The HD Experience
Hunter Dawkins, owner and publisher of The Gazebo Gazette, covers Mississippi high school and college sports like no one else. Join Hunter and his special guests as they bring the best in what's happening in sports on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The HD Experience
The HD Experience Episode 36: Summer Time Rituals recorded at 9 Toes Brewing Company
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The HD Experience Episode 36: Summer Time Rituals
HOST: Hunter Dawkins - Owner/Publisher of the award-winning newspaper - The Gazebo Gazette, Sports Correspondent SuperTalk Mississippi News, Gulfport High Radio Host G96.7, Member of the Football Writer Association of America (FWAA, Heisman Voter), Member of the Associated Press Sports & Editors (APSE)
PRODUCER: Jeff Clark - Award-Winning Journalist, Multimedia/Podcast Host, South Alabama Beat Writer, Director for the Harrison County Senior Services
GUESTS:
- Matt "Stats" Toth - Mississippi Gulf Coast High School Sports Analyst, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Broadcast
- Jeff Stockstill - Pass Christian High School Head Football Coach, 2025 Region 8-4A Champion, 2x MHSAA State Champion
- Mitch Gibbs - WGSO 990AM New Orleans Radio Host, "In the Zone" & "Breakfast with Bayou Bengals"
Don't they want to make the first time that's core up at 20 points of the game? Oh my goodness. This was the base. 54 for 50 excuse me. 53 for 55 on the year over 90%. And this is for the golden ball. The golden wave bring it down. They're coming. McDonald calls for the ball. It's not as back. The hole is dead.
SPEAKER_03Here's your host, Hunter Dawkins.
SPEAKER_07Good afternoon. My name is Hunter Dawkins. I am the host of the HD Experience. The 36th this is the 36th episode of Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Podcast. Sponsored by the Gazebo Gazette, the Harrison County Independent Newspaper, the Beau Revage and Casino, Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Nine Toes Brewing Company in Pascal Shan, O'Duire Realty Agent, Stephanie Mankwitz, Joseph Kelly, Attorney at Law, Coast Casual, the Rotary Club of Pasker Shann, Paddle the Bay fundraiser, and we're always in the U.S. Marine Inc. Studio coming here from the Nine Tip Toes Brewing Company. Jeff, we've got a great show coming up, and here is my wonderful producer of the show, Jeff Clark. Jeff is a well-accomplished, award-winning journalist, South Alabama beat writer, and the director of the Harrison County Senior Services. How are you, Jeff?
SPEAKER_15I'm well, Hunter. We are in the U.S. Marine Inc. Traveling Studio, live, doing the show from uh Nine Toes Brewing Company, down in the bungalows in beautiful Pass Christian. Y'all know I love the Pass. I I can't say enough good things about it. Uh so excited to be here. We want to thank Tyler Kidd and Caitlin Kidd for uh for having us out. It's gonna be a gonna be a great show, and I'm super happy to be here. You can hear all the excitement in the background. Uh what a great place. You know, we're in the golf simulating room. You they have all the courses you can pick from, Augusta, all that. Come down and come down and play golf while we're in here. I I don't care.
SPEAKER_07You know, Jeff, I never thought that I would be involved in a happy Gilmore thing in during my lifetime. I always thought it was just gonna be on the TV, but we're right in the Harrison County.
SPEAKER_15I literally bought Charlie a Happy Gilmore t-shirt yesterday. So we we're living our dreams. Thank you to Nine Toes Brewing Company.
SPEAKER_07There you go, and of course, thank you for for Tyler and Caitlin definitely having us out here. Jeff, tell me a little bit about your feelings of the close of the summertime uh with the rituals, you know, the end of the spring, really a lot of these high schools starting off their spring games, uh, you know, colleges just finishing up spring games. You know, I know you're back in the day, you have a little bit of input about Alabama and things as such. What's going on? What are the rituals you that you know of or that you can remember growing up?
SPEAKER_15You know, my my rituals of summer nowadays as a college football fan, or you know, uh getting on Google news every morning to see what the new Alabama news is, you know, they name start quarterback. I mean, that's that's the ritual of summer as an Alabama fan in the modern era, is waiting to see who's gonna be the quarterback. Right? Because you know who it's gonna be, or you know who you think it's gonna be, but even you know, Nick Saban, especially, when he was there, he held that stuff very close to the vest. It was always quote unquote a competition. From what I understand, and from what other the podcasters and the media and people who had you know access to the programs, spring games and such, they think that uh Keelan Russell, who was the number one quarterback in the country, uh coming into Alabama, five-star recruit. You know, he he may have the edge over um what's the other guy's name? Help me out.
SPEAKER_07Uh, you know, I don't have uh Austin Mack. There you go. He came from the University of Washington. If you wanted me to have Craig on, I definitely would have had that.
SPEAKER_15So it's a competition between Austin Mack and Keelan Russell, and uh allegedly Keelan has a little bit of the edge. But uh, you know, summertime, we got we have the NBA finals. Uh I watched a nail biter last night between Philadelphia and Boston going to the wire, and Philadelphia just jumping out ahead with 30 seconds left and putting it out of reach for the Celtics. First time the 76ers had beaten the Celtics in a playoff game since 1982. And Charlie and I were glued to our seat watching that. I love baseball in the summer. You know, it's a it it's it's a great time.
SPEAKER_07Shuckers games, you know, are great, at least especially nowadays, because especially during the early summer uh when it's it's perfect weather like it is right now, and uh you know, the ambassador my friendship with him has really helped uh not only my friendship with him, but his friendship with the whole entire Gulf Coast community has really helped the structure last as long as they have, because as you and I have both seen several organizations don't exactly last as long.
