Munroe’s growth from segregation academy to Gadsden grown football power. For many years, Munroe Day Faculty was quiet, small brick home in rural Gadsden County.
Chattahoochee Excessive, Havana Northside, Greensboro Excessive, and Shanks Excessive all competed within the 90s in soccer and basketball.
The 4 faculties later mixed into two within the mid-2000s as East Gadsden and West Gadsden earlier than turning into one highschool, Gadsden County Excessive, in 2016. In boasting numerous athletic successes, Munroe was on the skin trying in.
“There was actually no rivalry between Munroe and the general public faculties, in actual fact, we hardly ever performed them,” Munroe basketball coach and Havana Northside alumnus Dimitric Salters mentioned. “They have been in their very own classification with Aucilla Christian, FAMU Excessive, Maclay, and perhaps North Florida Christian, however they hardly ever performed the general public faculties in Gadsden. Perhaps in baseball, however soccer and basketball they didn’t at the moment.”
The Bobcats had just a few silver linings in its baseball program and gained a ladies’ basketball state championship in 1994, however when it got here to soccer, Munroe struggled to get 11 gamers on the sector.
Clay Fallis, a 27-year veteran coach of this system and Munroe’s present offensive line coach, who attended Munroe within the 80s and had his children attend the college, has seen this system slowly develop over its virtually 50-year existence and hit a sudden development spurt these previous two years.
Nevertheless, it is taken some attempting occasions to get the place the Bobcats are immediately.
“I’ve seen this faculty go from the smallest faculty within the state to taking part in 11-man soccer to now within the state last 4. The trajectory has been up,” Fallis mentioned. “The college gained its first district championship in 1997.
Gained the second district championship in 1998 and misplaced within the first spherical of the playoffs. Went to the playoffs because the district runner-up in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Misplaced. The. First. Spherical. Of. The. Playoffs.”
“Then we had this massive hole. We’d do effectively, however not effectively sufficient to make the playoffs. There have been some years after we weren’t good as a result of it is a small non-public faculty out right here and there is no miracle stroll within the corridor. There should not 500 children to select from. There are 300 children and that counts the kindergartners.”
In 2020, regardless of one other first-round exit, Munroe posted an undefeated common season, one 12 months of a 1-9 report. In 2021, regardless of a slight fall to 7-2 within the common season, historical past started to put in writing itself.
The Bobcats topped perirenal energy College Christian in regional semifinals to win this system’s first playoff sport and make an look within the regional championship for the primary time ever.
The offseason noticed Russell Ellington employed as this system’s first Black head coach and begin seeing extra expertise arrive on the little faculty in Mount Plesant.
Gamers have been committing to locations like Stanford, and Florida State and getting provides from Michigan, Oklahoma, and lots of extra. As well as, gamers who had left Gadsden County to play in Tallahassee started to return again dwelling.
Senior Markari Vickers, junior Ostin Perkins, and senior Makahi Brown are just some names which have returned again to their Gadsden County roots after transferring to Tallahassee faculties.
The motion within the offseason has solely lined up the Bobcats for a historic 2022 marketing campaign, profitable this system’s first regional title and placing Munroe solely two wins away from its first-ever soccer state title.
“The three and a half years I have been right here have been loopy,” Ellington mentioned. “The main focus the primary 12 months we have been simply looking for guys who wished to play soccer and numbers to apply.
Final 12 months, we had a brand new inflow of youngsters and a brand new dynamic to this system and this 12 months simply went off the rails. We had children from center faculty, freshmen, and juniors coming into this system.”
“We lastly had an actual soccer staff this 12 months that might apply and work on issues. Academically, we solely have two individuals below a 3.0 GPA. Ahmari Borden and DJ Johnson have two of the very best GPAs within the faculty.”
Extending a legacy
Regardless of this being his first season on the helm of the Munroe program, Ellington has at all times been part of the altering dynamic at Munroe.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, and rising up in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Ellington has at all times aspired to dwell as much as the legacy of his grandfather.
Russell Ellington Sr. was a storied basketball coach in Georiga, teaching a number of highschool squads, Savannah State College’s males’s basketball staff, and even the Harlem Globetrotters for 9 seasons.
Ellington Sr. gained Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Convention basketball titles, and 4 highschool state championships and is a member of a number of institutional halls of fame.
Ellington performed school soccer at Illinois earlier than returning down south and ultimately coming to Munroe. He had heard rumbles about what was being constructed on the small, rural Florida non-public faculty from a buddy, and now assistant coach Mikhal Kornegay, who performed soccer at Florida State.
Salters additionally performed towards Ellington Sr.’s groups when he was in highschool. Ellington knew nothing about Quincy, not to mention Munroe, however was open to the chance.
