By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOSS POINT — Once mighty Moss Point is coming off of its worst season on the football field in 36 years.
Now, the Tigers are turning to one of their own to hopefully get the program back on track.
Julius Bridges took over as interim head coach in May, after John Fester left abruptly after one season. Moss Point went just 2-7 under Feaster and missed the state playoffs, marking the worst overall outing on the gridiron since the Tigers went 1-9 in 1987.
Bridges, who also serves as the Tigers’ head baseball coach, is a 2008 graduate of MPHS who excelled on both the gridiron and the diamond during his days playing for his alma mater.
Bridges has been an assistant football coach at MPHS for the past 12 years, and handled the offensive line duties for the past three seasons before being elevated to the top spot.
He becomes the first MPHS alumnus to be head coach of the Tigers since Lewis Sims in 2010.
“I’m ready for this opportunity,” Bridges said, in a recent interview. “I understand the history and I understand the culture of Moss Point football. I’m looking forward to bringing my coaching style, enthusiasm, and dedication to the team to help us achieve success together.”

The 2-7 record last season marked the worst record for the Tigers in a season in 10 years. However, despite going just 2-9 in 2013 the Tigers did manage to earn a spot in the state playoffs that season.
In the 13 seasons since Sims left Moss Point and crossed Jefferson Street to take over as head coach at arch-rival Pascagoula, Moss Point has recorded just three winning campaigns in 13 seasons.
“We’re instilling discipline and hard work and making sure the players hit the weight room hard,” Bridges added. “I’ve got a great senior group, and they went through some tough battles last season but they also did some positive things.”
Several of those seniors that Bridges is counting on this season include versatile standout Kevon Ford who will step in at quarterback and play in the secondary on defense as well. He is a three year starter.
Also, the Tigers get back monstrous lineman Deshawn Feazell as the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder returns for his senior season as well as classmates in wide receiver/cornerback Con’darius McCorvey and linebacker Ja’Keleen Murray.

“Last year, we averaged dressing out about 35 players for each game,” Bridges continued. “But over the summer we averaged between 50 and 55 players per workout. We’re trying to build this program back up.”
Moss Point has won five state champions in the past four decades plus, with four of those coming in a dominant 10 year stretch from 1991-2001 where the Tigers won for state titles and played for another.
However, the last gold ball came home to Dantzler Street 24 years ago, in 2000.
“The seniors on this team have never seen Moss Point win a state championship,” Bridges concluded. “Long term, our goal is to get number six. We want to build back the program and the community and put Moss Point back where it used to be.”