A year after winning an MAIS championship, Justin Flake has been named baseball coach at Choctaw County.
“I'm excited to be a Charger.” he said. “I'm excited to have an opportunity to create a winning culture so they can be winners in life.”
The Choctaw County School Board approved the recommendation from school principal Amber Vowell to hire Flake.
Flake takes over at Choctaw County after six years coaching baseball at three MAIS schools. After one year as an assistant at Copiah Academy, he was head coach for two years at Winston Academy and the past three at Heritage Academy.
Heritage went 27-7 last year, winning the AAA championship with a sweep of Wayne Academy. One of the victories came against AAAA champion Jackson Prep, 9-4 in the season opener. The Patriots were off to a fast start this year, 11-1 and top ranked among AAA teams according to the website MaxPreps, before the season came to a premature end.
“We had some wins over some big (MHSAA) 6A programs. We were really starting to hit our stride.”
The last two games -- at the Battle at the Beach over Spring Break – were victories over 6A teams George County and Harrison Central. The Patriots started seven seniors who did not get a chance to defend their championship.
“It's a great fit for my family,” Flake said of the move to Choctaw County. “I have heard great things about the place. A lot of new buildings are popping up on campus. I think it's a progressive time for this school.”
A new building to house administrative offices and classes is nearing completion and will be ready for the opening of school.
“He has a great temperament to be around kids,” Choctaw County athletic director Jim Wood said. “He has state championship experience, coached D-1 type ballplayers at Heritage. I think he's a great fit for us. He's a quality individual and a quality coach.”
The man he replaces, Andy Young, was also complimentary. “The team is going to be in good hands with coach Flake. He and I played T-ball against each other way back when.”
Young steps down from coaching baseball after 18 years, but will continue to coach boy and girls cross country and has added archery, bass fishing and skeet. The latter two are new activities for Choctaw County.
The Chargers had only one senior on the roster this year. “I know it's a young team, but they are talented,” Flake said. “They're not afraid of hard work. Blue collar type kids. Tough kids. I'm excited about getting to work with a young group that is ready to work.”
But Flake doesn't know when he will be able to begin work considering the current situation. He would like to play some summer games, if possible. “Even if we only practice to build good relationships and know these kids. It's crazy times. We're just at the mercy of the virus.”
He said his coaching style depends upon the talent on hand, “your skill set,” but added “We want to be aggressive. We want to be mentally tough.”
He expressed appreciation to the Choctaw County administration for the confidence it has shown in him and said he looks forward to working with assistant coaches Jason Telano and Shaston Coleman.
