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Boykin heads to McIntosh
"This was just a personal decision I had to make," new MHS Coach Larry Boykin said. "The interest in football at Southern Choctaw was just not there. The workload was heavy and there was no booster club or support from the athletes or parents." Boykin spent 13 years as an assistant coach at Southern Choctaw and 13 as the head coach. To say he was successful is an understatement. The Indians were 115-47 with three state championships during Boykin's tenure. They also boast the highest playoff win percentage of any team in 2-A dating back to 1993. Boykin will take over a McIntosh program that was 1A Region 1 champions last year with an 8-3 record. The Demons have always had substantial talent but for whatever reason have failed to turn in a good program year in and year out. With Boykin now on campus, expect that to change. "It was a very bold move. No one expected me to make this move. It is very similar to what Southern Choctaw was when I went there 26 years ago. We were able to improve those kids and we will be able to improve these kids," Boykin said. Boykin continued to talk about what the Demons will have to do to be successful, "McIntosh has the potential. If we can get support we can turn this program around. They have always had talent here even when we played them when I was in school at Washington County." Although the Demons have not been very productive on the football field the basketball program at McIntosh has always excelled. Boykin said that is a plus for the football team. "They (McIntosh) have always been known as a basketball school. To be a basketball school you have to have great athletes. We need to get those players playing football. We will get down there and get those players to understand we can have a great football program too. We need to get as many of those players as possible." Football is not the only thing Boykin is concerned with at McIntosh. Being the athletic director he has some other goals set. "We need to get the females involved whether it is as cheerleaders, the band or sports. If we change the attitudes down there we will change the community." While many of the local schools have already started summer workouts, Boykin isn't worried about coming in and being behind. "I believe in kids being kids. I will do the same things here that I did at Southern Choctaw. We will take the month of June off so the kids can go fishing or swimming. We will start after July 4. That will give us plenty of time to get ready. I believe coaches wear them out by keeping them all summer long." McIntosh has seen a lot of their kids heading to Leroy or Washington County the last few years while the school was on alert. Boykin said he isn't going to compete with schools for kids. "I'm not going to compete for kids. I never ask a kid to come out. They have to make up their own mind whether they want to be here or not. If they do not want to be here then I don't need them here." Boykin is a Washington County graduate and said he is upset over recent reports that he turned down the coaching job at his alma mater. "I did not apply for that job. I was interested in it and had a sit-down with the principal that was there. At the time they didn't know who was going to be the principal. That is something a coach needs to know. I had a lot of questions I needed answered. No one was able to give me any answers. Another thing is they wanted a coach there for spring training. I couldn't do that. I was already obligated at Southern Choctaw."
Bruno Simmons, a math teacher at McIntosh, is the only staff member Boykin has announced. The Demons will begin fall practice on Aug. 6 in what should be a very interesting football season in McIntosh..
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