“I knew nothing about Munroe after I got here into the job,” Ellington mentioned. “The primary time I heard in regards to the faculty was after I talked to educate Salters and it was additionally the primary time heard about Quincy, Florida.
Now, being from south Georgia, I knew about Bolles, Rickards, and the faculties that had been profitable for some time, however I did not know of Munroe. However I am blissful I adopted my coronary heart right here.”
Ellington joined this system as an assistant coach within the midst of a brand new wave at Munroe to make the college an athletic competitor not simply within the Huge Bend, however in Florida.
Joseph Gaddy set a plan in place to place this system in movement within the mid-2010s earlier than stepping down as a result of private causes.
Alex Lehky later took over as head coach, piloting Munroe to 2 historic seasons and the Bobcats’ first playoff win.
Ellington is the fifth head coach within the final decade at Munroe, with Lehky leaving this previous offseason for an assistant teaching job at Espresso Excessive Faculty in Georgia.
In being this system’s first Black head coach, he understands the importance of moving into the function and what it means to the event of the college, however he additionally sees it as an opportunity to proceed following in his grandfather’s footsteps.
In an analogous mild, Ellington Sr. gained the primary built-in basketball state championship in Georgia in 1967.
“There’s some significance to being Munroe’s first Black head coach as a result of I am attempting to observe in my granddad’s footsteps,” Ellington mentioned.
“I delight myself in following what he did and making historical past myself, however I might be mendacity to you if I mentioned that was the principle focus for me proper now. My most important focus proper now could be to win a state championship and be often known as a winner.”
That is what faculties needs to be
Munroe is a far cry from what it was again within the late 60s and early 70s, together with a handful of different Huge Bend non-public faculties.
Munroe, North Florida Christian, Maclay Faculty, and Tallavana Christian have been all based as segregation academies, however have since then opened their doorways to everybody.
The demographic make-up of Gadsden County is 55 % Black in response to the 2021 U.S. Census, with Munroe boasting a 50 % minority enrollment (29.2 % Black, 15.9 % Hispanic/Latino, 4.7 % two or extra races and 0.7 % Asian/Asian Pacific Islander) in response to U.S. Information.
Exterior of Tallavana Christian (94.2 % minority enrollment), Munroe is the second-most numerous former segregation academy in Huge Bend.
Salters, who’s a lifelong resident of Gadsden County, teaching at East Gadsden, and at Munroe has famous the demographical change since he was in highschool.
It is an correct make-up of the county being that’s serving to the college rise to prominence. Salters had a full-circle second final winter because the Bobcats defeated Gadsden County in boys basketball final season, a matchup that was unthought of when he was in highschool.
“The college has modified tremendously since my associates have gone right here,” Salters mentioned. “The range is actually, actually good when it comes to lecturers, school, workers, and college students.
Munroe has grown culturally and has improved tremendously, academically and athletically. That is what faculties needs to be. Simply very numerous. It is an amazing place to go to high school and the neighborhood has purchased into it.”
Whereas recruiting has develop into a giant focus in highschool sports activities, and Munroe has boasted a handful of transfers from southwest Georgia, lots of its massive playmakers are Gadsden County-born and raised gamers.
It has been a objective of this system for years to convey the Gadsden County expertise again into the realm. The blokes making the large runs, grabs, and tackles are taking part in proper of their hometown.
“Many of the guys which can be making the performs for us are from Gadsden County,” Ellington mentioned. “You’ve an Ostin Perkins and Makari Vickers that come again.
After which you’ve got guys which can be comparatively unknown like a Carson Bradley or a Janealius Davis. We get to video games and persons are like ‘who’re these massive guys,’ however everybody within the county already is aware of about them.”
“We’re additionally the one non-public faculty soccer program within the nation. NFC, JPII, and Maclay should compete for teenagers.
If you wish to go to public faculty, you possibly can go to Gadsden County. If you wish to go to a non-public faculty, Munroe is an possibility.
I do not need individuals to suppose if you would like a very good training and good athletics, it’s important to go to Leon County.”
Regardless of the outcome, the 2022 season will go down in Bobcats’ historical past. The primary regional title win, first state semifinals look, and even the primary time Munroe has gained a sport off a discipline objective.
It is one other chapter etched into the agricultural faculty’s ever-growing story and one which has left a resonating affect.
Gadsden County has taken discover of Munroe and so has its opposition.
“That is going to get individuals to listen to about Munroe that haven’t bizarre heard about it,” Fallis mentioned. “Once they’ve heard about Munroe earlier than it has been oh it is simply Munroe.
Now it has been, ‘oh it is Munroe. We will not take this week off’. That child’s from Munroe. He works arduous over there.”
“I believe one thing like that is simply going to place the college in an even bigger mild statewide.”
