By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer
Tyler Morning Telegraph

"By winning the last four games, we've steadily gotten better," said TJC head coach Danny Palmer. "We've gotten some interceptions and turnovers. The interceptions in the Trinity Valley ballgame were real big, and the Kilgore game. They came at the right time. Before that, I can't tell you how many interceptions we had, not very many."

 

Whitehouse graduate Jimmy Kennedy, a cornerback, has been at the heart of the defensive turnaround.

The 5-9, 160-pound sophomore had an interception in each of the final three conference games. Overall, the defense has compiled eight of its 11 interceptions in the past four games, giving the unit confidence entering Saturday's playoff game at Blinn.

"Our defense has improved since Jimmy Kennedy has been a starter at corner," said Palmer, whose team made the postseason for the first time since 2004.

Kennedy started TJC's game at Kilgore in place of freshman DeMarquez Freeman of Lufkin, who was sick. Kennedy played well that night and kept the starting job. Freeman, meanwhile, is the immediate backup at both corner spots.

"It's been a blessing," Kennedy said. "Coach always said be ready � and I was ready to go."

Kennedy has impressed the coaches by the way he attacks the ball in the air.

"He becomes a receiver when the ball is thrown to his side," Palmer said. "He can cover from the sideline to the hash mark. If that ball is thrown up, and there's air under the ball, he'll go get it. He's just got good awareness and a good break on the ball."

Another key to a more solid secondary, Palmer said, was moving freshman Jedrick Williams to free safety.

Williams had an interception and 13 tackles in a 54-35 victory at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M last Saturday. Sophomore safety Maurice Hood, a Robert E. Lee graduate, contributed nine tackles and a sack in the victory.

Kennedy signed with the Apaches in February 2007 after being voted second-team all-district at both running back and cornerback. Kennedy redshirted during the 2007 football season while the coaches tried to figure out where to play him.

"When he was a freshman we didn't know if he was a wide receiver or a running back," Palmer said. "He was kind of in between. We were looking at him on offense. Last year he was on special teams because we had two good corners. This year he had an early ankle injury that slowed him down a little bit, but he played on all the special teams."

Kennedy last made the playoffs as a senior at Whitehouse in 2006, but his personal drought did not match TJC's.

"It feels great," he said. "It's a blessing to be out there, helping the players, coaches, school and community all come together as one. The last time I've been to the playoffs was high school, so it came at the right time at the right moment."