Dating back to the middle of the season, Choctaw County head football coach Dillon Mitchell was standing on the table for one of his team leaders, Braxton Shumaker.
The coach continued that even after the Chargers’ season came to an end in the playoffs as Mitchell saw potential in Shumaker to make a difference on the next level. After a lot of hard work by Mitchell and Shumaker after the season pushing for scholarship opportunities, Belhaven came through with a chance for Shumaker to play football for the Blazers.
Shumaker would sign with them on Monday morning, signaling the start of the next chapter in his life.
“I feel honored and blessed knowing that everybody doesn’t get this opportunity. I’m really excited and ready to go play ball,” Shumaker said. “It’s been exciting and stressful at the same time. The stressful part of it was sending out the film to all the coaches but I was excited to get feedback when they noticed me.”
A linebacker and defensive end for a Charger team that would put together a strong season on the defensive side of the ball last year, Shumaker is prepared to make a difference for Belhaven on defense as well.
He finished last season with 57 tackles, 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He was a part of a crew that helped the Chargers to an undefeated Class 3A, Region 4 record and a 9-3 finish as they would win seven-straight games before falling in the final seconds to Amanda Elzy in the second round of the playoffs.
His potential is there to do even bigger things in Jackson. Add in a strong pedigree and there’s a lot to like about Shumaker’s future.
“He’s a nice sized kid that is super athletic and plays multiple sports for us, so he’s well-rounded,” Mitchell said. “He comes from a really good family. His dad played on the state championship team here so he’s a tough kid and a top-notch student. They’re getting a good one.”
The Blazers are in the middle of the best run in school history on the football field. After putting together just three winning seasons in the first 22 years, Blaine McCorkle led Belhaven to three-straight years of seven or more wins.
Belhaven has set regular season records for wins three years in a row with a 7-3 2021, 8-2 2022 and last season they were 9-2 with an all-time best 7-1 conference mark. McCorkle has since moved on to become the new head coach at Northwestern State, but CJ Nightingale looks to keep the momentum going.
Shumaker is a big fan of Nightingale and his staff and believes the team is continuing the upward trajectory.
“The coaches made me feel at home and acted like they knew me personally. I really loved it,” Shumaker said of Belhaven. “I know that they have a couple of seniors coming back that played a big part in their season so I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Shumaker is not only taking his talent to Jackson to play for the Blazers, he’s going to bring with him work ethic in the classroom.
His hard work on and off the field is one of the main reasons Mitchell went to bat for him in the first place. Now that he’s earned his spot, the coach is ready to see him get to work in new colors.
“He’s easy to go to bat for. He’s an all-around great kid, great student and great athlete,” Mitchell said of Shumaker. “When you have kids that you really feel deserve an opportunity, it’s super rewarding when they get that. I’m thankful that Belhaven was able to come through for them and I think he’s really going to help them.”
