25 Teams in 25 Days: Long Beach Bearcats

“Find a way. The kids have really bought into that. Whatever it is, we’ll find a way to get the job done whether it’s winning a football game, having a great practice, finding a way to make good grades in the classroom,’ said Long Beach Head Football coach Jacob Massey. “That’s been our motto this summer and what we’ll hang our hat on this season.”

“You don’t have to be the biggest or the fastest to be able to win as long as you find a way to do your job and that can win us a football game,” said Senior starting quarterback Will Brady.

“It’s really just being there, coming everyday, and working as hard as you can,” said all-around Senior athlete Andre Windham.

“Just find a way to do something. We may not have talent, may not be the biggest, but we just find a way to win and do whatever we need to do to succeed. It’s the little steps,” said Senior defensive end Jack Foreman.

Those little steps are heading in the right direction for Long Beach football and third year Head Coach Jacob Massey. The Maroon drought is now over, and third year starting quarterback Will Brady owes the improvements to the offseason and the commitment of his teammates.

“The off-season, the coaches are pushing us to try our very best and just committing,” said Brady. “At the end of my sophomore year, nobody wanted to commit to football since we hadn’t won a game, but the people that stayed and committed, they’ve really shown themselves and improved. It hasn’t been the best on paper, but deep down I know our guys can win, so I’m here to show that.

“I think for the most part this is probably going to be the most talented team since I’ve been here at Long Beach, so we’re really excited about this upcoming year, especially last year when I think we broke the second or third longest losing streak on the coast. Being able to do that, our kids are playing with a lot more confidence, they don’t have to worry about getting that monkey off their backs so to speak as far as breaking that losing streak, so I hope we come out and we play a little bit looser, come out and make some plays early, try to win a few games early, and see if they can springboard us into the division,” said Coach Massey.

Coach Massey feels better about the division and his third year as head coach as a whole because of his team’s level of experience. With 11 starters returning on offense and nine starters returning on defense, the Bearcats will be more mature, comfortable, and confident as ever.

Not only do they have their entire offensive line back in formation, three of their biggest impact players have their backs against the wall for one final season. Andre Windham is espected to have a huge senior season on both sides of the ball dominating at running back, wide receiver, and safety, Jack Foreman will be a constant on the defensive side taking the role as defensive back, and Will Brady will lead the Bearcat faithful for the third year in a row as quarterback.

“It’s my third year coming back and it’s definitely the best offseason we’ve had since I’ve been here, so this season should be the best,” said Brady.

“I’ve been doing it since my sophomore year so I’ve been ready for it, but this year I’ll get to play a whole lot more of everything and I’m way more ready than I was the past couple of years. I really feel like we can win some games,” said Windham. “Everybody’s been telling me since my freshman year that this class, people in my class, we have the best chance at changing the program around.”

“Just it being my last year, I want to see everybody out here succeed,” said Foreman. “It just really pushes me to work harder not just for myself but everybody else.”

The countdown to success and kick off begins now, and the Bearcats are more than ready to get things started.

“I’m very excited. I’m ready for the first game right here against Pass. Just ready,” Foreman said.

 “Can’t wait!” said Brady. “The offseason is building up to the first game, a big first game against Pass, so it should be fun.”

The Friday night lights will finally illuminate at Lumpkin-Magee stadium on August 30th as they face the Pass Christian Pirates.