SPEAKER_15Yeah, I mean we don't have Mississippi Braves anymore. That's weird. You know, that that's uh that's a weird thing.
SPEAKER_07The weirdest thing about it, too, with that, is they moved to Columbus.
SPEAKER_15And that's not Columbus, Mississippi. Sure. You know, but but like you know, for Pearl like built that whole, there's like a whole shopping complex and everything built around uh where the Braves play at that stadium and stuff. And I mean and it thrives, and I'm sure they'll find another great contender to uh to be there. But uh enough about me. I'm very excited about today's show, so let's go ahead and take our commercial break and we'll come right back with our first guest.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, and we have some great guests from today.
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SPEAKER_05Grab your paddle and join the fun at Paddle the Bay, hosted by the Rotary Club of Pass Christian. Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 13th, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hederson Point Park, right at the base of the Bay Bridge. Paddle the Bay or explore the bayou while enjoying a day filled with food, music, and community spirit. Celebrate more than 100 years of service and consider donating $100 or more to support a great cause. Plus, compete to win gold, silver, or bronze paddles and prizes by raising the most funds. For more information, go to the Rotary Club of Pass Christianne's Facebook page. Don't miss paddle the bay, where fun meets purpose on the water.
SPEAKER_07Would love to introduce my friend and one of the experts in high school football scores and football teams across the Mississippi Coast, who fans, students, coaches, and scouts follow through Twitter and Facebook, Mad Stats. How are you, my friend?
SPEAKER_12Hunter, it's great, it's great to be here. We're making a run for the uh the horses after yesterday's Kentucky Derby, and may the uh fourth be with you as uh May the 4th is coming up as a Star Wars fan. So it's great to be here live in person at Nine Toes Brewery.
SPEAKER_07Absolutely, it is certainly great. Tell me what you have heard about some of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Spring Games that are upcoming, and if we have any schedules released for those, including with Jamboree's, also.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, the the ones I have is starting actually this week on uh May 7th at USM with uh the hurricanes. We'll play Stone on that Thursday at 7. Of course, it's over three days, so you know they have other teams up there, but that's only two Coast teams that I have up there on that Thursday, again, May the 7th. Also a week uh from this week, May 14th, you have Poplarville that will be uh hosting Pastor Christian and Holy Cross there at Poplarville. And then May 11th through the 14th, uh Golfport will travel over to Daphne, Alabama. I don't know what day what they'll be playing, but of course it's three days, four days, May 11th to the 14th, and Daphne. And then Harrison Central will be having an intersquad game there on May 19th. So those are the official games that I have you know listed uh coming up here for spring ball as uh it's it's getting ever so closely with these spring games coming up.
SPEAKER_07Since recruiting has been pretty adamant this year or the year, it's a year-round thing now, at least in football. What are some of the rituals some of these coast football teams do during the summer break from what you paid attention to?
SPEAKER_12Yeah, it's it's right now, you know, again, lifting weights, you know, preparing, because what you do now is going to win you a championship or possible championship come in December. So as far as just the the rituals, I mean, they're again working the weights, and then these spring games will get them out on the field, be able to hit, you know, other players beside their teammates for the most part, and it's just a uh a great atmosphere coming up, you know, with with May uh with the spring games, and then again Jamborees will be uh coming in August. So, you know, it's it's different for each team, but you know, this is where you win championships, believe it or not, Hunter, here in these May uh spring games uh coming up for December championship run.
SPEAKER_07Does the Mississippi Gulf Coast uh and Coach Wright, do they have any football camps during this year that you know of?
SPEAKER_12Yes, I just posted uh that they do have an offensive line uh camp and a as I get it here, another in June is coming up. Let me bring it up here for you. Sorry for the uh delay here.
SPEAKER_07No worries, no worries.
SPEAKER_12Offensive line, defensive line camp will be in June 2nd is the skill camp. Skill camp is June 2nd, and then offensive line camp is the day before that. Offensive defensive line camp, and that is June 1st. It is $50, and it is up at Perk, obviously, uh where they do play at. So offensive line, defensive line camp, June 1st, and then the next day, June 2nd is a skill camp. $50. There is a fee, $50 for each one, each camp, and you have to be going into the ninth grade to participate in these camps.
SPEAKER_07From what you've seen, are there any teams right now that are solid where they're at right now, or will you learn more after the spring games, you think?
SPEAKER_12Yeah, I mean, spring games don't put a lot of uh into it as far as you know watching the results of the spring games. Coaches one-on-one make through without injury, but get the the players again on their feet, they've been lifting weights, they're ready to go out there and hit other players uh not on their team. So there'll be a lot uh more you'll be able to see out of these spring games. Now, be able to see who wins the state championship here in Maine. No, you necessarily won't be able to see that, but you know, there's a lot of you know, there's four coaches, you know, new coaches coming in that look to uh to make some noise there, and that is you know, Chris Fortenberry with Harrison Central, Eric Kyer with Biloxi, you know, Zach Green moves from Pascal uh to Pascagoula from Golfport, and then of course Evan Gay with St. Stanislaus uh as their new head coach. And one coach that was on the coast, offensive lineman, got a new head coaching job up at Wayne County, so it'll be interesting there. He was offensive line coach, Tracy uh Lampley will be looking to see what he can do up there at Wayne County. I mean, they do play a couple teams, uh, stone in uh in fact here on the coast. So it'll be interesting what he can do up there.
SPEAKER_07Is uh the jamboree, now I know once again, I know those are kind of some practice games, but is the jamboree give you a lot a lot more feel of what's gonna happen every year?
