Fairley’s Starnes finding ‘a lot more pressure’ being a head coach
He’s only been on the job for a few days, but Jerrell Starnes is already starting to see that life is a little different when you’re in charge.
Starnes was named this week as the head football coach at Fairley High. He replaces Rodricus Williams, who resigned after one season to take a college position.
Starnes comes to Fairley after spending the last five years at Trezevant, where he earned a reputation as one of the best — if not the best — coordinators in the city. During his tenure under coach Teli White, the Bears reached the 4A state championship game in 2010 and 2014 and annually ranked as one of the top defenses in the state.
“It’s a lot more pressure, but I’m pretty excited to say the least,” he said. “We did so much at Trezevant ... but I had personal goals as well.”
Trezevant went 52-14 with Starnes in charge of the defense, a total that includes a 5-5 season in 2011. The Bears lost to Greenville in the 2010 title game before reaching the state quarterfinals in 2012 and the semifinals in 2013.
This past season might have been the most impressive. Trezevant finished 13-2, losing 29-20 in the championship game to a Knoxville Fulton team that was ranked nationally and came into the contest averaging 59.1 points per game.
“I realize I get most of the credit because I was the coordinator, but it was our scheme,” Starnes said. “Sometimes coach White and I sit back and reminisce about some of the things we did at Trezevant. We’ll be 60 or 70 years old sitting in our rocking chairs and we’ll still be friends.
“But everything we did at Trezevant, we did together (as a staff.)”
Starnes takes over a program that finished 5-6 in 2014, losing to Waverly Central in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
“When I met with the kids, I told them I had goals, but I wanted to know what their goals were,” the 31-year-old Starnes said. “They’re pretty passionate.”
Starnes’ defensive coordinator role will be filled by Bears assistant coach Antwon Wellington, a star linebacker for Trezevant in the mid-1990s who went on to play at Notre Dame.
MITCHELL ENROLLING EARLY AT OREGON
Schools from all over are still trying to get Dillon Mitchell to reconsider his commitment to Oregon. But Mitchell is firmly with the Ducks, so much so that he can’t wait to get there.
Mitchell, a top football recruit in the class of 2016, told The Commercial Appeal this week that he plans to graduate from White Station early and enroll in Oregon in January. It’s not uncommon for top football recruits who have their academics to enroll early; Whitehaven running back Mark Dodson to Ole Miss in 2013 was a recent example.
And Mitchell said he’s looking forward to the opportunity.
“It was really a hard decision,” he said. “They’re going to let me come back for prom and graduation. ... It will give me a chance to get in there and compete for a starting job as a firstyear player.”
Mitchell certainly has the ability to do that. The 6-1, 190-pounder had a superb junior season, scoring touchdowns receiving, rushing and on punt, kickoff and interception returns. He had 2,238 yards of total offense, scored 23 touchdowns and was the only non-senior among the five finalists for Best of the Preps offensive player of the year.
In addition to getting a jump on his college career, enrolling might ease some of the pressure Mitchell says he’s been getting since committing to the Ducks on Nov. 4. He had offers from a host of major programs but reaffirmed that Oregon is the place for him.
“A lot of schools do want me to flip, and I do listen to what they have to say,” he said. “But I’m real firm.”
LOCALS AWAIT DRAFT CALL
The Major League Baseball draft begins Monday, and several local standouts could hear their names called.
Leading the way will be DeSoto Central’s Austin Riley, who won his second straight Best of the Preps player of the year award Friday after leading the Jaguars to the MHSAA state championship. The 6-3, 227-pounder batted .423 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs, and he had a 7-2 pitching record with a 2.70 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 59.3 innings.
Other locals who could be picked over the threeday draft include Riley’s DeSoto Central teammate, Keegan James; slugging Briarcrest outfielder Von Watson; West Memphis pitcher Gray Fenter; and Northwest Mississippi CC teammates Dalton Dulin (MUS) and Clay Casey (DeSoto Central).
NORTH MEMPHIS CLASSIC SET
Class 4A football runner-up Trezevant will take on Craigmont in the feature game of this year’s North Memphis Classic, which will take place Aug. 22 at Crump Stadium.
The Bears, who are coming off a 13-2 season, will be led by senior linebacker Justin Swift and junior running back Cordarrian Richardson, who has offers from several major schools, including Florida State, Georgia, Alabama and LSU.
Craigmont finished 7-4 in 2014, with two of those losses to the Bears, including a 56-14 defeat in the opening round of the playoffs.
KIPP and Kingsbury will play in the opening game of the Classic at 3:30 p.m., followed by Booker T. Washington and Douglass. To reach John Varlas, call 901529-2350, or e-mail varlas@ commercialappeal.com.