School Spotlight: Madison Central High School (Madison, MS)

Madison Central High School is Located in Madison, Mississippi – north of Jackson. Madison Central Jaguars have been a powerhouse in Mississippi 6A football for long over a decade and plan on remaining at the top of the new 7A class for years to come. The orange and blue Jaguars opened doors at their high school in 1991; that same year was also their first football season. Madison Central has won 15 District Championship since 1992, rattling off 7 in a row from 2007 through 2013 under former longtime head coach Bobby Hall. For the many years Madison Central only had a single State Championship back in 1999. That was until Madison Central hired Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Toby Collums in 2021.

When former head coach Anthony Hart retired from Madison Central in 2020, they went out and hired Northwest Rankin Head Coach Toby Collums. He comes into the position at Madison Central with over 22 years of coaching experience, 12 years as a head football coach. Coach Collums inherited the coaching staff left behind by coach Hart. When asked what was that process was like of changing staff and meshing with a new organization and team Coach Collums responded with:

“It was absolutely an experience you can’t describe – I came into a situation with a great group of kids, a great staff and community to back us. It felt great to get Madison Central over the hump of the North-half State Championship and then end the drought for a State Championship.”

Toby Collums

In the first season under Coach Collums, the Jags went 13-1 and ended the year with Madison Central’s 2^nd State Title after defeating Brandon in the Championship 24-17.

Expectations at Madison Central are very high for years to come, as the Jaguars have produced plentiful talent for higher levels of football like college and professional. MC has notable alumni such as Chris Spencer, Mike Epsy Jr, Parys Haralson, and Stephen Gostkowski – to name a few that played in the NFL. Coach Collums, his staff and players all know where the bar is set and plan on maintaining dominance as they move to the new 7A class in Mississippi. This past season the Madison Central Jaguars held a record of 8-4 after a second round defeat to Tupelo High School. Yet, expectations have not changed as the Jaguars prepare for the 2023 football season.

During the offseason the Jaguars plan will be working out 4 times a week, with a day in between to rest, relax, and get far away from football as possible. Once school is out the Jags will continue with their offseason routine by working out 4 days a week and focus on staying in shape to prevent injuries in the long season to come. Madison Central will have a young offensive core unit with an untested quarterback and three new receivers. Yet, they will rely on a solid front offensive line, returning 4 starters as well as a tight-end who received playing time in the Jaguars two tight-end set. On the defense Madison Central will be returning 8 starters from the previous season, majority of them linebackers and defensive-backs’. The Jags will also be returning their placekicker and punter. Many of the returning starters, as well as upcoming starters, stem from the 2025 class and played their sophomore year. Madison Central has a strong team with experience that other teams wished they had.

As the Jaguars head into this offseason, Coach Collums mentioned a few players to keep an eye on for this upcoming season:

No. 55 Joe Koury plays the Center position for Madison Central – listed at 6’1 285 pounds. He has incredible strength with a 300 lb. bench press and 700 lb. squat. Joe is in the 2024 class and will he starting for his 3rd year.

No. 15 Micah Jones plays tight-end for the Jaguars. He is listed at 6’5 210 – Micah is the returning tight-end that has playing experience from the previous season. the tight-end for Madison Central is in the 2025 class, and still has two seasons with the Jags.

No. 7 Ryan McCall plays linebacker for Madison Central, listed at 5’11 215 pounds. McCall will be a senior this upcoming season for the Jaguars. He is a hard-hitting backer who shows great speed on every play. In his junior year McCall put up 91 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks throughout the season. McCall seems to have a good sense of where the ball is at all times on the field. Ryan McCall is in the 2024 class and will be starting for his second season this year.

Coach Collums spoke highly of his entire squad, and is extremely proud of his young student-athletes thus far. While the expectations are where they at, this program plans on developing young men for the better of themselves regardless of the results. The Jags will go into the season with experience under their belt, a veteran coach and staff, and the backing of a community. Madison Central Jaguars will open up the 2023 season at home vs Ocean Springs (MS) on August 25^th, 2023.