SPEAKER_12Uh I mean, not necessarily. I mean, you know, it's less than 50% of you know, as far as what you're reading to it, you know. Like I say, Poplarville will play Pascus Chan. I know, you know, Coach Stockstill will be coming in here. You know, you can ask him, I'll speak to him just a few minutes ago. You know, they just want to make it about injury. They don't necessarily, it's not a really a full game per se. You know, they don't have special teams. You know, if the quarterback's fixing get hit, they try to blow the whistle so he don't get hit. So I know fans may look at it and say, oh, Poplarville beat Pascus or Pascristian beat Poplarville and they're going to be better than them. No, it's not that. I mean, the fans, that's the excitement of it, and glad they can get excited about it, you know, with these spring games uh coming up.
SPEAKER_07Is Southern Miss or any other college school that you know of helping these programs with the spring game?
SPEAKER_12Um, of course, it's it's at USM, the the one game I had mentioned with West Harrison and Stone. Uh so I'm sure that they're there, you know, and keeping eyes on the players that are on the field at the time. So as far as you know, certain things that they're doing with, I'm sure they're reaching out to them and making sure that they are uh taken care of as they are up there at USM. Again, that one's coming up here on, in fact, this week on May the 7th through 9th. So if you can make it up there to USM, there is a fee, but uh you could certainly watch you know West Harrison versus Stone.
SPEAKER_07Matt, you had told me that the before the show that you had some questions listen to the guests, go ahead and uh let everybody know.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, there were some uh questions, or at least one of the questions that was asked and uh by Austin Buchanan on my live stream I did Friday for lunch, and he had, and this could be about any coach, but he mentioned about golf board coach who you call the the games uh for this past year during their championship season. Uh, do you think golf boards football head coach will be there if he has another successful season? Will he get a better offer? And that, you know, it that's a good question because you know, you look at Coach Bramlett from from OSHA Springs, he's done great. Coach, you know, Pennock here winning the state championship. I'm sure he gets offers, but Willie, I don't talk to Coach You know, Pennock to say, hey, are you gonna take this offer, that offer? I'm sure he has offers to move up because once you do good, you win a state championship. I mean, look at the coach, you know, Coach Green. He was a defensive coordinator, the hottest defensive coordinator in the state last year. He gets to go to Pascal Goula to be head coach there. So will they move on? I guess it depends on the situation. You know, we know that he's Coach Pennock, his wife there teaches at golf courts. So the odds of him leaving, you know, I I I would say they're not the greatest. But I guess if somebody offers you enough money to move up to another level or even JUCO level, you know, we shall see. But that's that's again a good question there, and that could pertain to any coach. I mean, again, here, Coach Stock still's coming in here. He, you know, win the region uh title last year, made it deep into the playoffs. You know, will he you know want to move somewhere? But I didn't discuss it.
SPEAKER_07He's just promoted to AD.
SPEAKER_12Yes, I forget. Yes, he was the AD there. We also have the the Biloxi uh has a new A D. I don't know her name, but there's a new AD at uh Biloxi. Of course, AD is athletic director. They're over all the sports uh instead of just one sport. So, yes, most currently. Um so that was a question there on the on the live stream. Uh the other question, uh I would be remiss not to mention about Coach Spinks with Christian Collegiate. Unfortunately, he had passed away the other week. He had uh complications from a stroke he had in January. So he was the AD slash football coach, so prayers and thoughts to Coach Spinks with Christian Community Uh College. Um, and then we turned there was another question about Golfport and OSHA Springs. Are they the big dogs in 7A? Yes, they are the big dogs in 7A. Will Golfport repeat? I'm a stat guy, and the stats show that Golfport will repeat just because given the history between those two teams, a team that has won, which Golfport won this past year, and then the following year lost and then won the following year three years down the road. That's only happened once. So Golfport won this past year, so they're due to win this year at home in their new stadium coming up, which hopefully they'll be done in time. I seen some pictures on that, but uh you know, answer me right now, Golfport and Ocean Springs. I think Golfport will beat Ocean Springs here on this uh early part of May. But hey, you got other teams that look forward to make some noise. That is in D'Iberville uh and St. Martin. We'll see how they go.
SPEAKER_07But and as I told you again, as you have Coach Stockstill outside too, Paris Trevillion. He's uh he's gonna be the top recruit.
SPEAKER_12He is. You see on my Facebook page, Golf Coast High School Football, where I shared, he made national podcasts with Jamarcus Russell, who played for LSU, got drafted by the Raiders. You have other Merriweather who played for the Chargers. They've uh fan sent them his highlight video and they shared it. I mean, when you shine the light, as I say, for coast football, I mean, that's a big light to shine on Paris, and and of course the highlights were spectacular. I watched it a few times, so uh great there for for Paris to get that upside and that light shining, not just on him, you know, because you watch the film, you can say, Oh, who's this guy blocking? So, I mean, the light is shining on so many people just because we shine it on one person, and I don't want to shine it on Ty Keys. Poplarville has committed to go to uh University of Miami, you know, to you. He committed this past uh week on Friday. So that was a big commitment there.
SPEAKER_07I mean, he certainly is Coach Stocks, so we'll tell you they have a heck of an offensive line.
SPEAKER_12They do, and again, that's where you look at who's blocking for him. He's not gonna make those plays, you know, for the most part, unless you have somebody blocking for him. So again, it shines a light on everybody. Again, that's where he committed to. We'll see when it's time to put you know, paper to pen uh or pen to paper, I should say, when it comes to sign-in day. So a lot of uh great news coming out of Coast Football again, just here in May, and we look forward to these spring games and uh a lot more to come.
SPEAKER_07Tell everyone how they can get in touch with you.
