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Oo comments l•k• CD Columbus shows signs of growth with seven off to college

Adam Minichino February 4, 2016 10:46:10 AM

Wednesday was a beginning for Chris Deloach and the rest of the Columbus High School football program. Ayear ago, Randal Montgomery arrived from Hazlehurst High with championship designs for a program that wasn't accustomed to success. After three-straight trips to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A State title game and a championship in 2012, Montgomery realized hard work, buy-in, and dedication were going to be essential ingredients to the transformation of the Falcons' program.

Deloach, William James, and five of their senior teammates will stipulate that the foundation is ready for construction.

One year after Columbus High had two players sign to play football in college, seven more realized that dream as part of National Signing Day in a ceremony in the school's gym. James (Jackson State), Kiren Sharp (Arkansas Monticello), Deloach and Cameron Williams (East Central Community College), DaMonta' Kidd (Mississippi Delta C.C.), and Michael Bailey and Tyran Smith (Northeast Mississippi C.C.) signed National Letters of Intent to pave the way for their next steps. "These kids have done a great job," Montgomery said. "This is the second group of seniors to leave here with scholarships. Last year, we had two sign (Alex Lipscomb and Joshua Hibbler). This year, we have seven guys that are heading to the next level. Out of those seven guys, we have one guy (Sharp) who is going to play NAIAfootball and one (James) who is going to Division lat Jackson State. We had two others who had Division I offers, but they decided to go the JUCO route. Those guys have done a great job. It was just a matter of them trusting what we brought in. They really bought in to what we were coaching every day. I think the college coaches have seen that these guys are well coached up and they want them to be a part of their program." Deloach said Montgomery brought about that change by encouraging the players to work hard to buy in to what the coaches were teaching them. He admitted the process was rough in the first year because about only 50 percent of the players were fully invested in the program. He said everyone got on board in year two even after a disappointing loss to Oxford in the team's spring game. "Heart and leadership played a big role," Deloach said. "Columbus always had talent, but they never had someone that was up to the challenge and was willing to step up and say, 'Hey guy, you need to do this or you need to do that.' " Deloach said Montgomery talked to him prior to the start of the 2015 season to make sure he knew what was expected of him. He feels he lived up to those expectations by providing toughness, leadership, heart, and a desire to work hard. He knows those qualities were at the core of the transformation of the program, and hopes they will remain qualities that help future teams establish a winning tradition. James said being a part of a transformation at Columbus High will help him be a part of the turnaround at Jackson State. He said it has taken a lot of hard work for the Falcons to reverse the fortunes and a mind-set in a program that was coming off back-to-back losing seasons. But he credited Montgomery and the assistant coaches for keeping the players positive and focused on the plan. As a result, Columbus matured from a team that won four games into 2014 into one that won eight games and played host to its first home playoff in the history of the program in 2015. "Not just work, but attitude and everything had to change because we came from being a losing school to going to the playoffs," James said. "Coach Montgomery came in and took over and just

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