Jeremy Shortt and Cecil Hinds have known each other and been best friends for nearly 30 years.
They have played and coached soccer together, and their friendship will add a new chapter on Saturday.
Shortt’s Brandon Lady Bulldogs and Hinds’ Madison Central Lady Jaguars will play for the Class 6A championship at 4 p.m. at Clinton High School.
Brandon (22-0) and Madison Central (21-0-1) are the only two unbeatens in the state, and the Lady Jaguars are the two-time defending state champions.
“It will be a huge accomplishment to finish the season with a state championship,” Hinds said. “We know both of us have a tremendous influence in the community. We’re both competitive, and it’s a very unique situation because rarely you have two friends compete at the highest level in any sport. We both want the opportunity to have a little bit of bragging rights when it’s all said and done.”
The coaches have made big impacts with the programs they have coached.
Hinds, in his fifth season, has continued the MC tradition after the girls’ program won three straight titles from 2009-11. He also coaches the boys, who are going for their fourth championship in a row on Saturday. Hinds led Gulfport to the 2010 6A boys title and won three state titles with Northwest Rankin (2000, 2003, 2008) as an assistant. He has a career winning percentage of .850 (187-26-17).
Shortt, in his first year at Brandon, is trying to bring the school its second title and first since 2012. He led the St. Joe-Madison and Madison-Ridgeland Academy girls soccer programs to their first state championships in 2007 and 2012, respectively. His career winning percentage is .903 (196-17-9).
Brandon is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation, according to MaxPreps. Madison Central is right behind at No. 2 and No. 3.
But all of Hinds’ and Shortt’s success began as teenagers in their home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Separated by an hour, their high school teams played one another once and Shortt’s team won 2-0.
They later became teammates for the nation’s U-16 soccer team, where they were eliminated in the final game by Cuba in the CONCACAF U17 World Cup Qualifying Tournament. The two then played at Belhaven University with the help of Dwayne Demmin, who was also from their home country and who went on and won six state championships as coach at St. Joe.
Hinds said when he and Shortt first met, the connection was instant.
“Because of the culture in Trinidad, it’s like one family through sports,” he said. “Being away from home without immediate family, we were doing something we loved — playing soccer.”
Shortt was a second-team NAIA All-American for the Blazers after his sophomore season and is still third on the school’s single-season list with nine assists.
Hinds said Shortt was “fast, deceptive and a left-footed genius” who had a knack for scoring goals while Shortt called his teammate “one of the best outside backs whose timing to tackle the ball was impeccable.”
They played with the semi-pro team Jackson Chargers and have coached together for several club teams, including the Chicago Fire Juniors of Mississippi, which produced MLS player Justin Mapp. Shortt is also the director for the Northwest Rankin Athletic Association Soccer League.
“We got into coaching as soon as we got off the plane in ’95 and loved it,” Shortt said. “I love coaching. I love the teamwork involved and the relationships forged from it. Seeing your team start from scratch and become a cohesive unit is an achievement in itself.”
Saturday will mark the first time their high school teams will have played one another. They were to play in December, but Madison Central needed to make up a region game on the scheduled date.
They will now get that chance.
“We have never (coached) against each other in high school, but I have been around enough to know how good he is,” Shortt said. “He pays so much attention to detail — he has that Tony Dungy affect where he’s very softspoken and is always thinking about how to break you down and about the next play happening.
“He knows how to adjust to every situation and his team is well-prepared mentally and physically and wants to play for him, which is frightening.”
The coaches generally speak at least three times a week, and this week has been no different, even as they try to outcoach one another for a title.
“We’ve had friends of ours throw stuff out there in group text messages like the battle of the Trinidadians, the foreigner battle. Just close friends who’ve put their two cents in,” Hinds said. “Everyone has some tricks. Why would we not expect anything less? We are certainly two passionate coaches striving to win a state championship.
Added Shortt: “He is looking to three-peat and I am looking for my first in 6A, which makes it even more unique. There’s so much friendships on both teams — not he and I alone — but we have 21 girls from both teams who, once the game is over, will start practice for the Mississippi Rush club teams. The game will hopefully be a good one as both of us strive to continue to improve the game here in Mississippi.”