Player of the Pine Belt: FCAHS senior Samuel Walker

BROOKLYN, Miss. (WDAM) - Like many smaller schools in the Pine Belt, Forrest County Agricultural has a crop of blue-collar kids who have to play both offense and defense throughout a football game.

“Yeah I’m on the field all the time so I just love being out there,” said FCAHS senior running back Jeremy Smith. “My break is when I get home.”

“It’s tough, especially after round 60 - when you get to play 60 and all that you start feeling it,” said FCAHS senior guard/tackle Samuel Walker. “But it’s worth it in the end because there ain’t nothing else like high school football. You love it. Sometimes you fear it but then you love it.”

Walker will line up at offensive guard and defensive tackle for the Aggies this season.

The fact he won’t get much time on the sideline this year suits Walker just fine.

“You got to give it all every play because if you don’t go hard every play somebody’s going to put you on your back because there’s always somebody bigger,” Walker said. “You just have to give it your best.”

“He kinda beats people with effort,” said FCAHS head coach Brad Calcote. “They may be a little more talented or bigger or whatever but his pad level and his effort are going to be what you want 150 million miles per hour. Excited about his senior year, man.”

The Aggies have a whole bunch of seniors who are eager to leave Brooklyn on a high note.

They know Region 7-4A is as tough as they come but Forrest County is built on toughness and embraces the challenge.

“It’s just a different environment,” said FCAHS senior quarterback/linebacker Avery Sledge. “We’re all hype, ready to go every day just grinding. And we know we’re good, we just gotta get focused.”

“We’re going to have to stay on us, stay right, get to it,” Smith said.

“My goals this season and for the team is to have a good winning season, to build up the young people and build leaders,” Walker said.

“They don’t give championships away in anything,” Calcote said. “If somebody wins a championship it’s special, it doesn’t matter what it is. So on that note, we just show up and play. We’re playing these guys from the 2021 football season and let’s go.”

Copyright 2021 WDAM. All rights reserved.