There's a good reason East Webster graduate Luke Wilson decided to play football at Mississippi College in Clinton after two years at Holmes Community College.
“It was my only offer so I didn't have many options,” he said. “But I'm glad I came here. The coaching staff has been great and life on campus is good. I've had a good experience.”
Mississippi College coach John Bland is also glad Wilson ended up at MC. He was effusive in his praise of Wilson.
“Luke has done a great job for us,” Bland said. “He's very physical. Gives great effort. He's the kind of kid I like to recruit. He takes care of business in the classroom. He's a hard worker in the weight room. He's a good leader on an off the field. He does a lot of great thing for us.”
Holmes coach Jeff Koonz also had nothing but nice things to say about Wilson. “He’s a great kid. Hard-nosed. You could depend on him. Great character. Physical. All the good stuff.”
Wilson was an inside linebacker at East Webster and Holmes, but has moved outside with the Choctaws. Through the first eight games, he has 17 solos tackles and four assists, with three tackles for loss ad a sack.. His best game came in a 41-20 win over Shorter in the seventh game of the season, with a team leading seven tackles, including two for losses and a sack.
“I'm playing a different position than I have ever played. I'm finally getting used to it,” he said. “I'm relied a little more on pass drops and I have to make more plays on the edge.”
“He’s fast enough that he can make plays on the outside,” Bland said.
In high school, Wilson played for his father, current East Webster athletic director Doug Wilson, who described his son as “a blue collar type of kid who works hard. He was very coachable.”
Wilson was on Wolverine teams that played in the 2A state championship game in 2015, his junior year, and reached the North State final in 2016. He played both ways as a linebacker and H-back. As a senior, he had 127 tackles and caught 14 passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
At Holmes and MC, he didn’t play any offense. “I've always been more of a defensive guy.”
Wilson also plays on kickoff and punt return teams for the Choctaws. “As a private school in a state school conference, we have to get more out of our players than maybe just one position,” Bland said.
In football, MC competes in the Gulf South Conference along with Delta State and seven other schools in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Wilson is majoring in criminal justice, possibly with a future at Homeland Security.
