3 minute read
PLAYING FOR JORDAN
Jordan Herrington played defensive end for the Green Wave. He was killed in a wreck on January 14, 2022 near Lake St. John. A minor was charged in the wreck which killed him but no further information has been released to a juvenile being involved in the case.
BY HUNTER CLOUD | THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT
NATCHEZ — Cathedral finished its summer workouts in mid-July prior to starting fall camp. A No. 9 jersey hangs in the locker room and a bible the team read before every game last year lies under it undisturbed. Its owner is gone.
It’s been about six months since Green Wave students, fans, coaches and teachers found out the tragic news. Sophomore Jordan Herrington was killed in a wreck near Lake St. John on Louisiana 569.
Teammates Jack Winnington, Justin Hawkins and Tris McCoy are helping each other through the grieving process. His absence is noticed not only in the locker room but also the football field.
Head Coach Chuck Darbonne said this spring they had been there helping the kids manage and cope with the loss. Winnington said the whole team helps each other grieve and comfort. They go out to his grave and cross on Louisiana 569.
“I feel like sometimes I will walk out here and he will still be there,” Winnington said.
One of the things Darbonne and assistant coach Kurt Russ praised Herrington for was his attitude. Hawkins has drawn inspiration to improve him-
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From left, teammates Jack Winnington, Tris McCoy and Justin Hawkins hold up the numbers Nine and one for their teammate Jordan Herrington who was killed in a wreck January 14, 2022. He wore the number 9 jersey and wanted the Green Wave to be state champions and worked hard.
Justin Hawkins had this necklace made of him and his cousin about two weeks after the wreck. They were not really close until Jordan attended Cathedral his freshman year. He said their bond grew. Hawkins said he does not take the necklace off and it has become rusted on the back from showers.
self this off season.
“Jordan was the one who got us going and always gave 100 percent. He was never late and always the first one in the gym,” Hawkins said. “He gave everyone motivation. I have worked really hard and gotten stronger and faster over this off season. It was a big loss but we have to work hard every time and give our best.”
Winnington said he first knew Herrington in little league when they played baseball together. Herrington had gone to Natchez High School until transferring to Cathedral his freshman year.
Hawkins is his cousin and has known him the longest. Around his neck, he wears a necklace of him and Jordan. He had the necklace made two weeks after the accident and got it in February. It doesn’t come off, not even for showers as rust has formed on the back of it. Football helps him heal.
“We grew up together and went to church together. I wasn’t ever really close with him until he came to Cathedral,” Hawkins said. “Football gets things off your mind.”
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McCoy has found inspiration in Herrington’s life.
“It motivates me to accomplish more with my life,” McCoy said. “I want to go to the NFL. I want to go to LSU and study Sports Management… The pain is still there, I just have to deal with it.”
Football season is right around the corner and the Green Wave are locked in on a goal to play for Herrington this season. Winnington said all he had dreamed of was winning a state championship.
The work begins in the off-season weight lifting, spring came, summer workouts and fall camp. Cathedral’s path to a state championship and honoring Jordan Herrington is already underway but it enters a new chapter on August 19, 2022 when they play on the road at Madison-Ridgeland Academy.
“We will bring his jersey out with us on the sidelines and have his bible to read before games,” Winnington said. “I want to get the state championship trophy this year and put it in his locker.”
— Blake Wheeler
