[12/5/04] Randy Wright knows a thing or two about winning.

As the baseball coach at Porters Chapel Academy, he has led the Eagles to four straight district titles and an Academy-A state championship in 2003. And when he took the reins of PCA’s football program this summer, he was quick to promise, at worst, a winning record for this season.

Don’t let it be said Wright isn’t a man of his word.

Wright guided PCA to a 9-2 record, its first district championship since 1982 and its first playoff appearance in six years. The Eagles lost to eventual state runner-up Lee (Ark.) Academy in the first round. For his accomplishments, Wright has been chosen as The Vicksburg Post’s 2004 Coach of the Year.

Wright is the first coach to win Post awards in two sports. He was picked as the top baseball coach in the county in 1999 and 2003. Wright is also the first PCA coach to win the football award since J.J. Plummer in 1998.

“I have to give a lot of the credit to the coaching staff. I feel this award ought to be the coaching staff of the year,” Wright said. “The players deserve credit, too. I didn’t throw a ball, catch a pass or tackle a player. The team did all the things it takes to win.”

Wright’s predecessor, Bubba Mims, died suddenly of a heart attack in May. Wright had been an assistant football coach at PCA for nearly a decade, and a number of parents expressed their desire to see him promoted.

After a brief search failed to turn up the right replacement, the school’s administration felt Wright’s familiarity with the program and players would help the healing process. Nearly everyone associated with the school felt he was the perfect choice.

“I don’t know if we would have responded as well to someone we didn’t know like we did to Coach Wright,” senior wide receiver Allen Cassell said. “Somebody that we just have no history with can’t expect to jump in and expect to do well at first.”

Wright’s regime got off to a rocky start. The Eagles suffered through a mistake-filled first half in the season-opener at Wilkinson County Christian and lost 13-7.

That was the last time PCA was on the wrong end of the scoreboard for the next two months. The Eagles ripped off nine straight wins, including a 42-12 thumping of Sharkey-Issaquena on the road and a 21-19 win at Tri-County for the District 4-A championship.

“I think it was (a shock). We expected to win. But nobody pushed the panic button,” Wright said of the loss to WCCA. “We all got back to work and won nine in a row.”

PCA’s defense was among the best in Academy-A, allowing a paltry 8.2 points per game and scoring nearly as many as its prolific offense. The Eagles had nine touchdown returns on fumbles, kickoffs or interceptions, and put together four shutouts including three in a row after the loss to WCCA.

“As far as our success, the biggest reason is the group of kids we had. They all expect to win every time they step on the field,” Wright said, noting that many of this year’s players were part of a junior high team that had back-to-back perfect seasons. “It’s a lot easier to succeed when you don’t know how to lose.”

When Wright was hired for football, it was as an interim coach. His status for next season is still up in the air, but with the results he got this fall there’s a good chance he’ll be back on the sideline in 2005.

With all 11 starters on defense and eight on offense back for next season, PCA figures to be a strong contender in Class A.

“We’re behind schedule. We felt like we should have won a state championship this year,” Wright said. “This was a great year. We had some milestones along the way. The district championship was a big thing for our school. But it was not the ultimate goal.”