How Stone High’s first Black head football coach built the best team in a generation
The Stone Tomcats were almost an afterthought in their district heading into the 2022 football season.
They had won just two games the year prior, were replacing their starting quarterback and were fighting an ongoing battle against depth. A quick turnaround didn’t appear to be in the cards.
But the Tomcats rattled off nine wins, dethroned three-time region champ Moss Point and earned the title of South State runner-ups. It was the sharpest one-year improvement the school had seen since 1982.
All accomplished under head coach John Feaster, the program’s first Sun Herald Coach of the Year.
The catalyst for Stone’s stunning season came in week two against a visiting 6A team.
The Biloxi sideline boasted roughly 80 athletes packed in between the white lines and, on the other side, less than 60 Tomcats filled their allotted space.
That didn’t matter to those dripping in blue and white. Stone had a 10-0 lead heading into the final quarter of the game despite the significant roster sheet disadvantage.
Biloxi would wake up, though. The Indians scored three times in 12 minutes and escaped Perkinston with a 20-10 win.
It was Stone’s fifth loss in a row dating back to 2021 and seventh in its last eight games. And it did the trick.
“When we left the field that night after we played Biloxi and had them pretty much for three-and-a-half quarters... Our kids pretty much knew,” Feaster told the Sun Herald.
Forrest County Agricultural was the first victim. Larry Dolan’s spotless season was upended by a 56-6 drubbing at the hands of the Tomcats.
Then it was a 37-point win over South Pike, a 27-point win over reigning three-time region title-holder Moss Point and a “close” 12-point victory over Greene County.
Stone would win six straight games to end the regular season, including wins over Pass Christian and Bay High by a combined score of 73-0.
The Tomcats won nine games for the first time since 1994. They won three playoff games and reached the statewide postseason’s semifinal round for the first time since 1991.
Stone even took down Poplarville, the favorite to win the 4A South State championship game, in the third round.
All accomplished under Feaster, who has become one of the school’s most successful coaches in the program’s history.
“It brings the community closer together,” Stone athletic director Adam Stone said of Feaster’s squad. “They realize we have a good team and they want to be out there and supportive... It’s good to hear ‘we’re going to beat y’all this Friday.’ People felt like we had a good chance to win.”
From 1995 to 2015, the Tomcats reached the playoffs just three times.
Feaster has coached in the postseason every year since his first in 2016, but his most successful act was a product of the right ingredients. Cultural buy-in, lessons learned and a hungry roster created the magical run that saw Stone reach heights not seen for a generation.
A little too much, a little too soon
The Feaster era was off to a hot start. Stone won eight games in each of his first two seasons. The Tomcats even won a playoff game in 2017 for the first time in 26 years.
Then the wake up call arrived. Stone went 14-23 over the next four seasons with an 0-4 showing in the playoffs.
“The early success kind of spoiled us. It kind of spoiled me, as well,” Feaster said. “The guys who came into that success that were practicing kind of felt like it was going to be easy. But not knowing in my first year, those kids were hungry. They were talented, but they were hungry for success and they worked their butts off.”
Feaster found himself focusing too much on the results of each play and spending more energy on the playbook than on the players.
The memories of wins over Picayune, Harrison Central, Biloxi and West Jones began to fall further and further behind as Feaster searched for a turnaround during a stretch that saw the Tomcats fall into three different losing streaks of three games or more.
“We had some rocky times. I’m not going to lie, it was tough,” Feaster said. “It was tough on the kids, on the coaches and on me, as well... I kind of got back to why I coach football and I just started focusing on that. When you start focusing on the kids, the football will take care of itself.”
Everything fell into place and it began with the players. Feaster points to his offensive line, anchored by Kaleb Ladner, as the cultural kick-starters.
Then the defense followed, headlined by Bryton McInnis and bolstered by impact leaders C.C. Herrien and K’drian Smith. Stone went from allowing a respectable 25.1 points per game in 2021 to becoming a suffocating unit in ‘22, giving up just 13.3 points a contest.
Feaster said their practices shifted into game simulation before the ‘22 season began, running players through dozens of reps of conditioning before running plays, therefore becoming prepared for any situation regardless of fatigue.
“The kids embraced it,” according to Feaster, who said his players came up with the phrase “defeat the workout.”
How the players approached practice in the summer following a two-win ‘21 season became more than a silver lining.
“Now they understand that they have to work hard and be better together,” Feaster said.
Representing for the past, present and future of Tomcat football
With the backing of the defense, Feaster’s offense blossomed into one of the strongest passing attacks on the Coast to the surprise of many.
First-year starting quarterback Connor Tice was third among South Mississippi quarterbacks in passing yards with 2,049 and second in scoring tosses with 26.
The electric Collins brothers, Chasden and Daylon, provided a combined 2,871 all-purpose yards while Andrew Bradford hauled in 45 receptions himself.
The team scored its most points in a season since Feaster’s first in 2016 and allowed its fewest since 2008. Stone has a new challenge ahead now as it moves back into the 5A arena with hopes of creating sustained success.
“It’s going to be tough, continued success is tough,” Feaster said. “Consistency is tough, but it’s easier for us now because the kids have a true taste of success. They’ve seen what it takes and seen what type of attitude it takes.”
Feaster isn’t too worried about moving up a classification. He’s already familiar with coaching against Gautier, Vancleave, East Central and others the Tomcats are set to share a new district with in 2023.
The confidence is shared by Stone, too, who doesn’t believe opponents will be thrilled to face the Tomcats.
“We should have a good shot every week we go play, our kids work hard and we got good coaches,” Stone said. “I don’t think people will be excited about playing Stone. They won’t go ‘oh, we get to play Stone this week.’ It’ll be ‘oh, no, we have to play Stone this week.’”
Feaster’s focus now is on building a legacy at Stone that coaches, players, fans and alumni both past and in the coming years can be proud of.
As the first Black head football coach in the school’s history and the first Black coach to be named the Sun Herald’s Coach of the Year since at least 2005, he’s grateful for the opportunity to guide the program.
“I’m a historian so I understood the magnitude of it when I was hired,” Feaster said. “It means the world to me and I’m grateful and thankful. That’s why I try to work my behind off, so it’ll be easier for the next man... That’s what it’s all about, trying to leave a legacy for someone else to follow. It means the world to me and I’m honored, but I don’t take it lightly. I try to represent the community well.”
Seven straight trips to the playoffs and a South State title game appearance would suggest Feaster has done that just well enough.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