SPEAKER_12Yeah, just type in uh Golf Coast High School Football, you know, on TikTok, on Instagram, on X, you know, and of course on the main page on Facebook Golf Coast High School Football. And uh look for everybody to be there. It's great to be here in person, Hunter. See you face to face instead of speaking through a phone. And uh, Jeff, your your producer there, I mean, great here for him to be right here with us. So it's been a pleasure here at Nine Toes uh Bury. And it's again, you you hear the word beery. It's not it's for kids too, believe me. If you watch their Facebook page, there's a lot happening here for kids, not just people coming in here to drink beer. The beer's good, I haven't drink it, I don't drink, but it's still for kids. So I appreciate them hosting your first ever live uh podcast.
SPEAKER_07We thank you, my friend. We look forward to talking to you soon.
SPEAKER_12All right, that's out.
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SPEAKER_07Now we will introduce the Pascoan High School Football Coach and Athletic Director, 2025 MHSAA District 84A champion, and twice MHSAA state champion, our friend Coach Jeff Stocksville. Coach, how is the team measuring up for the spring game this year?
SPEAKER_04Well, so far the offseason's been good. Uh everybody's healthy. Uh, thought we had a good uh good four or five months in the weight room. Uh it's good to be back on the field. Getting got letting you know let the guys kind of bang on each other a little bit. Spring training has a tendency to get long, hitting yourself every day. So kind of just taking it day by day and uh hopefully hopefully get through uh the next week and a half unscathed. Getting through spring without any injuries, that's a win in itself. And any football coach will tell you that.
SPEAKER_07What are some of your plans to focus on with the players after the spring in the summertime? I know you've been through this before many, many times. Different places, different things, especially in Mississippi. You know, as successful as you've been in central Mississippi, it's kind of difficult as you would notice being in this place right here, as we are today. There's a lot of activities, there's a lot of you know other things to do, minus, you know, uh, and this isn't only for players, this is for coaches and everything. What do you tell not only the players but the coaches things you have to be focused on during the summertime?
SPEAKER_04Well, well, mainly uh your attitude and your effort and things like that. When you when you're at football, be at football. You know, we schedule in some weeks off, we schedule in some off days. Uh, you know, for other other kids, you know, kids play multiple sports, things like that. So we try not to cross over paths with basketball or soccer or baseball. So, you know, while you're while you're at football, be committed to football. When you're not at football, and enjoy whatever else you do. You know, whether that be play a sport, go fishing, hang out with family, whatever the case may be. When you're at football, be all in. And then when you're not at football, you know, still still enjoy being a teenager and things like that. So we do schedule in some off time uh outside of the normal dead week that the MHSA requires. Uh we lift weights and practice three days a week, try to go first thing in the morning so guys that play other sports can can have time to do that or have summer jobs, things of that nature.
SPEAKER_07What are some of the summer rituals you have with the players? You know, I know in the weight room, maybe some sprints, things of that. Is there something specific that you guys try to work on?
SPEAKER_04Uh really uh kind of maintain your your main offseason times are gonna, or excuse me, weightlifted times gonna be your December through April, really. May is kind of your spring training time. Uh in the summer, you really want to maintain whatever strength you've built and get acclimated to the heat and uh really get in shape. Takes about six weeks to get a guy in shape, so that's if they're there every day and putting out the right effort. So you want to kind of get your team in shape. So we do a variety of things. Uh, we do the weightlifting, we'll get some. You can't wear pads in the summertime, so you can you can still practice, so to speak, different you know, group practices, things like that. Uh one day a week, we normally take our team, jump on a bus, and go run around in the sand on the beach just to mix it up a little bit. So we do beach practices and things like that. So whatever you can to kind of break up the monotony of just being in the weight room all the time.
SPEAKER_07Being recently named is the athletic director, what responsibilities do you have not only with football, but of course all the other sports? Um, I mean, are there players that you're trying to watch out? Are there coaches that you have to maintain? Okay, this is what we're gonna be working, you know, doing at least for the summertime.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, there's uh uh this is my actually my third stint at being an athletic director, so I'm familiar, familiar with the role. And uh really this time of year, what we'll be doing is uh kind of ironing out the budget uh for when the fiscal year starts over, what teams are gonna have what needs, uh maintaining the the CDL so all coaches have their license and can get their team to and from games. Uh a few contract things we're working through with other uh uh other aspects. You know, we gotta make sure we have a a trainer, make sure we have uh, you know, an apparel gear contract, things like that we're working on through uh Nike and BSN, and we'll do some other things and uh try to do some fundraising efforts over the summertime and just as the summer winds down, get all the schedules and all that taken care of, and you never get the school year ready to start.
SPEAKER_07Now that's actually a good segue for a question. Do you need now things have changed obviously since I've coached back and forth a little while ago? Do you need to have a CDL license to coach in a sport or what where does that lie?
SPEAKER_04Uh you it's not necessarily a requirement, uh, but it's highly highly encouraged that you do. You know, uh if you don't uh if you you get in a situation where you're trying to pay people to drive, and that cuts into your budget and your other resources and things like that. So I got my CDL in 2004, and I still I still drive one of our buses and have every year. So and that for me personally, I always just you know enjoy the responsibility of getting my team to the game and home from the game and things like that. And you you kind of get that road time, gives you a little bit of peace of mind while you're traveling, you know.
SPEAKER_07Do y'all obviously have buses for like smaller sports like golf, cross-country, or things like that, or do they transport themselves?
SPEAKER_04Uh no, it's uh there's you know a variety of reasons, but it's uh it's we to the game, you're going on the bus with the team. You know, football, and that's kind of my rule. If I bring you there, I'm taking you back. So uh small but but plus we play on Fridays only, which kicks off a weekend. Uh if you're playing a late night Tuesday, say a uh a sport like volleyball or a baseball, basketball, or softball, then it's common to ride back with away from the game with your with your folks or something like that, family. But no, you got to go to the game, and that's gonna be usually usually that's gonna be your school's gonna have a policy, insurance purposes, things like that.
