Introducing our Co-WXXV Student Athletes of the Week: Picayune’s Darrell Smith and Triston Cooper

When asked about Picayune Memorial, it doesn’t take long for someone to mention their outstanding football program, and when asked what makes them so great, 9 times out of 10 they’ll say it’s their prestigious running back room that’s dominated competition for the last four years. 

This year the tide is relying on thunder and lightning, better known as Darrell Smith and Triston Cooper. Learn their stories and how they’ve stepped up for the Maroon Tide as they are our Co-WXXV Student Athletes of the Week!

“Man, I’ve just been listening to Coach V. I really just try to get three to four yards a carry to move the chains and keep the chains moving, but when I see the end zone I’m trying to go, said Trison Cooper.”

“Go score. Go score,” Darrell Smith said.

That’s what goes on in the heads of the Picayune running back duo, Darrell Smith and Triston Cooper, and what they’re thinking is often what happens. The two lead the Maroon Tide in rushing yards by a landslide, which is a big reason why they’re still practicing this week.

“Practicing during Thanksgiving is great,” said Smith. “There’s a lot of distractions, could be a lot of distractions, but we’re here and we’re ready to focus and lock in and hopefully win to go to State.”

It’s a Picayune football tradition to practice the week of Thanksgiving as they’ve played in the South State title game for four years in a row. Another well-known tradition of theirs that dates back to at least 2022 is their running back room which started off with Mr. Football and now Nebraska running back Dante Dowdell and Mississippi All-Star and now Stanford running back Chris Davis Jr.. Head Coach Cody Stogner says he can’t take all the credit, and gives recognition to the coaches before him.

“It all starts at an early age and I’ve got to give a lot of my compliments to the peewee coaches because it all starts at an early age. They’re all running their offense and instilling in them what it takes to be a Maroon Tide football player,” said skipper Cody Stogner. “A lot of them are ex players from here and it’s just setting the bar early for those guys and what they expect out of a Picayune running back. They get all the credit.”

“It feels good,” said Cooper. “Dante really put a lot of work in with me when he’s home from time to time and we just get it on.”

“It’s a motive for me,” Smith said. “All of those guys went up to big colleges and that’s what you grind for and that’s what you work for through the off season and it’s a great blessing to have them all come through. It’s been a long journey and seeing all those great players come through here since ninth grade is nothing more than anything you could possibly want. Being in that predicament since a young age and being here now means a lot and you can tell the young guys how it will all go.”

The two have had prime examples of what RB’s should look like, and now their senior season, they are the example. As the go-to wheels, Smith has over 22-hundred rushing yards and averages 187 yards per game. As for Cooper, he plays both sides of the ball putting in work as linebacker and defensive end, and he’s still responsible for over 780 rushing yards, averaging at least 60 per game. Stogner said the two running the ball definitely makes his job easier.

“It’s been fun. We’ve actually had Darrell since after his ninth grade season, we brought him up as a ninth grader and we used him a bit as a ninth grader,” said Stogner. “Triston is now a three-year starter for us. He played mainly defensive line for us the last couple of years and back in the spring we knew he was going to be that compliment to Darrell in the backfield and just over the last couple of weeks he has really accepted that role and has really just blossomed into what we knew he was going to be. They really compliment each other. We call them our thunder and lightning and I’m so glad they’re on our team because it makes my job a little bit easier when we know we’ve got some guys back there that make us look really good.”

“I feel like we’re the best duo in the state and I feel like we’ve been proving that these past few weeks,” Smith said. “He’s been locked in more and I’ve been locked in more and we have each other’s backs more. We just trust in each other and trust in the game plan.”

“That’s my duo. We feed off each other,” said Cooper. “He keeps me up and I keep him up. I give it all to my lineman. They sell out everyday to block for us and stay on their blocks and we just make the rest happen.”

The two make it happen to say the least, and they’ll continue to make moves in the South State title game which is where their season ended last year.

Darrell: “We’ve got to stay hungry and determined. We’ve got to stay dedicated to our job and come out hot,” said Smith.

Triston: “Last year at South State felt bad man and it hurt. We’re hungry and we’re coming for it all. I hope everybody comes out to see the show,” said Cooper.

And the show will be played this Friday as Picayune hosts Hattiesburg High to see who will represent the south at the State Championship.