As the 2018 football season started to come to a close, Eupora head coach Stephen Edwards thought that M.J. Thomas was moving around awkwardly.
Edwards was told it was a high-ankle sprain and Thomas just pushed through the season.
In the season finale, Thomas had his best game of the season with a season-high 13 tackles in a 28-14 loss to Scott Central, who went on to win the MHSAA Class 2A state championship.
But after the season, the injury didn’t get any better and it was eventually found out that Thomas had a broken bone in his ankle which eventually required surgery to reattach a tendon.
It’s that kind of toughness that makes Thomas the this athlete in The Webster Progress Times/Choctaw Plaindealer coverage area to be selected as an “Eleven To Watch” for the upcoming football season. Previously announced were Israel Whitmore of Choctaw County High School and Parker Burleson of East Webster.
“Man, that’s one tough kid,” Edwards said. “He had said it was hurting a little bit and we were thinking it was a high ankle sprain and the trainer did as well. And he was running a little awkwardly but we didn’t know that he was playing with a fractured ankle. When he told me about the x-rays, I was shocked. And the thing about it, Scott Central never really blocked him.”
Thomas said he just played through the pain after getting injured.
“I got hurt when we were playing Leflore,” Thomas said. “It was at the beginning of the third and somebody rolled into my ankle. We got an x-ray but they said it was just a sprain. So basically, I played the entire rest of the season with a broken ankle. After the season, it didn’t heal and we went and got an MRI and they found the break. The doctor told me he didn’t know how I played on it.”
And that’s not the only example of what kind of toughness that Thomas showed last year.
“Before we played Water Valley, he was basically dehydrated and honestly, he really didn’t need to play,” Edwards said. “He took eight bags of fluid and most kids wouldn’t have played but he still played that night. His momma and daddy said he could at least play on one side of the ball. A lot of that is his parents but that’s just the type of kid that M.J. is. He wants to be on that field and there was nothing we could do to keep him off the field.”
Thomas, who stands at 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, started at offensive tackle where he was an all-division Top 25 selection as well as a second-team All-state pick in the Class 2A. He also started at defensive tackle where he was second on the team in tackles with 97 stops, tied with inside linebacker Deunte Watson.
Edwards said Thomas has something on the defensive line you just can’t teach.
“He’s just so explosive off the ball,” Edwards said. “You just can’t teach that explosion and that’s something that college coaches love. If he stays healthy, he will play somewhere. We are expecting a lot out of him. He’s a good kid and a good leader and when you throw in that kind of talent, he’s the kind of kid you like representing your program.”
Edwards said Thomas has gotten some letters from colleges showing interest and East Central invited him to a summer camp. But because of his foot injury, Thomas was unable to participate in the spring practice.
“He may end up at junior college because he didn’t have a chance to go through the spring or through the summer camps,” Edwards said. “Hopefully, he will stay healthy and put together some good clips from this season. One of the best things he’s got going from him is his measurements. He’s 6-foot-2 and weighs 280 pounds. He’s a good-sized kid. He’s just got to get back into football shape. If he does that and makes some plays, I think everything will take care of itself. And he’s the kind of player that once you get him into a program and he plays one position and can go through those individual drills and get with a strength coach, he’s just going to get that much better.”
While Thomas is a standout on the football field, Edwards leans on him to be a leader in the locker room.
“He’s just a great kid,” Edwards said. “He’s good hearted and good natured. He’s going to help his fellow students. He interacts with the young kids and helps them out. He’s the type of leader you want in your kids. He’s not going to say a lot but he always has a positive attitude. He’s not the vocal type but he’s going to lead by example.”
Although he is soft spoken, Thomas knows it’s time for him to step up.
“We have got a lot of work to do,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of younger players coming up. I feel like the coaches are looking to me to be the defensive leader next year. I need to help the younger players get some confidence and help get them lined up in the right positions.”
Thomas said he makes As and Bs in the classroom and would like to pursue a degree in either engineering or law enforcement. Thomas said he is a member of Chester Baptist Church and likes to hunt and fish when he isn’t playing sports.
