NATCHEZ — Dee Fleming was beside himself on the sideline during a 27-17 loss to Adams County Christian School Oct. 9.

Suffering an ankle sprain on the second drive of the game withdrew Fleming from the heavily anticipated crosstown showdown between Cathedral High School and ACCS.

Showing obvious disappointment over the situation, a fan came up to the Cathedral senior running back and said, “We know you work hard, we know you play hard, but right now, you need to take it easy and be there for your team.”

The nerves calmed, as did the anxiety of being unable to help his team from afar.

“To sit there and be anticipating that game for a while, that really got to me,” Fleming said. “After a while, I had to realize that it’s not about me, it’s about my team and my program. I put the selfish part of it to the side. I just wanted to be there for my teammates as much as I could.”

Sitting still is not what made Fleming’s name in the Miss-Lou. As a junior, Fleming accounted for 1,459 rushing yards, 559 receiving yards and 34 total touchdowns. In the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A State Championship win against St. Aloysius, Fleming totaled 194 yards and a touchdown. So after being limited against ACCS, Cathedral head coach Ron Rushing knew it would take a lot to keep Fleming out against Centreville Academy.

“Of course, a senior player like that, he’s going to want to play,” Rushing said. “But he knows what the deal is. We have a huge district clash against Columbia Academy (Friday), and though we want to win against Centreville, the Columbia game means more in terms of district.”

Against Columbia, Rushing made no secret about it — he plans on feeding Fleming the ball throughout the ballgame, which has been the game plan for most games.

Fleming knew it before the season, acknowledging that he was putting in extra work to be able to handle the load and live up to the expectations.

“I knew that’s how it would be going into the season, so I knew I had to put in the work,” Fleming said. “Just like anything, you have to work hard to overcome the challenges placed in front of you.”

Fleming currently faces a different challenge. With his ankle “getting better every day,” Fleming is concentrating on getting back on the field 100 percent.

Before his injury, Fleming rushed for 659 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in his senior campaign, despite sitting on the bench in the second half of multiple contests.

“A player like that, he stacks up with anybody I’ve ever coached athletically,” Rushing said. “I say it day in and day out, character and work ethic is A-plus across the board. When a player like that goes down, leadership suffers.”

With a district championship still possible (Cathedral will win the district if Simpson beats ACCS by five points and Cathedral defeats Columbia), Fleming will lead his team in yet another crucial moment. Injured or not, Fleming is grateful for the opportunity to represent his team in crunch time.

“Everything happens for a reason, good or bad,” Fleming said. “I’m going to look at this injury as God has a reason for this.”