Woodville — Behind Devin Voorhies’ athleticism and Kenneth Brown’s coaching, Wilkinson County High School made history this seaon.

Voorhies, an LSU commit who played quarterback and defensive back for the Wildcats, threw for 2,374 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He was also named Gatorade’s Mississippi player of the year.

Brown has amassed a 27-11 record in the years at WCHS, steadily improving each season. In 2011, the Wildcats went 6-6. Last year, they were 9-3.

Because of their standout performances this year, Voorhies and Brown were named The Natchez Democrat’s All-Metro player and coach of the year, respectively.

Brown said he was happy to be named coach of the year, but he believes it should be changed to the “coaching staff” of the year.

“It’s not about me,” Brown said. “This is a ‘we’ thing. I have an outstanding coaching staff and volunteers who played in college and take the time to teach these young kids the game.”

Brown said he would like to thank his staff, which includes Alvin Fosselman, Tyron Perry, Micheal Smith, Roderick Lewis, Phillip Thompson, Julius Anderson, Chris Brown and Larry Fields for their dedication to the Wildcats program.

Brown said in his 30-plus years as a coach, he had to learn some things to get to where he is.

“Over the years, things change,” Brown said. “We used to be a run-oriented team, where we would line up in a wing or double wing, but with the transformation of football, the spread (offense) became the norm.

“So what we’ve done is keep some of the old stuff and use the new stuff, put those two together and made it work for us.”

Passing the ball became a big factor for the Wildcats in their playoff run this past season, and Voorhies was a huge part of it.

Voorhies led his team further than they’ve ever been, but he said it was the team effort that allowed him to throw so efficiently.

Voorhies said he was excited to get as far as they did this season.

“It was a great season, and we got a lot of stuff accomplished,” Voorhies said.

The senior quarterback said the team put in a lot of work in the offseason to prepare for what was an historic season.

“All of the hard work paid off,” he said. “In the summer, I was lifting weights, running twice a day and eating right.”

As Voorhies gets ready for his freshman year at LSU, he said Brown given him several tips about what it takes to succeed in college football.

“He taught me different techniques and what it’s like at the next level,” Voorhies said. “I count on my speed and strength to give me that edge, and that’s something we’ve been working on.”

Voorhies is currently playing basketball, while Brown said winter workouts will start for the Wildcats after the Christmas break.