It’s a new day for St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. The Saints have a new head coach and a young, 31-man roster that is ready to bring St. Andrew’s its first winning season in nine years. The school is just two years removed from having to play as an independent due to low numbers on the roster. This week the 2-2 Saints will wrap up non-conference play on the road against a Class 3A opponent in 2-2 McLaurin, before jumping in to the heart of the MHSAA Class 2A Region 6 schedule.
Coach Channing Ward took over the program just one week before spring practice. This is Ward’s first year as a head coach with previous stints as defensive line coach at Aberdeen, New Albany and Coahoma Community College. His name should certainly ring a bell for college football fans. Ward played defensive end at Ole Miss from 2012-2016 and was a key player in leading the Rebels to back-to-back wins over Alabama in 2014 and 2015. Ward went on to play in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two and a half years before being injured. He played one year with the XFL team in St. Louis before the league folded. That launched his coaching career.
While Ward brings an incredible resume to the table, he is extremely humble and immediately turns his focus on his players at St. Andrew’s.
“This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up with St. Andrew’s to be the head coach. I’ve got 31 kids who are coachable and ready to run through a wall for us,” said Coach Ward. “There are teams that have 50, 60, even more players than that, but if you only have 25 guys who buy in to what you are doing, roster size doesn’t matter. We have a very young team with only six seniors, heck only three of them have any experience playing football, but they are all so coachable and are adapting quickly to our philosophy and playbook.”
The Saints started off this season with a 27-8 win against West Lincoln, but then suffered back-to-back losses at Enterprise 44-7 and Sacred Heart 36-7. Last week St. Andrew’s seemed to have flipped a switch and dominated McAdams in a 50-6 win.
McLaurin, much like St. Andrew’s, has ridden a roller coaster through it’s first four games. The Tigers opened the year with a 41-12 win at Salem, then suffered back-to-back losses to Puckett 14-6 and Richland 43-9. Last week they bounced back with a 34-20 win at Wilkinson County. Putting all those scores together, McLaurin has notched 90 points and given up 89. Last year the Saints won a high scoring affair in beating the Tigers 35-29.
“We are undersized when you compare the teams on paper. We know they are going to run the Wing T offense, but we’ve seen them try to mix things up recently with traditional doubles, meaning two wide receivers split out on either side of the line,” said Coach Ward. “We want to get them out of the Wing T and make them throw it around. We feel very good about our speed to cover the receivers. McLaurin has great athletes, so we know we are going to be tested. It’s going to be a good one.”
To force the Tigers into the pass, the Saints are going to have to either get out to a big lead or shut down the run. Coach Ward will look to his defensive line to step up to the challenge this week. That line is anchored by junior nose tackle Jude Misenar, who Ward says is one of the smartest on the squad. Misenar is joined by senior defensive tackle Connor Young and a pair of sophomores in defensive ends Evan Arthur White and Dylan Tobias. The true leader of the defense is senior linebacker Austin Morgan who everybody on the team admires.
“Austin has the most experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s defense, special teams or offense, he is ready to play every play. He is every coach’s dream because he does whatever is asked, he’s a very hard hitter and does everything right. The kids look up to him.,” said Coach Ward.
While the Saints have 31 players on the roster many are inexperienced and haven’t played much football, if any.
There are a lot of baseball, basketball and track athletes that Coach Ward has encouraged to come give football a try. As they learn, most of the starters play both sides of the ball. The entire offensive line is new. Connor Young is one of those guys that never gets off the field, pulling double duty as a guard. Senior Holden Caraway Joorfetz missed last year due to injury and holds down right tackle. The Saints sport a pair of freshmen at center in Bradford Swinney II and Francesco Claudio at guard. Junior Jai Moss, in his first football year, is the most imposing on the line at 6’2, 230 pounds at left tackle.
Sophomore Quarterback Pierce Ingram leads a “methodical” offense. Ingram, like everyone, is learning a new system and is making good decisions. Coach Ward has spent a lot of time convincing his guys that four yards a play is a success. You get four yards on the first three plays and it’s a first down.
“Right now we don’t need the big plays. They’re nice for sure, but I want them to be patient. We are more methodical and not worried about how fast we can score, whether it’s two minutes or eight minutes on a drive. Eventually it would be nice to be up tempo, but right now we are teaching them a new system,” said Ward.
The cogs to the offense are the running backs Evan Arthur White and Dylan Tobias. Since they both play linebacker on defense as well, it’s a rotation to give them a bit of a break. White stands 5’8 180 pounds and is like a bowling ball. While he doesn’t have breakaway speed, he is excellent at getting to the gaps and punishing defenders in the hole. Tobias, at 5’11, 165 pounds, is more of a slasher and faster. The duo provides a good change of pace to keep the defenses guessing.
The wide receivers are led by junior John William Walker, who also plays defensive back. Walker is another leader on the team that has a size advantage over most corner backs at 6’3. Stone Myrick makes for another sure handed target at 6’2, 185 pounds, and his hard to bring down. Myrick is also in his first year playing football but is a star baseball player who brings great skill.
Not many people expected much out of the Saints this year with a first year head coach and so many new, inexperienced players.
“We can compete for the playoffs. We have good numbers and it is great to get some excitement back to our football program,” said Ward. “We are teaching discipline and for the kids to have fun. I think the fun is being taken out of the game and so many levels. Yes, we want to win but I also want the team to enjoy the process.”
Coach Channing Ward certainly knows what he’s talking about. His players know his resume of high school phenom, star in the SEC and playing on the ultimate stage in the NFL. The Saints believe in their coach and despite being young, also growing confidence in themselves.
Keys to Victory:
For St. Andrew’s: Be who you are. Try to pound the ball on the ground and mix in a few quick passes to keep the linebackers honest.
Defensively, stop the run. The Tigers are who they are too. They’d love to run the ball and stay out of the pass. If the Saints can force them to the air, it should be a great night for St. Andrew’s.
The Series: St. Andrew’s leads 14-6.
Last Match-Up: St. Andrew’s won 35-29 in 2023.
AT A GLANCE:
St. Andrew’s Saints
Class/Division: MHSAA 2A Region 6
Record: 2-2 overall
Head Coach: Channing Ward
Assistant Coaches: Dan Roach. Jonnas Spivey, Terrance Nelson, Dewayne Cupples (AD)
McLaurin Tigers
Class/Division: MHSAA 3A Region 5
Record: 1-3 overall
Head Coach: Will Hedgepeth
Assistant Coaches: Chris Allen, Cleveland Jackson, Justin Peresich, Ross Coley
