New Co-Lin football coach foresees special season

By Bob Arnold

The 2024 football season for the Co-Lin Wolves saw the team finish 5-4 overall, 3-3 in its conference South Division play, and the retirement of Head Coach Glenn Davis, with his son Micah Davis moving up from his role as offensive coordinator to take over.

Coach Davis says the 2025 Wolves could be “special” with a heavy veteran presence and an extremely talented incoming freshmen and transfer group. With initial 42-3 and 23-13 victories over Coahoma and Holmes, his outlook may be right on spot.

"On defense, we are a veteran heavy group, especially in the secondary,” says Coach Davis. “Our linebacker group also features some talented veterans, and the incoming guys have been making impacts so far. Lonnie Smith from Jackson at outside linebacker and Rakeem Davis from Port Gibson at the nose position are two of our veterans who have picked up from where they left off. Archie Chambers from New Orleans has been doing well at one of our linebacker spots for us and we also have five returning guys in our secondary that have stood out too.

"Having these guys back on the defensive side really makes us like our odds when the season starts and all of those guys are leaders and want to do good for our team and that has been showing up in these early days of camp.

"Offensively, our line is going to be a strength with returning four of our five starters from last season. I think that unit has a chance to be great, and the incoming freshmen have come in and looked impressive. This might be the strongest offensive line unit we have had in my time at Co-Lin. In the receiving corps, we are returning nine guys from last year and a couple of impact guys that we expect big things from are Darnell O'Quinn, Jr., from New Orleans who transferred from Southeastern Louisiana and Jermarj Bell, a freshman from Shelby. This group can run, and they are big. Those two groups really have me excited about our chances offensively this season."

Davis says that the Wolves backfield is very talented and that the quarterback battle has been fun to watch so far.

He says there is good competition for the quarterback spot among three guys great playmakers – Jaylen Pettway from Jacksonville, FL, Eli Viniard from Bassfield and Kendal Middleton from Magee, who are all about even. “We are just looking for the most consistent one,” Davis says. "At running back, we have Dezmond Ray from Itta Bena, who is a redshirt-sophomore with a lot of experience and has been with us for two seasons. We also have a pair of transfers in Ja'Quan Bentley from Thomastown, GA, who came from West Georgia, Martvious Boswell from Fort Worth, TX, who came from Blinn Community College, and freshman Kendarious Porter from Magee.

Davis says the kicking game promises to be an important weapon the Wolves this season, with Ty Jones from Summit, an incoming freshman from North Pike who has a tremendous leg. “I am really excited about seeing what he will do for us on special teams because he has height on his extra points and f ield goals, can kick it four or five yards deep in the endzone on kickoffs, and has done a great job on punts," says Davis.

Davis says he is looking for a fierce fight from the opponents that the Wolves will face this year, despite a lot of new faces in the South Division. "Our league is always tough, and it will be competitive despite three new head coaches in the South Division including myself,” he says. “Some teams will have new wrinkles, but I really like our team's chances. We can be pretty good as long as we stay consistent and healthy throughout the season. I know that we will be really good on defense and if our offense can match, we have a chance for a special season."

The Wolves schedule is favorable with five home games, including three of the first five games at home while the two road trips are to Hinds and Southwest.

"Having that many home games is always a plus because it's always good to have home field advantage, playing in front of a home crowd on a familiar field without having to worry about traveling," Davis pointed out. "It's really exciting having basically seven of our nine games be really close to home for not only our team, but also the fans."

Davis cites the factors that could make for a special season: "The first one is staying

disciplined throughout the season and getting the guys to do what we as coaches ask. We need the leaders of this team to step up to the plate and lead this team in the right direction. I think we have a really good core group of guys that were voted on by the team as leaders, and I'm excited to see how those guys will step up. I also think that we have a team full of guys that want to make plays and do good on the field, and that should carry over from practice to games."

Davis adds that, for him, the team’s success is more than wins: "When our guys come here, we have several objectives for them -- to win, to graduate, and to hopefully sign with a four-year school to further their career. “But in all that, we also want them to grow into better young adults which will help them once their careers are over."