Familiar Coast face featured prominently in trailer for new Netflix series

Lights, camera, football.

When Netflix’s new documentary, “Last Chance U,” makes its premiere later this month, South Mississippi football fans will recognize a few familiar faces.

Three Coast products were East Mississippi Community College Lions last year: Biloxi kicker Grayson Pontius, Pascagoula offensive lineman Hunter Godfrey and West Harrison kicker Jacques Pucheu.

Pontius flashed his golden locks a handful of times in the two-minute trailer released Tuesday.

“That was me,” Pontius said after watching the trailer for the first time. “I feel like they wanted to put my pretty face out there for some appeal.”

The six-part sports documentary, inspired by a 2014 GQ article of the same name, follows the Lions during a tumultuous 2015 season that saw their postseason hopes wiped out because of a bench-clearing fight against Mississippi Delta Community College.

“I was real excited to see (the trailer),” said Pontius, who is getting ready for his first season at Marshall University. “The trailer was definitely a lot different than I thought it would be.

“It was really neat to see the tease.”

It took a while to get used to the camera crew, which showed up the first day Pontius reported for camp at EMCC last year and stayed through Signing Day in February.

“Of course, they didn’t really keep it in my face as much as D.J. Law and the other big stars. Still, it was weird having cameras everywhere,” he said. “You never would have expected to see a full-blown camera crew like that in Mississippi.

“It was cool. Everywhere you looked there was a camera.”

Up close

As showcased in the trailer, the crew got up close and personal with Lions players, coaches and the administration.

“I can’t tell you how many times (coach Buddy Stephens) kicked them out of meetings or the huddle,” Pontius said. “I wouldn’t say they were a nuisance but they were always there.”

Just like most who are familiar with the October fight between Delta and EMCC, which erupted late in the first half with the Lions ahead 48-0, Pontius is interested to see it in the documentary.

“They got footage that no one else has ever seen,” Pontius said of the fight, which led to EMCC being disqualified from the MACJC playoffs. “They showed us some of their (high definition) footage. That is the real, raw footage. ... The videos on YouTube don’t do anything justice.”

So will the video help change perceptions surrounding EMCC’s program?

Pontius doesn’t think that will ever really happen, but he says fans will have more insight into the buildup to the fight.

“That’s kind of a sore subject just because everyone put a tag on us that we were thugs and started the fight,” Pontius said. “Now everyone will see every bit of who started it.”

Binge watching

Netflix has carved a niche as more than just a movie rental website. It is also a hub for compelling original content.

Series like “Daredevil,” “Bloodline” and “Orange Is The New Black” are some of the most popular Netflix shows.

The website is also one of the leaders in documentaries. Most Netflix series episodes come out all at once and many of the shows are watched in one day.

“Oh, I’ll definitely binge all six hours when they drop it,” Pontius said of “Last Chance U.”

Thundering kicker

Pontius made 58 extra points and six field goals as a freshman in 2015, leading the Lions in scoring.

He caught the attention of Marshall and signed with the Thundering Herd. He missed out on spring football at Marshall, but has been in Huntington, West Virginia, since May and feels he’s in the running for kickoff and field-goal duties.

“The coaches have said it’s an open job,” Pontius said. “I feel like I can compete and win the starting job.”

Asked how the adjustment is going, Pontius was to the point.

“Anything is better than Scooba,” he laughed. “I love it here. It’s a change coming from there to here. The stadium is huge.”

For the Lions, there’s nothing else to do in Scooba than play football. If a player wants to take the next step, there aren’t any distractions.

“That’s why I love JUCO football, especially in Mississippi,” he said. “It prepared me for everything we do up here, from the weight room to being with huge D1 athletes.”

Pontius just wrapped up his summer classes and said he reports back to school Aug. 7. He’ll have a homecoming of sorts on Oct. 29 when the Thundering Herd visit Southern Miss.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Familiar Coast face featured prominently in trailer for new Netflix series."