SPEAKER_07Back to football. Outside of the state and district championship, which I know every coach wants that. What are some of your goals for this team during the 2026 season?
SPEAKER_04Well, number one to stay healthy. Uh, you know, I've had a few times over the years where we lost kids to injuries, and you hate to see a guy put all the years in, get to that last year and be injured and you know, miss most of that senior year. So staying healthy is probably priority number one. Uh, number two, we want to compete. You know, we want to give ourselves a chance to win. Uh, can't promise a lot of wins, but I think if you put the right amount of effort out, you get the right attitude day in, day out, you're gonna have a chance in just about every game. So stay healthy, compete, and just give ourselves the best chance to win, minimize mistakes. And you know, when it's all said and done, if the guys look back and you know say they enjoyed high school football and had a positive experience, then maybe that'll take them somewhere in life.
SPEAKER_07Outside of Paris, and a few guys on defense who I think are returning. Who are the main sleepers that we need to pay attention to this year? Maybe not an individual, maybe a position. Where do you guys think you're gonna be strongest at outside of the main key players?
SPEAKER_04Right. The uh the main losses we suffered last year, uh all four uh receivers were seniors, and all three defensive linemen were seniors. So we're having to really focus on those two groups in the offseason, get as many guys ready to play or as many reps in case they need to get in play. Uh we do have uh our most of our offensive line is back. That'll be a senior heavy group. Uh quarterback and running backs are also going to be senior heavy positions. So hopefully we can focus a lot on the other positions and get them to where we need to be, and we'll be able to rely on on those groups to be steady and consistent for us.
SPEAKER_07Final question, coach. How does this team compare to your past teams, not only in past crocheting, but in the ones that you've coached?
SPEAKER_04Well, we got a pretty good uh we got a pretty good group of seniors back, and I've uh I've had this a couple times over the years. Last year we went to a lot of questions, really wasn't sure, and uh had a lot of things, uh, had a lot of breaks, balls bounce our way, so to speak. Uh we got a pretty good group of senior class, excuse me, a group of seniors, and we remind this class uh every day that there are seniors, there's a lot of you, you know what to do, you know what's expected of you, and hopefully they can uh provide a good example for the younger kids so you kind of you can kind of avoid those up and down seasons by kind of getting a standard set and things like that. So I'm hoping this group here has a good year. Uh like I said, they put a lot of work in. We're gonna have around 18 seniors and they put a lot of work in, and hopefully along the way, they can set the example for the younger guys as they come up.
SPEAKER_07Coach, we wish y'all the best. You take care of yourself. We'll have you on again.
SPEAKER_04All right, sounds good. Thanks, honor. Appreciate it.
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SPEAKER_07The Gazebo Gazette is Harrison County's only independent newspaper publishing news from Gulfport to Bay St. Louis every Friday. Hi, this is Hunter Dawkins, owner of the Gazebo Gazette. If you're looking for local news without the hassle of sorting through story after digital story, log on to thegazeboGazette.com. Add your name to the digital audience of 250,000 plus coastal residents who already know where to find the stories that matter to them. Someone that I talk to virtually every week, I welcome the radio host for In the Zone and Bayou Bingles on WGSO990 AM, my good friend Mitch Gibbs. Let's talk about the Saints and the draft. Do you think they got what they needed or what they wanted?
SPEAKER_02I think they got what they wanted. I've always said that you know the most important positions on the field are quarterback, edge rusher, and then probably a cover corner guy. And uh the Saints feel like they've got their guy in Tyler Shuck at quarterback, although again, small sample, but it looked very promising. So then you go to number two, edge rusher. And as you know, uh Ruben Bain Jr. is a guy I really liked, was really impressive in the uh playoffs. And there were some other guys as well. He was available, and uh I don't think the wide receiver was I think I think it's a priority for the Saints, but not the top priority. And I agree with some other some of my guests on my show have agreed with me that they think um like wide receivers and running backs um are there's so many of them out there, and it's hard to, it's so close to separate uh who's better than the other that you can get them second, third round, maybe. And so the Saints go with the wide receiver who's supposed to be the vertical guy because of course they traded uh Rashid Shaheed, which I still dispute whether he would have, they could have, you know, signed him as a free agent during this offseason. So they went with with their guy, the wide receiver, and uh he's had some injury issues, of course. And so um, you know, you just gotta hope, you know, like any player, he's gonna be okay health-wise. And then, but they didn't even draft an edge rusher. And so um I'm concerned about that because I think that was a priority. Uh, then they're talking about maybe Cam Jordan may come back because he hasn't gotten a lot of love from other teams around the league. And and they're and they're happy with with uh, of course, with uh uh Chase Young, who had a pretty good year. So they they were satisfied, but I I just don't think I think that was their mo their biggest priority because they they felt like they were where they want to be with quarterback. And then um, you know, so you have to see, but the the draft is is an inexact science. You don't know for two or three years whether you picked the right guy. So I think time will tell. I think that's the best thing I can say. Let's hope that uh they're they're okay with with they have an edge, and uh there's always undrafted free agents as well. So uh like I said, it's hard to say uh right now. Um I still think the draft's like a B minus, maybe C plus.
SPEAKER_07The wide receiver room, as you pointed out, Mitch, should be pretty competitive, and offensively they look pretty solid. Was this a factor in the draft, or were the selections the best man up? Because as I've heard before, you know, Mickey Loomis always likes to pick the best man up.
