Published: November 06, 2009 10:32 am      

Meece wins Middle School Football State Championship

Lexington — If you were out driving on Sunday night you might have wondered what was going on at the 80-27 intersection around 9 pm. Three lanes of traffic were blocked by fire trucks and ambulances, and a bus load of young men were seen being herded onto the 80 Bypass.

What kind of mysterious goings on were these?

Don’t fret, ladies and gentlemen, it was only the Chain Gang. No, not a bus full of hardened convicts from the Deep South. Just the 8th grade state football champions coming home.

Yes, you read that right…State Champions! The Meece Middle School 8th-Grade Football team travelled to Lexington last weekend and ran through Trigg Co. and Morgan Co. like Ex-Lax through a goose to capture the Division 2 State Championship in the most dominating fashion imaginable.

It started immediately. Cam Chevraunt took the opening kickoff all the way to the end zone to get the rout started, and things just kept looking better for Meece.

“It’s strange,” said Meece Middle Head Coach Max Messamore. “It’s the first time all year we haven’t deferred to the second half when we won the coin toss, and I’m sure glad we didn’t. Not many kids could’ve made the kind of moves Cam made to score on that first run. It really gave us the confidence boost we needed.”

It was the start of something very special as the Junior Jumpers put on a football display that wowed everyone in the stands. By the time half time rolled around the score was 36-6. When Meece scored to start the second half, the mercy rule kicked in and they ran a continuous clock for the rest of the game.

Did you catch that? They dominated the State Championship game so completely they had to invoke the mercy rule. The state…championship…game! And if you doubt how incredibly Meece Middle played in this game, just log onto wazoosports on the internet and watch the game for yourself.

Meece Middle certainly had a great season leading up to that. They won two 7-on-7 passing league championship tourneys — one at UK and the other at WKU. And though they were not able to pull off their own conference championship, losing twice to Corbin in the process, Messamore says the quality of the conference had a lot to do with their tournament success.

“People need to remember who we play in that conference,” said Messamore. “We play North and South Laurel, Rockcastle County, Corbin, Madison Southern…we are by far the smallest school in the conference, and we’ve still been able to play in a conference championship each of the last four seasons. So I feel good about what we’ve accomplished.”

So they played great all season, only against bigger schools. When they got in the post-season and played against schools roughly their own size, it was a Briar Jumper coronation.

But still, something changed in this team between the regular season and the playoffs.

“What brought us together was when Alex McGuffey’s dad got on the bus to Glasgow with the chain,” said Messamore. “He gave each kid a single link and showed them how insignificant it was. Then he brought out a chain and had them pull on it to see how strong it was. The kids started to realize that football is not about individuals, but how those players can come together to form an unbreakable bond. After that they started joining hands together like a chain in the huddle before each game. They weren’t going to let each other down by being a weak link, and they knew nobody could break the chain if they played as hard as they could, as a team. That’s what these kids did, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

So proud was Messamore, that he went down his roster, one player at a time, gushing about how much each player had done to help the team succeed.

Sixth-graders Shawn Haynes and George Gilmore: “It was their first year of football and they wanted the experience. They practiced hard all year and we’re looking forward to having them again next year.”

Seventh-graders Joe Ulrich, Colson Hunt, Justin Galipo, and Dakota Taylor: “These guys were all linemen who wanted the extra experience of being on the team, and they got to play some in the playoffs. It took a lot of commitment for them to practice football for an extra two weeks after their seventh grade season ended, but they know they’ll get better from it. We expect big things from them in the future.”

Josh Lake, Cameron Maynard, and Tristan Tilley: “As seventh graders they wanted to come on out and learn so they could help us win. Josh was a wide receiver and cornerback, Cameron played tight end and outside linebacker for us, and Tristan played middle linebacker, tackle, and he did some kicking. They were great teammates and improved greatly over the course of the year.”

Austin Coomer, Bryson McWilliams, and Jacoby Gilmore: “Austin was our backup quarterback, though he never played it before this year. If he keeps improving like this he’s going to be really good. Bryson was a running back and outside linebacker who was a real contributor to our 8th grade team. He’s very aggressive and it’s hard to keep him on the sideline, so he starts on all the special teams. And Jacoby Gilmore was a huge contributor for us. His big and quick and he played great in the tournament. In fact, he started at middle linebacker in the championship game.”

Then he came to what he called the most talented group of 8th graders he’d ever coached.

Tyler Meeks: “He moved in from Warren East and was a little bit behind the other kids in experience. Once he learns more about the game and gets more playing time he’s going to be a good player.”

Ezekiel Turner: “It was his first year of football, but he made an impression. He’s big and strong, he enjoys playing, and when he starts to get more confident through experience he’ll be a fine addition to the high school team some day.”

Charlie Hall: “Just to give you an idea what kind of asset Charlie was, he started at cornerback across from Trigg County’s wide receiver, who was their best player. Charlie was in his face all day long, and frustrated the kid so bad he wasn’t even a factor. Through sheer tenacity he completely erased their best scoring threat.”

Branson Patterson: “He moves in as a 7th grader but didn’t play much last year. I don’t know what he did over the summer, but all of a sudden he’s turned into a pass catching machine. If he keeps improving he’ll make a definite statement before he’s done playing.”

