LUCEDALE, Miss. (WLOX) – On paper, George County may have the most talented team on the coast.
The Rebels have future Division One stars all over the field, including Deuce Knight, who has committed to Notre Dame and is widely considered one of the top five signal callers in the class of 2025.
The four-year starter is surrounded by South Alabama-committed Kohl Bradley and Jones County-committed Brenn Moody, among others, which has generated a lot of excitement in Lucedale leading up to the season.
“We have a lot of guys back from last year. A lot of young guys have come in, too,” said head coach James Ray. “They’ve improved so much from the spring, so there’s a lot of excitement.”
“We’re a good group that’s been together since we were kids, since our early years,” Moody said. “We want to bring it home for George County, our city, the coaches and ourselves.”
“We know it’s our last year and we’ve been playing together since week one, so the chemistry is very exciting and we know we’re going to do great things,” Bradley said.
“This is something we’ve been thinking about our whole lives, last year, everyone playing together,” senior linebacker Blane Green said. “Like Cole said, we have good chemistry and we’re excited about it.”
“This group has played peewee ball together since they were kids and now we have a chance to do something special,” said senior linebacker TJ Love. “This year is going to be very exciting.”
“We’re excited. We’ve all come together and we want to win a lot of games,” Knight said. “We’re expecting a lot of wins and a state championship from this senior class, so we’re excited to play together.”
George County football has been in the national spotlight all offseason. In addition to Deuce Knight, who may become the highest-rated quarterback prospect in Mississippi high school football history, former Rebel McKinnley Jackson was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Less than two months later, the community was shocked to learn that former Rebel and current Southern Miss star MJ Daniels had passed away. To honor Daniels’ incredible legacy, the team voted to have Brenn Moody wear MJ’s number 11 during the 2024 season.
“My teammates picked me with the number 11 because they felt like I was the one who could compete with MJ, so I really want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to carry on MJ’s legacy,” Moody said.
“I was really close to MJ. He was just a great guy, wonderful, very talented. Every time I saw him I thought, ‘The great MJ Daniels.’ He always had a smile on his face and I think this season really gave us an incentive to go out there and fight for him because we want to carry on his legacy,” Love said. “What he did here in George County was special.”
“MJ is our brother. The things he did on the field and off the field make us want to be like him,” Knight said. “We want to win for him. Brenn wears his number 11 and we just want to do everything big for him because we miss him every day. He’s our guy.”
“MJ was just a good guy, always smiling, always encouraging, just a good person, a unique man,” Bradley said. “You could talk to MJ for hours and he would tell you stories about anything. Just a good guy, we really love him.”
“First of all, MJ was an incredible guy. He was a great player, everyone saw that, but what people don’t see is what kind of guy he was,” Coach Ray said. “He never had a bad day, was always smiling. That’s what Brenn brings. He’s gifted on the field, everyone sees that, but he’s the guy in the locker room that keeps everyone on their toes and keeps everyone in a good mood.”
Football in Lucedale is different. When the lights come on at Gill Martin Stadium, it feels like everyone in George County is at the game cheering on the Rebels.
“There’s nothing better than walking in front of Gill Martin Stadium,” Ray said. “It’s always packed, no matter who we’re playing. Our fans come. They bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Our kids have fun. The cheerleaders, the band and the dance groups are all there doing their thing, so it’s a really good atmosphere every Friday night.”
“Just the memories. It’s high school football, the best time of my life. Obviously baseball, we won the state championship, but there’s nothing better than running out of that tunnel on a Friday night,” Green said.
George County will open the season traveling to East Central, who finished 3-7 last season.
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