2012 MCC Men's Soccer Preview

After a difficult 2011 campaign, the Meridian Community College Eagles are looking to rebound and get back to the tradition of competing for a Region XXIII title. The Eagles are in the process of rejoining the MACJC for the first time since 2007 and could not be happier to be back in the State League. “After spending the last four years playing so many Out of State Teams it’s going to be nice to get back to competing with our sister institutions, it just makes sense”, said Head Men’s Coach Alex George. “We feel that this may be one of the best combinations of freshman and sophomore’s that will play for the Eagles this coming fall,” added George.

The Eagles will return ten sophomores, all which who started at one time or another, to a team that lost in the Region XXIII semi-final versus Pearl River in overtime play. The Eagles will also bring in 15 freshman players from all over the state including five local players from Lauderdale County. George says, “It’s always nice to go and recruit these local guys because they come from such strong programs with a lot of rich tradition and they’re our local kids so it’s our obligation to give them an opportunity to play for their hometown team. George adds, my hat goes off to Men’s Assistant, Ryan Joiner, who has done a tremendous job recruiting the state this year looking for the best of the best. Ryan knows how this system works as he played for me back in 2005-06 as one of the best goal-keepers to ever step foot at MCC and the State of Mississippi. I am very fortunate to have Ryan back here at Meridian”.


Among these locals are three men from Meridian High School. Phillip Mosley is a defender that has the potential to come in and compete for playing time and alongside Mosley is another stellar player in Christian Jackson. “Christian is a great find from the Meridian area. He has been playing for the Mississippi Fire out of Jackson for a few years and you can definitely tell he has played with and against some good competition with them. I expect Christian to come in and earn a starting job as a freshman,” said Coach George. Spence Baucum is the third men’s player from MHS and should help the Eagles regain their scoring form that was lacking in 2011. Spence is a tenacious player who likes to run at defenders and use his speed to his advantage. Alongside these players from Meridian High, the Eagles added two other local players to join us: Blake Hardin and AJ McClinton. “Blake comes to us via West Lauderdale High School and was tied with 20 goals last season for the Knights. Blake has a great head on his shoulders and displays the kind of blue-collar work ethic we like here at MCC,” added George. AJ is expected to come in and tidy up a defense that should be very seasoned and ready to rebound from last year’s semi-final loss.

The MACJC opened up its recruiting borders this year to all schools and the Eagles certainly took advantage of it. Three players from Northeast Jones High School will join the squad in the fall. Jacob Livingston is a striker that should bring a few goals to the team and Levi Sumrall will come in and help push sophomore goalkeeper Marlo Brinnon in practice. Assistant Men’s Coach Ryan Joiner added, “It’s always great to find a second keeper to push a kid like Marlo. He’s so gifted athletically and technically that a second keeper like Levi will help light a fire under him.” Accompanying Livingston and Sumrall is a defender, Ricky Carter, from NEJ that will compete with sophomores Tripp Simms of Lamar, Tony Chapel of Ocean Springs and Juwan Jones of Vicksburg.

In 2011 the Eagles struggled to find the net as often as the coaches would have liked. Returning to action for them in 2012 is Ducky Troutman, the 2011 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and 2011 MS All-Star Mark Varnado. “These two guys should be the core of our central midfield next season. Ducky is a team player that leads by example and Mark is a blue-collar guy who will grind out ninety minutes night in and night out,” expressed George. “They are a pair of guys we look forward to coaching and hope they lead the Eagles to a State Championship in 2012,” he added. The Eagles midfield will also return sophomores Jesus Olivares, Conner McKee and Jordan Watson. These guys will all battle with several freshmen who will be pushing for starting spots as well. Joining the Eagles in the midfield is freshman Alex Lee of Quitman High School. “It’s always a good thing to have depth when competing week in and week out during such a hot and humid season. The weather is always 100 degrees plus and we generally play two games a week. Guys need rest and to be able to have a solid amount of depth in the midfield is great,” added Coach George.

Helping the Eagles in their striking core for the fall of 2012 season is sophomore Kellen Roberts of Oxford, AL. The coaches expect Kellen to be a big time player for them in the fall. “Kellen has steadily improved since his arrival at MCC in August of 2011. He works hard in the weight room and also does a lot of individual work in order to get better. We hope Kellen can add maturity to a striking core consisting of a couple of freshman and can add that extra spark we lacked last season,” said Coach Joiner. Rounding out the Eagles roster are two freshmen from Pillow Academy. Myers Falls and Cayson Cox are both players who are durable and can play anywhere on the field. “Myers is a good sized kid with a great work rate and Cayson looks to play in the back for the Eagles. It was a delight to get both of these young men and we look forward to getting them on the field,” said George.

The MCC Eagles begin their season on August 18, 2012 as they take on the Alumni team at 1:00pm at CD Smith Field on the campus of Meridian Community College. Their regular season opener will be Friday August 24, 2012 in Wesson, MS versus Co-lin Community College at 7:00pm. “The season is going to get here quick and the staff and I cannot begin to tell you how ready we are,” head coach Alex George concluded.

MCC Home Games are played at CD Smith Field on the Campus of Meridian Community College. Please visit our website at www.mcc.cc.ms.ms/soccer to explore our history, coaches, rosters, biographies, statistics, facilities, camps and alumni information.