Tiger football has been a staple in the Ulysses community for generations upon generations. Although much of the community’s excitement stems from high school sports, the lessons of sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication begin at a much younger age. Kepley Middle School (KMS) Coach Dalton Kincaid provided an optimistic view into the upcoming football season.
Coach Kincaid is in his second year of coaching seventh grade football. For the 2023 season, Kincaid will be joined by a new Assistant Coach, Diamante Pounds. Pounds has been a resident of Grant County for the last three years whilst joining the Ulysses Police Department as a Jailer. Prior to his career in law enforcement, Pounds graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU).
According to Pounds, being part of a team has been an ongoing trend throughout the majority of his life.
“My first time ever playing (football) was in seventh grade,” said Pounds. “I played the whole four years of high school and went to East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) and played two years.”
During his time at EMCC, Pounds and his team were featured on a Netflix docuseries “Last Chance U”. For the first two seasons, the popular series followed the EMCC Lions football program as the Head Coach Buddy Stephens navigated the educational, athletic, and personal challenges of each player. Going forward, Pounds transferred to West Georgia for a Spring semester before making the final transfer to OPSU. Following his educational career, Pounds was invited to play in an all-star game in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Ironically, Pounds was led to the assistant coach position by his first employer at OPSU, KMS teacher and Tiger Basketball Coach Audrey Marshall.
“She knew that I liked football and told me to get ahold of some people and 24 hours later, Mr. Self showed up at the jail to see if I could interview the next day,” recalled Pounds.
Kincaid and Pounds have a mutual goal of developing each athlete for the future.
“Our main goal is to build a foundation the correct way on the fundamentals so by the time they get to the next level, it’ll all be second nature to playing whatever position,” said Pounds. Kincaid added, “I’m very excited to see what we can do for the future of the football program.”
Kincaid and Pounds expressed gratitude towards USD 214 coaches Cade Albert, Nathan Buchholz, and Kevin Self for their guidance and welcoming nature.
The first KMS football game is scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, August 31 in Holcomb.
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