SPEAKER_02You know, again, some of uh some of my guess have I agree with you. I think when you're picking at ninth, I think it becomes uh best man up, you really, because if the draft was so great in the top 10 or 15, then I think you got to pick right. Whoever if you have multiple position needs, you want to pick the the guy who you think is the best player. Jordan Tyson is they they're ravi, but you always have to say that. That's good PR. Oh, we this is a guy we wanted, we love this guy. Uh, but I think, yeah, I would agree with you if I was picking, and and uh I I would think about where my priority is, but if I need, you know, if I think I'm several players away from being a playoff team, then then I'm gonna go with the with whoever's the best available within those positions I need. And Ruben Bain Jr., edge guy was the Saint City edge guy, so that made sense. Tyson is is there because I guess because they love him. Rashid Shaheed was gone. Uh they need a compliment to Chris Olave, who's more of a possession kind of route receiver. So I I think that uh a lot of people said Mickey Loomis doesn't necessarily do that. So they would say no, they wanted Jordan Tyson. I'm thinking they probably thought he was the highest rated player available at that position.
SPEAKER_07What about uh the undrafted free agents? Is there any diamond in the rough with players they picked up? Like, for example, the Ohio State running back that I believe I heard about, also Xavier Harris, the defensive tackle, interior defensive tackle, even though they drafted Kristen Miller from Georgia, as you and I talk about Ole Miss pretty much dominated Georgia. Is there something that uh some guys that they possibly picked up uh an edge rusher I know they traded for from the the Raiders, Tyreek Wilson? Just talk to me about that.
SPEAKER_02Well, they better hope Tyree Wilson is really uh the guy because there was there was other talk about making another trade, I think, um, for it for another edge guy. Uh I no no one really jumps out of me from their uh the free agents, undrafted free agents. And as you know, the Saints have had a great history, but it's years ago with uh guys like Pierre Thomas, for example, and and uh Lance Miller, for example, were great uh acquisitions as undrafted free agents. I don't think they they're they're as sharp in that area as they used to be. So I think it's again, it's a little bit like the draft. It's like you're just hoping you're it's an educated guess. At best, you can do all the work, you know, all the homework. You have the scouts look at all these guys, and you just got to get lucky. And uh the percentages obviously go up when you uh when you look at the early rounds, but you gotta get it right in the early rounds, and that's where the Saints have struggled uh in the last few years, getting it right in the early rounds. But a lot of uh again, some I guess we're saying that the the the value in the draft was in the middle rounds. So let's see if, you know, like the tight end, for example, uh from Georgia. Uh some people think that he was a great pick for the Saints. I think they already have a crowded tight end room there with Juwan Johnson, and then they brought the kid in during free agency as well. So um I just think that you it's gonna be a wait and see. It's sort of like the quarterback situation. Small sample, uh Talashuk looked good, looked like he threw all the right passes, uh, with not a lot of talent around him.
SPEAKER_07What are some of the summer rituals that you remember in the OTAs of the summer camp in July for the Saints? What are they really stress on and what uh what are the what's their main focus?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean I I I I I'm not I'm a big fan of the OTAs because the weather's kind of warm in New Orleans at that time. I think they're just looking to see what they got. And um I guess at that point they decide uh who they're gonna invite to to the regular training. You know, they do a mini camp before the training camp. But uh I'm not I'm one of those guys who's not a big on um, you know, that you learn a lot in training camp. I know they always say, oh, it's you know, there's the two things that you learn, well maybe three, if you have a quarterback controversy. I mean, you're picking the quarterback, starting quarterback. Secondly, you're looking at uh position battles, right? See what guys you're gonna keep and who are gonna start at this position. And then, of course, when you get down to the 53-man roster, because I think that's really what training camp, but but I believe the kicker, I had some guys who told me that cut of the Saints on a daily basis, they thought the kicker was the best, looked the best in the draft. They grew up they cut him this this past season. So training camp is is just to me, uh, you just got to decide who's gonna be your starters and who's not gonna be, who's gonna be on the 53-man roster.
SPEAKER_07Talk to me about the Pelicans and their coaching opportunity. I know you and I spoke a little bit about this, but where do you think they're headed at least once they make this final call on the coaches?
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, uh I just did my show the other day, and one of the guys from The Advocate who covers them on a daily basis thinks that they're serious about Rajan Rondo, and then he said he did a social media poll, which is irrelevant to me because you know, fans, and Rondo, a lot, you know, Rondo was a divisive player, but some people loved him, some people don't like him. But, you know, he won a championship with the Celtics, and then he was very disruptive wherever he went, and God knows he's not a guy that's gonna be a head coach in my opinion.
SPEAKER_07Is he like Reddick? Does he not have any coaching experience?
SPEAKER_02He was like a consultant, I believe, uh on a team this year. He wasn't even officially an assistant head coach. And I know we've, you know, Reddick's done okay with uh the Lakers, although they think the Lakers are about to get hammered by Oklahoma City, maybe swept in the next round. Um, and then Jason Kidd didn't have a lot of experience. So it's you know, it's not, and look, I'm not thrilled with a lot of these retrad coaches. I mean, like the Boston coach, I mean, I mean, my God, you can't keep shooting threes if you keep missing them. Probably cost them the series. I know they Tatum was injured as well, but uh uh I think you've got to go with a guy who is one one in a not an easy situation. And my guy's Darwin Ham because he I know the Lakers are a fancy and all that, but that's not an easy team to coach because you're in the spotlight. You got to deal with LeBron James, who got rid of him eventually. But he got to the conference final, so he's proven he can coach at a pretty high level, and he wasn't fired because he was did did anything wrong. It's just that the star player didn't like him. So he's the my choice. Berega had the team for the majority of the season with very little injury issues. I mean, I know uh DeJounte Murray was hurt for a long time, but they had everybody else on played like as many games as he ever played, and uh they didn't do well. They didn't do well. They were uh even in the second half of the season after the uh the uh all-star break, uh they they they lost to the bit the good teams, generally the playoff team. So um I don't think he's a good option. And and finally, let me just say this you go to you you go to a lot of games. I go to, I mean, I go to a fair amount of games, and when you look, there's a lot of empty seats. You gotta change something. You can't come back and sell the fan base. Oh, uh, we want you to buy these 10-game packages, we want you to get sweets, we want you to do this and that. Oh, but we're not gonna change anything. We're keeping all the players, we basically except for a couple of you know, sideline players, you know, and uh, and we're gonna, you know, we're gonna keep the same coach who was our coach the the most of the season. That's not good. It just doesn't play well.
