The championship factory at ‘The’ Bay is out to accomplish a four-decade first in football
Don’t just call it “Bay.”
Jeremy Turcotte’s Tigers have demanded their respect on the gridiron in recent years and have done the work to earn it. Make sure to call them “The Bay.”
The Tigers made the postseason in Turcotte’s first year as head coach in 2020, marking the first time The Bay appeared in the playoffs since 2012.
Then the Tigers won a first round playoff game in 2021 to cap an eight-win season. Now The Bay is out to achieve something it never has before: a third straight playoff trip.
How it got here
Turcotte has spent just over half of his coaching years working in some capacity for the Tiger football program. In between his stints at the Bay St. Louis school, Turcotte took a “tour of the Coast.”
The third-year head coach worked as an assistant at Hancock, West Harrison, Gulfport and Long Beach. Turcotte has taken what he’s learned along the way and applied it to his current job while still allowing his players to lead the way.
“We’re very proud of the improvements we’ve made,” Turcotte said at SMACM Media Days in Gulfport. “That word everybody uses, ‘culture,’ I believe that our kids have established the culture. These guys have really raised the bar. I told them these days our worst days are better than our best days were when I first came on several years back.”
Turcotte preaches extreme confidence, but never arrogance, and utmost respect for their opponents. The mentality-focused strategy paid off last season when the Tigers went 5-0 in games decided by one score, including a 39-33 win over Quitman in the playoffs.
“These kids have bought into the challenge the past few years that they’re going to do what they need to do, and their expectations are as high of themselves as ours are,” Turcotte said. “These guys are doing the work and they want to be special... Our theme we keep talking about is we’ve got all the ingredients, just bake the cake.”
How the Tigers plan to build on success
The Bay High Tigers have all the parts necessary to make another run to the postseason out of Region 8-4A. A deep, experienced defense, a set of powerful offensive linemen in Ziron Brown and Xzylaman Mewborn and a young but talented quarterback in Xander Ladner.
The biggest challenge for the Tigers will be replacing over 1,200 rushing yards accrued by the graduated Noah Cutter a year ago.
Replacing that production starts off the field for Turcotte, where he’s been drilling consistency into his players through team workouts in a facility that has been, appropriately, consistently updated over the years for the growing program.
“We’ve got big, giant letters in the weight room that say ‘championship factory,’ because if you don’t do it in there, then it’s not going to happen,” Turcotte said. “I feel like our guys are bigger, faster, stronger.”
The championship factory has an opportunity to claim its first district title since 1985 as the reigning champs, Moss Point, is facing a reloading season with only four starters returning.
The Bay opens the new year with a trip to Quincy Patrick’s West Harrison squad on Friday.
