#HSFT18: Stop No. 51 – Caledonia Confederates

CALEDONIA, Miss. (WCBI) — A new Fed takes charge in Caledonia.

Former Columbus defensive coordinator Michael Kelly takes over as the man in charge of the Confederates football program.

“The Lord opened the door for us and my family living here in Columbus,” said head coach Michael Kelly. “It was just a great opportunity. It’s a blank canvas out here. You got a good football team. A good core out here.”

For the players, this will be their third head coach in the last three seasons, but they are ready for a new challenge with a new staff aboard.

“We’ve really bought into the program,” said senior lineman Tanner Holley. “We are going to be pretty good this year. We’ve got that feeling that we are going to do something. We are going to shock some people.”

“I like this coaching staff,” said senior quarterback Jedarius Gore. “They have a great mindset of what they want to do with this program, and I like that about them.”

The Feds are coming off a winless season in 2017. It’s their first winless season since 2009, and for the team, it’s about changing the culture.

“You just don’t think about it,” said sophomore lineman Alex Mathews. “You just have to go out there. It’s a new season. Everything is different. New coaches. New players. You just have to go out there and show how we play.”

“I believe if you want to change an 0-12 or 0-10 record then you got to go put your best foot forward and get to work every day,” Kelly said. “And that’s what these guys have done. I’ve been proud of these kids. They don’t like losing. I don’t know many people that do. We are excited to get this thing kicked off in a couple of weeks on August 17th.”

With a new coaching staff aboard, the Feds want to make a push for post season this year.

“We definitely want to win,” Holley said. “We want to start a new dynasty here at Caledonia, and actually win. A winning program. Get that started.”

“We want to try and make it to the playoffs,” Mathews said. “The last time we made the playoffs was two years ago, and we want to see if we can get there again.”

Caledonia opens the season at home on August 17th against West Lowndes.