SPEAKER_07Well, and I thought that's one of the reasons they brought Joe Dumars in for David Griffin because they were trying to improve attendance and trying to improve the rosters, not having a DeAndre Jordan or something like that. Uh yeah, I mean it's uh it's definitely a good question to uh mention as far as uh LSU goes. What uh if you heard anything, I know Lane Kiffin doesn't do a whole lot of spring practice or anything such, but if you heard anything, I've heard there's some stuff going out there about Sam Levitt and all the rest.
SPEAKER_02You know, I think Levitt was uh not gonna be available anyway for the spring, but he's expected, you know, that's the transfer from Arizona State, he's expected to be the starter. Um, you know, Lane. Kiven's an offensive guy, so you would think he would be good with quarterback. I mean, what would whoever gets credit for Trinidad Chambles at all miss last year? Because I saw when I saw him play two lane early in the season, I was like, this Mike might be the best quarterback in the country, and he's coming back to all miss because legally they that they won that argument, and uh they're gonna be a very dangerous team. Um Lake Kivan is good at putting a team together, he's good at putting um a good offense together, he's good at winning uh enough games to be somewhat in the mix, but he's never won an SEC championship, and he's never been in the playoffs, and and whatever you want to call last year, he left. He left. And so uh uh, and the the coach who took his place did a phenomenal job, won two games, beat like you said, Georgia, which is which I thought might be the best team in the country um going into the playoffs. Um so uh I think the roster's gonna be good. He's good with the transfer portal, um, and LU allocates a ton of money for for this, and the fans are are upset because they've really struggled the last few years under Kennedy. And so I think they're gonna be better, but uh, I don't I would be surprised if they make the uh tournament. I think that it's gonna take a little time, but again, you you got to look at at the resume, and the guy has not gotten to the level where LSU fans want them to be. I can't say they're not gonna make it there, but I'm not like telling you that they're definitely gonna win the national championship with Lane Kevin.
SPEAKER_07Tell everyone how they can contact you, Mitch.
SPEAKER_02All right, so right now we're doing uh the New Orleans Today show through June, and uh we're doing it actually in Metropolitan Health, which is a cool place because I'm looking, I'm facing Canal Street, and you get to see all the fancy streetcars coming by. They they change the colors of them a little bit. They look a little newer and nicer, and then we're gearing up, we're just a few months out. It's amazing. We're like, what, three months from uh um from August where we'll start talking LSU football and of course the Saints football as the NFL um, you know, we get to training camp. So that will be uh, you know, we'll have more time to make the the announcements to where exactly we're gonna be. But just writing out every Saturday morning, WGSO Radio 99 a.m., WGSO.com. I have a Twitter at uh at Mitch Gibby 9874, and I post a lot of stuff, and it's Facebook as well on my Facebook page, so you can see all my opinions, comments, etc. All that all that good stuff. Uh we definitely expect to see it's a media days and all the rest. Well, let's hope so. I mean, uh, you know, I know they're gonna be in Tampa for SEC. We'll see how that goes. But you know, I'm gonna be doing the LSU football show, so I'm gonna have to, you know, participate in a lot of what the the SEC football guys want to do.
SPEAKER_07Well, and the Sunbelt too, down there, too. That'll be fun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the Sunbelt, right? It's it uh like I've said the Sunbelt might be the best non-power five conference in college football. They really have assembled, and you look at some of these coaches, like like the two-lane coaches now at Florida was a Sunbelt coach, a lot of Sunbelt coaches. Sumrol, and then the uh uh, you know, um, I think that um whoever, you know, the the uh the coach that used to be at Florida, right? ULD. Yeah, right. Uh got to Florida, for example, as well. So they've they've been going the sunbelt route. Uh that conference has really impressed me. They've done a great job, uh, very media friendly. So uh they're in the mix and they've they've done well in bowl games, too.
SPEAKER_07Hey, sorry, I'm sorry, but I meant Billy Napier, too. Napier, yeah, Billy Napier. Yeah, but uh we thank you, Mitch, very much for that, and uh and you take care of yourself, all right? Good stuff, thank you, man.
SPEAKER_08The following is a paid advertisement by O'Dwyer Realty Agent Stephanie Mankowitz. Call Stephanie today at 228-563-0471 for all your Realty needs.
SPEAKER_07And here we are talking about Realty again with our O'Doyre Realtor Agent sponsor, Stephanie Mankowitz. Let's talk about the tips this week from Stephanie about what realtors should be doing for you.
