Winning an unprecedented 11th state championship in the state of Mississippi showed just how prominent the Louisville Wildcat program continues to be and the titles don’t happen without great players.
This year’s dominant Wildcat team was led by another great group and several of the seniors are now seeing the rewards come through in the form of college scholarships. A total of six players are bound for the next level as the best program in Class 4A continues to put players on the next stage.
“It means a lot to me,” head coach Tyrone Shorter said of the players signing. “I told the guys that it’s bigger than winning a championship. When you see young men have an opportunity to further their education, that’s huge. It’s hard to get in school and their parents won’t have to pay a dime. I take pride in signing days and that’s why I go all out on these ceremonies.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats had three key players sign. Defensive back Laterrious Haynes is headed to East Mississippi Community College, fellow DB Christavious Savior signed with Holmes CC and All-State defensive end Gabriel Moore signed with Mississippi State.
Defense is the staple of Louisville High School and it’s Tyrone Shorter’s calling card. To continue to see great players moving on into the next level.
“All of the guys that played on the defensive side, I thought they were special kids when they first came in,” Shorter said. “I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships, and I can’t wait to see them on the next level flying around and making plays like they did in high school.”
In 2023, Haynes had 88 tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery. Savior was one of the best defensive backs in the state this year and a standout at Mississippi/Alabama All-Star game practices after the season. Savior had 65 tackles and two interceptions on the year.
For Moore, he was being pursued by MSU and other Football Bowl Subdivision schools throughout the season and was once committed to Troy. His monster year of 116 tackles, 39.0 tackles for loss and 12.0 sacks led MSU to pulling the trigger and he committed to State just a couple of hours after winning the gold trophy.
“Mississippi State made me feel like home from the first time that they started recruiting me,” Moore told WCBI TV. “They kept calling me and keeping in touch so I felt like they had a lot of interest in me. I’m very excited. I feel like it’s home.”
Three other players will be playing college ball on the offensive side. Wide receiver Swahilli Earby finished the year as one of the team’s best receivers with 36 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns and he plans to play for Mississippi Delta CC.
Quarterback Keyarrion Jackson was one of the unsung heroes of the season as he came in after several games and took over as the signal caller. He signed with Holmes after throwing for 1,505 yards on a 63% clip with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions and he also was second on the team in rushing at 456 yards on 106 carries and 10 scores.
The leading rusher, Jaden Triplett, had 171 carries for 802 yards and 11 scores. He did not sign on Wednesday but is planning to make his decision in the coming days.
It was another magical year for LHS football and for Shorter as a head coach. His team brought home a title and the coach got to see several players accomplish dreams of going to college and playing sports.
“These are the guys that I targeted when I first got in because you don’t know what to expect. I’m so proud of them,” Shorter said. “It means a lot to see them continue this dream of playing this great game of football. In my 20 plus years of coaching, I’ve had a lot of guys that have had a chance to play college football and that’s what I’m most proud of.”
