2025 HSFT Stop #37: Columbus Christian Academy
STEENS, MS (WCBI)- Columbus Christian won just two games last season, but now, there’s a new voice in charge and a new standard being set under first-year head coach Marcus Davidson.
“They give me everything they’ve got,” Davidson said. “They know I demand it from them and what I demand. They followed suit and gave me everything they got. It makes it fun and easy to coach.
Davidson, who also leads the track and basketball programs and serves as athletic director, knows exactly what he’s asking of his players. At Columbus Christian, playing only one position isn’t an option.
“With our team, compared to other teams, everybody has either one position or just one side of the ball, and they get to have breaks and stuff, and we don’t get to have that,” senior starting center Logan Watkins said. “Out here in practice, we have to practice both offense and defense, special teams, and conditioning. So, we’re practicing like we’re playing games and stuff, and that helps us to be conditioned.”
The Rams aren’t just working harder, but they’re working smarter and trying to be the most conditioned team on the field, but also one of the toughest.
“You’ve got to be in shape, got to know what you’re doing, and you’ve got to know what you’re doing on both sides of the ball,” senior quarterback Gavin Cook said. “Be mentally tough and play physical.”
For Davidson and his program, mental toughness is the foundation. It’s something he believes defines success even more than strength or size.
“I want to see mental toughness. Of course, everybody always wants to be physical, and we demand that too, but this game is more mental than it is physical. You have to play 8-man football. You’ve got to be quick and be an iron man, but the mental capacity overlays a lot of it, though injuries and hurt and fatigue, and everything else. And so we teach to be mentally strong. So, if we can see that, then finish out the year, we’ll be happy with that.”
He may be in his first summer as the head coach, but Davidson’s message and culture is starting to cement itself in his players.
“I think a good coach will make you believe in him, but a great coach will make you believe in yourself. And he’s really got there. Where he brings it out of you, not out of fear, but out of pure want and pure drive to do your best in everything you do,” Watkins said.
For veteran players, goals are clear- and so is the motivation.
“I want to go to state and have fun with these guys for my last year,” senior cornerback Imonn Hill said.
Davidson and the Rams open their season on August 22 against North Sunflower Academy.
