News 25’s 25 Teams in 25 Days: Resurrection Catholic Eagles

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WXXV) — After missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years in 2021, Resurrection Catholic was back in the postseason like it never left in 2022.

“You’ve never seen guys come out here ready to practice, like, ah, we’ve got practice today,” said Resurrection Catholic senior running back/wide receiver/safety Daniel Pickens. “But now people are ready to practice. They’re ready to do something great out here.”

“It gets heated sometimes, and that’s good,” said Resurrection Catholic senior inside linebacker Harris Hinkel. “It makes it fun. It’s more intense, and we’re just giving each other our all and making each other better.”

They say iron sharpens iron, but that hasn’t always been the case at Resurrection Catholic, where the numbers don’t always allow for 1’s versus 1’s at the 1A level.

This year, they do.

“This is the first time in a long time we’ve got offensive starters, defensive starters, and that’s just a huge help for practice and really in the games,” said Pickens “Not everybody is getting tired.”

“In the past, all of our guys were playing both ways. But this year we’ve got more depth and we can get a really good look on both sides of the ball this year in practice, so it makes for some really intense practices and we get a lot of work in,” said Hinkel.

“The year that we went to State was 1’s on 1’s, and when you get that competition every day where we’re making each other better,” said Resurrection Catholic head football coach Eric Denmark. “Yeah, it’s going to make you better when you’re going against the best.”

That 2015 South State championship team was a part of seven straight trips to the playoffs, a streak that was snapped in ’21.

RCS started a new one in ’22, finishing with an overall mark of 6-5 and 3-4 in Region 4, before dropping a first round game at Hamilton.

“That was a big deal last year and we lost in the first round and we’re really looking to get over that hump this year,” said Hinkel.

However, the most painful moment for the Eagles came in their fourth game of the season, a 32-30 loss at Lumberton decided by a game-winning field goal that wasn’t.

Denmark – at the time in his first season as head coach – says he regrets not calling a timeout to get the ball to the middle of the field.

“I think one thing we all remember very well was the Lumberton game,” said Hinkel. “It was a heart-breaking loss.”

“We were up 21-0 that game, just got settled back and laid back a little bit,” said Pickens.

“We were on the left hash and the ball was up,” said Denmark. “I thought it was good. It missed an inch – an inch from the left, and that’s on me. I look back and doubted myself on that, and that’s what I should’ve done.”

The Eagles are living and learning heading into 2023, returning 12 seniors and about 80 percent of their starters, including new starting quarterback Luke Schnoor – who also brings back the most tackles – as well as Pickens – a former News 25 Student-Athlete of the Week – who led the team in both rushing and receiving as a junior with more than 1,200 total yards and 16 all-purpose touchdowns.

“Kind of like a college offense, exciting, just great to watch,” said Pickens.

“He’s special and he’s great for us in practice and in the games.,” said Hinkel. “He makes us better when he’s on offense and we’re on the defensive side of the ball, and in the games, he’s about all of our offense, and we live off of him.”

“Born in him,” said Denmark. “The Pickens family, the whole family is just great attitude. Unbelievable kid.”

As consistent as the Eagles have been over the last decade, the class of ’24 has yet to win a playoff game.

But the memories of the aforementioned ’15 squad are still very much alive in Pascagoula – memories that the Eagles would very much like to recreate.

“I was the water boy on that team, so I remember a little bit about it,” said Pickens. “It’s just great motivation coming out here and seeing that every day, and it’s just a prime example of what we’re trying to do.”

“Everybody remembers that, and that’s just always been a goal of ours since that team and that’s where we strive to be,” said Hinkel.

“We’re just going to play football,” said Denmark. “We’re going to let the line do what they need to do and our athletes do, and Coach Roth and Sisson are going to be on the sidelines calling plays and we’re going to leave it on the field.”

The Eagles open up the 2023 season with a home game against Bay High on Friday.