Vicksburg Daily News Coach of the Year: Larry Carter

The Vicksburg Daily News has selected Larry Carter, head football coach at Vicksburg Junior High School, as Coach of the Year.

Carter had a historic, undefeated season with the Gators leading them to a Little Six Championship. Along with his coaching staff, he led the team to a 8-0 record and the first time VJHS played in a Little Six championship game.

“I owe a lot of our success to my assistant coaches: Chris Lacey, Cameron Cooksey, Ocie Brown and Eric Chiplin,” Carter said.

Carter grew up in Vicksburg, and he was a running back at Warren Central High School during its championship season in 1988. Carter also won a Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Championship in 1993 while he started at Howard University.

He did most of his coaching at Vicksburg Junior High instead of instead of his alma mater, Warren Central, though. This season he also had a lot of support from the community. Folks came out to cheer on every game the Gators played.

“I walked up on (former WC coach) Robert Morgan  and (former VHS coach) Alonzo Stevens sitting together, and I said (to myself), ‘Wow. These are two men I credit my success to’,” he said. “Coach Morgan taught me how to play, love, and respect the game, while coach Stevens taught me how to coach the game and remain humble while doing it.”

Carter was able to drive his young team in the right direction, coaching them to where their defenders rarely scored any points. This football season is one for the history books in Vicksburg as they defeated some of the top junior high schools in the state to win the championship.

The Gators are now in the off season, but Carter plans to keep the championship mentality going as the next class of Gators approach.

Carter will also go down in history as the first Vicksburg Daily News Coach of the Year.

“I’m exceptionally honored to receive this award, and it’s very rare that a coach on my level receives this honor,” he said, “and I feel that with my junior high experience along with the direction of VHS coach Tim Hughes, great things are going to happen with the seventh through 12th-grade Gators.”