The East Central Community College Warrior football team is gearing up for an exciting new year as they prepare to enter the highly anticipated 2023 season. With a fresh coaching staff at the helm and a slew of new faces taking the field, the Warriors are eager to rewrite their narrative. 

Reflecting on their 2022 performance, which saw them finish with an overall record of 1-8, returning Warriors are using that experience as fuel to drive their sophomore year.   

Under the dynamic leadership of Head Coach Jonathan Webster, a new era is dawning for the Warriors. Webster's vision for an explosive and high-energy team on the Bailey Stadium turf has been in the works since the early days of July's heat. Embracing a spread style offense and strategic motion, Webster aims to keep opposing defenses constantly on their toes. 

Some returning starters include quarterback Landon Sims from Evergreen, Ala., and running back Devontae Causey from Millry, Ala., both of whom provide a solid foundation for the team. Additionally, a wave of talented freshmen is poised to step into various skilled positions to add big-play threats. 

"We have players that can create big plays in both the run and the pass game," Webster emphasized. "When you have explosive players, it leads to explosive plays, and we have that in place."  

The Warriors' offensive line, boasting increased depth this season, is primed to carry the team in execution. Webster underscores the significance of a cohesive and consistent lineup, where effective communication among team members is key. 

Shifting focus to the defensive side, the Warriors are capitalizing on increased size in different positions, such as sophomore Max Walenta moving from a defensive end position to a linebacker position, while leveraging the skills of a seasoned secondary and a deep defensive line. The energy between experienced players in the secondary combined with several eager newcomers in the linebacker corps and defensive line sets the Warriors up for electric defensive play. 

Coach Webster assesses the defense, stating, "Outside of our secondary, we are relatively young on defense, but our guys up front have shown us that we can be a solid team at stopping the run. That combined with our ability to bring the pass rush will lead to some explosive defensive plays. We have some depth in a lot of positions defensively too, including a great group of defensive linemen that can rotate in and stay fresh throughout the games." 

Acknowledging the incredibly important role of special teams, Coach Webster expresses satisfaction with the Warriors' performance during summer camp and stresses its pivotal influence on game outcomes. 

"Special teams are absolutely crucial to the game, you have to win the special teams battle to win games," said Webster. "Along with solid place kicking, you have to be able to flip the field in the punting game and set your team up on both kickoff and kickoff return. Cade Mangum will handle our placekicking duties and we expect to get points out of him. Obviously, we want more extra points than field goals, but we have a lot of confidence in him. Nekhi Cox will take care of the punting duties for the team, while Beau Holley will handle long snapping, and Decoreyea Buchanan will likely take care of short snapping duties." 

Beyond wins and losses, Coach Webster envisions instilling a team culture of success that extends beyond the field.  

"I want to instill a certain culture with this team and the staff, myself, and these players have worked very hard to develop what we represent," said Webster. "We want to be a team that is bought into the program while they are here and will continue to be a voice for East Central when they leave to help recruit the next generation of players." 

Confident in this team's capabilities, Webster said, "We have the talent to have a competitive, winning season in the toughest junior college league in the country. We are going to be aggressive, attack teams on all fronts, and with the players we have in leaderships positions, I think the Warriors will surprise some people this year."   

The 2023 season kicks off with a home game against the Coahoma Tigers on September 7 at Bailey Stadium in Decatur. Following this, the Warriors hit the road for consecutive games against Holmes and Hinds before concluding September with a home matchup against Jones College on September 28. 

October sees the Warriors venture to Southwest on October 5 before returning home for a homecoming clash against Northeast Mississippi on October 12. The subsequent week, on October 19, pits the Warriors against Mississippi Gulf Coast at home, before the Warriors hit the road again for a face-off with Co-Lin on October 26. The Warriors wrap up the regular season against Pearl River on November 2 in Decatur. 

All games throughout the 2023 campaign, both home and away, start at 6:30 p.m. Fans can catch all of the home games live and for free on www.eccclive.com/gold or through ROKU and FireTV by searching for East Central Community College.