It was a rough first year for Noxapater football coach Roy Rigsby.
Rigsby inherited a sophomore-laden team and battled injuries and COVID as the Tigers limped to a three-win season.
But the Tigers bring back a ton of starters this season and arguably one of the most explosive players in Class 1A in quarterback K.D. Carter, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards as a sophomore.
“When I first got the job, I had a flood of 10th graders,” Rigsby said. “We had a new system with new coaches and then there was COVID, it hit us hard last year. It was a difficult year. But I thought the kids grew mentally and physically. They understand who we are and what we are trying to do. It makes them more comfortable and confident. I believe in them and I believe that we can be a very good 1A football team this year.”
On offense, K.D. Carter returns for his senior season at quarterback and will be a four-year starter. He is backed up by Rashad Hornesburger. At running back will be O.J. Graham and Emmanuel Carter. At wide receiver will be Kyle Phillips and Caleb Ellingberger. Other skill guys expected to see playing time will be Javion Eichelberg and Don Rush.
On the offensive line, Ethan Easley and Connor Dixon will be the tackles while Jcameron Riley and Cooper McMullen will be the guards and McCown Stalcup will be the center.
“When you have K.D. at quarterback, then you have to feel good about the offense,” Rigsby said. “Good athletes make you look like good coaches. And we feel like we have additional players who will play at an above-average level. It could be scary how good we are on offense, depending on the line play. I think the line will tell the tale of how far we go. K.D. is a great athlete but I think that we have some other guys who are going to give us an added dimension to our offense. But experience at quarterback really matters.”
On defense, Ethan Easley and Zach Lloyd will be the interior defensive linemen while Caleb Ellingberger and McCown Stalcup will be the defensive ends. At linebacker will be Kaden Carter and Tyikenyon Wilson will be on the inside while Donnie Chunn and Christopher Dale will be on the outside. At cornerback will be Keon Tucker and Kyle Phillips while O.J. Graham will be the safety.
“We bright in Troy Savell to be the defensive coordinator and he comes with lots of experience,” Rigsby said. “Defense is what we are going to hang our hats on. We are expecting to be a defensive team with a defensive mentality and play it like it’s supposed to be played.”
Handling the place kicking duties will be D.J. Kelly while Branson Baysinger will handle the punting.
The Tigers will compete in District 3-1A and play in the South against Leake County, West Lowndes, Sebastopol, Hamilton, French Camp and Ethel.
“I think we have a chance to beat anybody but understand there are some good teams in our district,” Rigsby said. “There are teams like West Lowndes and Sebastopol that are going to be good and we understand that. You don’t know what French Camp will bring in or what they will have. It will be a tough division.”
Noxapater roster
1 K.D. Carter QB/DB Sr.
2 Donnie Chunn WR/LB Jr.
3 Caleb Ellingberger TE/DE Sr.
4 Rashad Hornesburger WR Sr.
5 Don Rush RB/CB Sr.
7 Connor Thrash RB/LB Sr.
8 O.J. Graham RB/LB Jr.
10 Elijah Carter RB Sr.
11 Javion Eichelberg WR/CB Jr.
12 Kyle Phillips WR/CB Jr.
13 Clint Harris WR/QB Sr.
14 Keon Tucker WR/DB Jr.
15 Kaden Carter WR/LB Soph.
16 Jacobi Shoemaker FB/CB Jr.
17 Emmanuel Carter RB/LB Jr.
18 D.J. Kelly WR/K Jr.
19 Branson Baysinger WR/P Jr.
21 Keylone Moore DB Sr.
22 Christopher Dale RB/LB Jr.
28 Ty Wraggs WR/OB Jr.
32 Tyikenyon Wilson RB/LB Fresh.
48 Doreen Moore Sr.
50 McCown Stalcup OL/LB Jr.
51 Zach Lloyd OL/DL Fresh.
52 Jcameron Riley OL/DL Fresh.
53 Troy Road OL/DL Fresh.
54 Cooper McMullen OL/DL Jr.
55 Connor Dixon OL/DL Jr.
65 Jamario Calloway OL/DL Soph.
68 Ryan Parker OL/DL Fresh.
70 Ethan Easley OL/DL Jr.
72 Nate Hemphill OL/DL Soph.
2021 schedule Revised
Aug. 27 Eupora
Sept. 3 at Winston Academy
Sept. 10 Coffeeville
Sept. 17 West Lowndes
Sept. 24 at Vardaman
Oct. 1 Hamilton
Oct. 8 Sebastopol
Oct. 15 at Leake County
Oct. 22 French Camp
Nov. 5 at Ethel
2020 results
Sept. 4 at Starkville Academy, L, 52-26
Sept. 11 at Sebastopol, L, 41-13
Sept. 18 at Okolona, @, 12-8
Sept. 25 Tupelo Christian, L, 69-21
Oct. 1 at Nanih Waiya, L, 47-6
Oct. 8 French Camp, L, 42-15
Oct. 16 at West Lowndes, L, 37-7
Oct. 30 Hamilton, W, 16-14
Nov. 6 at Vardaman, L, 26-6
Quick Facts
Head coach: Roy Rigsby
Assistant coaches: Alex Tubb, Dave McCrory, Troy Savell, Wade Kennedy
Last year: 3-7 (did not make the playoffs)
Division: 3-1A (West Lowndes, Vardaman, Hamilton, Sebastopol, Leake County, French Camp, Ethel)
Top players to watch: K.D. Carter, QB, Sr.; O.J. Graham, RB/S, Jr.; Ethan Easley, OL/DL, Jr.; McCown Stalcup, OL/DL, Jr.
Three things to watch
•With Nanih Waiya moving to Class 2A, the division is wide open for the Tigers, who missed the playoffs last year.
•The Noxapater roster is loaded with upperclassmen. Only nine of the 33 players are sophomores and freshman there are nine seniors and and 15 juniors on the roster
•As a sophomore, quarterback K.D. Carter rushed for 2,125 yards but struggled last season as the Tigers fought through COVID and a young roster.