SPEAKER_11Thank you, Hunter. As always, it's a pleasure to review realtor topics and uh hopefully it helps people, right? So, what should we do we should we be doing for you, the buyer or the seller? First thing I would say is, and it's in the actual disclosure everybody signs when they work with an agent, is ensure all parties are represented fairly and honestly. It's called fair and honest dealings. And if I'm helping you or anyone out before I can even show you a house, you know, you sign that disclosure. And it's not even a contract, it protects you as a person. And I'm supposed to explain that for him to you and say, hey, before we do anything real estate, I am licensed, I am liable, I am here to help you, give you fair and honest dealings, get the most I can for your house, confidentiality. I'm not gonna, if you're a seller, I'm not gonna tell people your bottom line, that's a secret. So, um, so we'll start with that. The first thing is that we are fair. And sometimes realtors get a bad rap, and sometimes there's realtors that have caused that. But uh I know I'm one of the realtors that considers myself pretty by the book and just trying to solve the problem. I just want to be part of the solution, right? So if you're selling a puppy or Avon, whatever it is, there's liabilities when you're selling a house times three, times ten. Okay. Alright, well, I would say uh another thing we do, we we make sure that the people who maybe they were they've never sold a home before, or they've never bought a home before. We make sure that we weed through the shaky buyers or the sellers, buyers that maybe aren't a good idea to deal with, we can see problems coming before they start. When a realtor's been doing this 10 years, and if it is a buyer, we're also looking for sellers that might be a problem. You know, if we're putting in a really healthy offer and it's like full price or near full price, and then we hear there's a multiple offer situation, it doesn't mean you panic. You know, sometimes you leave your offer right where it is, even though there's other offers. So we're making we're weeding through the shakiness and the things that come up that seem unpredictable. And one of the other unpredictable things, like for sellers, is you know, they get an offer and it's got 10 contingencies on it, and the price looks great, and they say they're cash, but there's all these contingencies. So um, you know, you're not you're not really aware how much we help you until you actually deal with a good realtor. That's one thing I would say, and and we want to help them determine the value that's correct if they're selling.
SPEAKER_07What are some of the things that determine the value?
SPEAKER_11Oh okay, that's a good one. Let's start with location. You know the old saying location, location, location. Alright, uh, let's start with what are things selling for around you? If you're in a nice neighborhood and and you think your house is a castle, we all kind of feel like that when we love our home. Doesn't mean it's worth three times what the market says. Uh so people will hear realtors say, Well, the market says your house is worth this. And some sellers don't want to accept that. No, no, it's it's gotta be worth more. I've got a double granite countertop, I've got a fountain that shoots out gold in the backyard, and I've got three kittens with it. So I think I should get a hundred thousand more. And we have to rein people in and say, I love your kittens, I love your granite, and the last year in your neighborhood, people have paid this amount. And though, and that's where we start thinking like an appraiser. So we're like, okay, wait, we can go out two miles and look at the last sales in the last year within two miles of this property, and we can see what people have been paying. And we also look at the square footage, and that's really important, Hunter, because if your house is 2,000 square feet and you saw one sell for a million and it had 3,000 square feet, and you're like, well, mine's worth that too. You're a thousand square feet smaller, so I can't even count that house as a comparable sale, right? When we determine the value, it is the critical, probably the most critical thing we do as your listing agent, because that price is the first thing they see, just like the pictures. And if we priced you so high that you seem ridiculous, they're not coming. And then guess who you don't like? Me, the realtor. You don't like me anymore. So I'm kind of an upfront realtor. I think a lot of us are after we've been in a while. And we say, look, in all honesty, right now, this is what the market says your house is worth. Other things we're gonna help you with is um determining what is the inside of the house worth. Um, appraisals are gonna change next year uh across the country, and there will be different data inputs into determining what your house is worth, so we're gonna be on top of that. Um, and so if you're trying to sell on your own, you know, we can be really helpful and deal with all these unexpected things that happen when you try to uh sell on your own. Um you know, we've talked about sellers a lot, so okay, I'm just gonna put this out there. If you're thinking of selling on your own, that's some of the things we're doing for you, the seller, to make it easier is photos, professional photos. We pay for those. A lot of our photographers have drones. We're taking the calls because it's our number on the sign. So if it's a looky loo, it's not an ideal buyer. We've got our radar out there, so we're taking that hassle, you know, out of it.
SPEAKER_07If you are thinking about selling on your own, maybe ask Steph. If you would like to talk to Stephanie to help determine your next steps, call today at 228-563-0471. Or call her at the office and ask for Steph at 228-452-4242. Steph has the latest information to help you get through the process with reasonable expectations. Again, that's 228-563-0471 to speak directly with Stephanie. We gratefully appreciate you listening to this podcast. Jeff, we thank you again. This was a wonderful day out here at Nontoes Brewery Company and Pastor Christian, Tyler, and the kids and all the rest of the staff. Really fantastic time.
SPEAKER_15And you have the best seat in the house. Like you can see everything going on out, you know, on the outside area, the kids playing, all that. You know, it's great. Like this is this has been a great show, uh, great guest, a really interesting uh discussion, and uh again, want to thank Tyler and Caitlin Kidd for having us here. It's been an amazing day.
SPEAKER_07Absolutely, absolutely. And of course, Jeff, as we are, we have quite a number of them, and we want to thank all of our sponsors, including the host today, Nine Toes Brewing Company, the Beau Revage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Odwire Realty Agent, Stephanie Mankwitz, Joseph Kelly, Attorney at Law, Coast Casual, the Pascushan Rotary Clubs, Paddle of the Bay Fundraiser, and U.S. Marine Inc. Make sure you follow us on the gazeboazette.com, where the podcast will be posted next week sometime, as well as on facebook.com backslash the real gazebo Gazette, or on X at Gazebo Gazette as the handle. And just as Jeff mentions a lot, the HD experience is available on all podcasts, and we ask that you download it and that you write us some reviews, good or bad. We just want to know that we're doing the right thing. Including on the Spotify or on the podcast that's on Spotify, Apple, iHeartRadio, and Amazon Music under the HD Experience tag. Signing out, this is Hunter Dawkins on the HD Experience. We'll catch you on the flip side.