By De’Issac House

Good players are not born. They are molded from hard work and not just God-given ability. They do not rely on talent alone. They put in the work and study the game. Senior defensive back Josh Shorter is an example of a hard worker. 

He considers himself a smart player and says that playing defensive back requires him to know his role on defense at all times. He also feels that a lot of fans believe that cornerbacks are not physical and afraid to tackle. 

“I am a striker at my position,” Shorter said. 

Last season Shorter was a role player, only coming in when needed and also a second team player. This season he will be in the starting rotation. The Tigers’ deepest position will be defensive back this year. 

“I came in each and every day with a mindset to grind hard and get better,” Shorter said, “I felt like I had to work hard to earn that spot.”  

Shorter says that he wants to be one that the defense looks to for big plays. He also says that the defense will lead the team this year to another gold ball. He wants the defense to prove to country and state that the South Panola’s “Nasty Bunch” is still around. 

“We have to prove that we worked harder this summer,” Shorter said, “We, as a team, will give gold ball effort each and every snap.” 

Shorter said that he has been working all summer to improve his coverage skills. He said that his style of play was similar to the Cleveland Browns’ Joe Haden. 

“He can cover and he can also tackle well in space,” Shorter said, “He doesn’t talk about how good he is. He just goes out there and shows it.”  

Shorter said that he will be an interception machine this season and he will be all over the field. He wants the opposing offenses to fear him and have to game plan for him this season. 

“I love picking the offense off and getting the crowd hyped up,” Shorter said. 

Shorter also says that he loves the game. He loves the qualities that it shows and instills in a player. He loves the competition amongst the players saying it teaches you leadership and sportsmanship. 

“It’s like a job. It brings out your work ethic,” Shorter said. 

Shorter said that he is determined to play at the next level and that he will be scouted. He said he is going to make coaches wonder who is. He said that there are no interests yet, but there will be. 

Shorter is the son of Willie Shorter and Stephanie Joiner.