his signing day with family but was especially proud to do it with his teammates, students at EWHS and his coaches.
Those people were a big reason he’s gotten the chance to play on the next level and fulfill a dream.
“My teammates, my momma and all of the people that supported me pushed me since I was in ninth grade,” Cunningham said. “It was really a good day for me because I had the best teammates, coaches and teachers that supported me all the way through.”
Smith echoed a lot of the same thoughts when reflecting on his time at EWHS. Since he was young, he’s enjoyed playing for the maroon and white and he left it on the field each and every game.
There were no state championships won by the Wolverines while Smith was there but his memories will last forever. Now, he gets a chance to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in his immediate family.
“It means a lot. It’s something that everybody in my family wanted to do and haven’t had a chance to do. I’m the one that made it happen,” Smith said. “This has been a fun ride and I’ve loved (East Webster). This is one of the best schools you could have come play ball. The coaches, the staff and everybody is great and works together which is what makes us so successful.”
