.png)
Higginson sends positive message to players, fans in meeting
- The Posey County News
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Dennis Marshall
The first public look at Brad Higginson’s Mount Vernon football program came Friday night. While players moved through competitions and drills at Memorial Field and families filled the stands, kids chased autographs and the Wildcats’ new head coach addressed the community for the first time.
For Eastin Hall, one of the team’s top returning players, the buy-in started before Higginson ever ran his first workout.
Hall was among the players present during Higginson’s interview with the school board earlier this year and quickly saw a coach intent on demanding more from the Wildcats.
“He wants to push us to our limits,” Hall said. “That’s just got me fired up right away.”
Hall’s impression only strengthened once Higginson arrived in Posey County. He said players have responded well to Higginson’s approach during the opening days, adding that the Wildcats are looking forward to playing more aggressively on defense and leaning into a downhill run game offensively this fall.
“We’re all very excited,” Hall said. “Coach Higginson seems eager to get to work with us. The blood has already started flowing and everyone wants to get back out on the field.”
As the Wildcats advance through summer workouts, Hall said the roster’s ability to buy into the same direction under Higginson could ultimately shape how fast the program develops.
“We have to come together like a big family, and want to go after it together,” Hall said.
For Higginson, the opportunity to take over Mount Vernon football carried both professional and personal weight.
The Poseyville native and 2003 North Posey graduate returned to southwestern Indiana after building a coaching résumé across stops at Gannon (Penn.), Manchester (Ind.), Cumberland (Tenn.) and Chattanooga Christian School following a standout playing career at Kentucky Wesleyan, where he was a four-year starter at free safety and Division II All-American.
“My family is here,” Higginson said. “That is important to me.”
The combination of community backing, administrative support and football tradition also made the position appealing from the beginning.
Higginson credited athletic director Leigh Ann Latshaw for helping the transition come together smoothly, while also noting principal Scott Strieter — who coached Higginson during a high school all-star game years ago — provided a familiar connection upon returning to the area. Higginson added that Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Stewart has also supported the vision he hopes to establish around the program.
That vision started taking shape quickly once workouts opened.
Higginson said Mount Vernon’s athleticism and size along the line of scrimmage immediately stood out during the opening stages of the summer, particularly as the Wildcats begin building an offense expected to lean heavily on the run game while still looking to stretch the field vertically.
“This is a great group of young men,” Higginson said. “We’re going to rely on the run game, push the ball down the field and really just move some guys.”
With Mount Vernon expected to feature some two-way players this fall, Higginson said the staff intentionally started with offensive installation during the opening week before shifting additional attention toward the defensive side next week in an effort to avoid overloading players early in the summer.
Friday night’s event represented an early opportunity to connect the program with the community while allowing players to see how much support still surrounds Mount Vernon football.
“Tonight was just a showcase and getting the community involved,” Higginson said. “It let the community see the hard work the players are putting in, and showed the players that there are people out there who care about them and want to see them do well.”
Higginson added that the Wildcats already have another community outreach event planned at the local library later this summer as the program continues emphasizing connection beyond the field.
The vision Higginson described was part of what convinced administrators they had found the right person to lead the program.
Latshaw said Higginson separated himself by the way he talked about people as much as football.
The resume mattered. So did the years spent coaching at the college level. But Mount Vernon also wanted someone capable of walking into a locker room, earning trust and getting players to believe in the work required to move the program forward.
Higginson’s message to the community remained direct.
“I’m here to work, “ he said. “I’m here to make these guys better young men. We’re going to be a tough, hard-edged football team. We’re here to compete and to win.”