Zach West: “He had an outstanding year at center for us. Whether we were under center or in shotgun he was really reliable. Against Morgan County he had to block a kid that was about twice his size, and he completely neutralized him.”

Alex McGuffey: “Alex moved in from Lincoln County to be a part of this program, and I am sure glad he is a Briar Jumper. He’s the strongest kid we have and he works harder in the off-season than anyone on the team. He broke three state records for his size and weight at the middle school combines last year. He is tough as nails. He broke his nose during a game this year, and he played the whole game without missing a beat.”

Blake Morris and Chase Rutledge: “These two have a lot of similarities in that they are both linemen with fullback bodies. They are both very athletic and probably won’t play the line in high school. And they both played great in the championship game.”

Jacob Pelston: “He’s always been a big baseball player, but we got him to come out for football and he did great. He’s athletic enough that we can play him in many different positions. And in the finals, he’s the one that came up with the big fumble recovery early that really helped us establish control.”

Jarrett ‘The Beast’ Beasley: “He had a huge game Sunday on the defensive line. We told him we didn’t want any QB sneaks, which was a successful play for them usually, and he totally put an end to that notion. He had a great game, and he might get some good playing time early in his high school career.”

Addison Thompson: “I hate it for him, but after having a great summer campfor us, and looking like he might start for us, he separated his shoulder and was never cleared to play. But he came to every practice and was just as much a part of this team as anyone. He’ll be back on the field next year.”

Skyler Stigall: “He moved back from Lexington this year and we were sure glad to have him. He played a great contain from his outside linebacker spot in the championship game, and he always gets good pressure from his position. He also had a great year at running back, and will be a great running back for Somerset High School.”

Kagen Skidmore: “He had an injured ankle early in the season but, thank goodness, he got healthy and was just a monster for us down the stretch. Against Morgan Co. in the title game he had to go against their biggest, toughest player all day long—and Kagen dominated him. He pancaked him two or three times.”

Cam Chevraunt: “Cam had just an outstanding year, and his opening kickoff return touchdown against Morgan was just perfect timing for us. He has quickness, speed, and toughness in the mold of a John Cole or Storm Wilson. He also plays a tough-nosed cornerback, not being scared to come up and hit someone in the mouth.”

Brayden McWilliams: “He just had a great season. He’s a tight end and middle linebacker who was just a man in the middle for us when the going got tough. He’s not the biggest or fastest, but he has a rare instinct and ability to just read what’s going on in front of him.”

Tanner Gadberry: “I’m really gonna miss him. For the past two years he’s been the boss for us out there in the offensive huddle, and he took charge and made sure we were in the right play, the right position, making the right audible. He didn’t really get a chance to show his stuff in the playoffs as much because we got out to early leads and we kept the ball on the ground more than usual. But he throws a really nice ball and has a good future at SHS.”

Will Lange: “He’s been with us for three years, and he just keeps getting better. At safety he’s our leading interceptor. He had two in the quarterfinals against West Hardin and returned one for a TD. And, to give you an idea what kind of weapon he was for us on offense, just look at these stats. In the first half of the championship game Will had 8 carries for 152 yards and 2 TDs, and a 42-yard TD catch. That’s nothing out of the ordinary for him.”

Bryson Jones: “He’s just a great football player. He’s been our starting middle linebacker for three seasons and just plays like a man among boys. He also ran the ball more from the fullback in the playoffs. In two games, Glasgow and West Hardin, he took the first play from scrimmage for a long TD run. And in the championship game he was incredible. He has 13 tackles at halftime, and Morgan County didn’t run much more than 13 plays. You’ve definitely not heard the last from him.”

But after going through the entire roster, much like a giddy starlet accepting an Academy Award, Messamore couldn’t bear the thought of leaving anybody out when offering his appreciation for their help.

“There’s no way I can accept the credit as the coach of this team when there are so many great coaches on this staff who do just as much as I do,” said Messamore. “I want to thank our defensive coordinator Scott Price, our special teams coach Marcus ‘Diesel’ Barber, our linebacker coach Shawn Sandusky, and the guys coaching our offensive and defensive lines, Jeff ‘Sergeant’ Stigall and Chris Perdue. What these men have done for me, this team, and this school goes far beyond what anyone could ever expect or ask for. There aren’t words to describe how great they’ve been.

“I’d also like to thank Dr. Wallace, Meece Principal David Horseman, and Robbie Lucas and his staff for the support and direction they’ve given us this season.

“Last but not least, I’d like to thank Jay Cobb for the opportunity he’s given me with this program, and all he’s …..” Messamore’s emotions welled up as he tried to thank the coach — who so many have seen as a mentor.

It’s been that kind of season at Somerset—a whole lot of success masking a whole lot of bittersweet emotion.

But on Monday, it was all good in a square little school set apart by itself, just off the 80 Bypass. Principal Horseman did a good thing for those boys that had brought a senseof accomplishment to his school. He let the student body line the halls while the Meece Middle School football team and cheerleaders did a victory lap around the school’s hallways, parading their State Championship trophy while “We Are the Champions” boomed through the school sound system.

That has to be a memory that will stay with them forever. And after the hard work and effort they put into winning that championship—they deserve it.

Way to go, Chain Gang!