August 18, 2022
Warrior quarterback Gabriel Larry in action last season against East Mississippi.
The East Central Community College football team enters the 2022 campaign off a 3-6 overall record last season. The Warriors saw significant victories over Southwest, Pearl River, and Coahoma while suffering some very close defeats in a 16-14 loss to Mississippi Delta and a 20-17 overtime loss to Co-Lin. The record, combined with the close games, is prone to help push the Warriors during this season's campaign.
“We are very pleased with our guys up to this point,” said 10th-year ECCC head football coach Ken Karcher. “We have a group of players with character and a lot of football intelligence. They have done everything we’ve asked of them, and they just love the game.”
The Warriors return 19 players to the roster in 2022 including a pair of third-year players, Tori Mulkey (Ozark, Ala./Carroll High School) and Mike Coats (Biloxi/Biloxi High School), both defensive backs. Mulkey was sixth on the team last year in total tackles with 45 on the season and third in pass breakups with eight. Mulkey and Tori also teamed up for a combined four interceptions, two each, tied for second-best on the team only behind University of Tennessee player, and first-team NJCAA All-American, Desmond Williams.
Along with Mulkey and Coats, the Warriors are returning Jaylin Thompson (Vicksburg/Warren Central), Treyon Wash (Forest/Scott Central), Al’Jurae Arnold (Bassfield/Jefferson Davis County), J’Alex Hardy (Newton/Newton High School), and Keaston Pearson (Philadelphia/Neshoba Central) all in the defensive secondary.
“Our group of returning defensive backs are great,” said Karcher. “We have a lot of strength in the position with our sophomores but have some very talented freshmen back there who have brought on a lot of competition and will provide us with a lot of depth.”
At the linebacker position, Daniel Swain (Enterprise/Enterprise High School) and Ryan Kimbrell (Flowood/Northwest Rankin) return to the roster. The duo wrapped up 27 tackles a year ago, including a sack and a pair of breakups from Kimbrell.
“We are working hard on finding the right mix for our linebackers, but the incoming group of freshmen joining the team are helping us in that area,” said Karcher.
The defensive line in 2022 might not have the experience that it had a year ago as All-MACCC recipient Dareon Goodrum moved on to Western Kentucky University, and Ray Gibson signed to continue his career at Northwestern State University, but returners Tony Gibson (Church Point, La./Church Point High School), Thomas Anderson (Meridian/Meridian High School), and Peyton Posey (Union/Union High School) make the defensive front a threat in the MACCC. Pair that experience with a talented group of incoming freshmen and some strategic changes and the Warriors will be prepped in the trenches.
“Our young guys on the defensive line have come a long way in camp,” said Karcher. “We also have moved a sophomore, our former tight end, Noah Tice (Wiggins/Stone County) over to the defensive side of the ball and he has transitioned very well. We expect our defensive line to get better and better as the men grow into the game at this level.”
Offensively, the Warriors look to continue to be a balanced threat that utilizes both the passing and rushing attack. In 2021 ECCC posted 1,176 passing yards to 885 rushing yards in an effort to keep the opposing defenses guessing.
“We are always looking to be multi-faceted on the offensive side,” said Karcher. “But your personnel drives that, and we might be a little more spread out this season as we have a talented group of freshman receivers. However, we have some great players on the offensive line and expect to be much improved in that area of the game.”
Skill players returning to the roster include quarterback Gabriel Larry (Manvel, La./Manvel High School) who threw for 560 yards and five touchdowns a year ago. The speedy gun-slinger also rushed for 164 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Damon Mapp (Decatur/Newton County) and Jaden Mann (Sebastopol/Sebastopol Attendance Center) are also both back in 2022.
Joining the returning quarterbacks are a pair of sophomore running backs, Corey Goldwire (The Villages, Fla./The Villages High School) and Courtland Harris (Hattiesburg/Oak Grove High School). The pair saw limited action in 2021 with a combined 47 touches for 112 yards, but the experience is valuable in this league.
The ECCC wide receiver corps and the offensive line will have a host of new faces as offensive lineman Eli Cooper (Forest/Scott Central) is the lone returner in those two positions.
“We are very skilled in all areas with our new guys,” said Karcher. “Our football IQ as a team has grown tremendously, and it is going to be exciting to see the young men grow.”
ECCC has long been known as a program that produces talented specialists, and 2021 was no exception as former Warrior long snapper Manny Hillman moved on to Mississippi State University, while Ross James, ECCC’s punter, was picked up by the University of Oregon. Along with that duo, kicker Jaren Van Winkle inked with Southwestern Oklahoma State University to continue his playing career.
“We lost some great guys,” said Karcher. “Right now it is a work in progress finding our best players for some of these spots, but I feel very good about our kicking game.”
Along with a talented group of incoming freshmen, the Warrior coaching staff has some new faces in Recardo Hines (defensive backs), Ben Luther (offensive line), Zane Samuel (defensive line), Curtis Akins (linebackers), and Tyler Harris (running backs). The group joins Karcher, Mickey Mays (defensive coordinator), and Scott Sallach (wide receivers/tight ends).
“Any new blood is a good thing,” said Karcher. “There are challenges of course with change, but these men got our mission of what makes ECCC a special place from day one, and they have bought into that. They have done a great job in a short amount of time and all bring different expertise to our staff…it is always nice to get a new set of eyes on some things as well.”
Across the board, the Warriors are loaded with players who understand the game and are willing to put the time and effort into becoming a stand-out team. That knowledge and effort, combined with a strong group of veteran players who can lead and mentor the incoming class, make the Warriors one to watch in 2022 as the team vies for a top spot in the always-challenging MACCC South Division.
“We set out to win the championship, that’s always our goal,” said Karcher. “That goal will never change for us, but you have to get better and better one day at a time, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
The Warriors kick off the 2022 season with a trip to Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 6:30 p.m. The Warriors host Holmes in the home-opener in week two, on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Bailey Stadium on the East Central campus in Decatur. All ECCC home games can be seen live at www.eccclive.com/gold.
