NATCHEZ — David King has been coaching football for 24 years, including a stint at Trinity Episcopal Day School, which, under his tenure won state championships in 2001, 2006, 2009 and 2010.

When King returned to his alma mater, Adams County Christian School as headmaster and head football coach in 2012, a goal was to bring a state championship to the school from which he graduated in 1987.

That dream became reality this season when the ACCS Rebels won the MAIS Class AAA state championship.

The achievement came as a result of six years hard work and after ACCS picked up a few former Trinity school football players who transferred to ACCS after Trinity closed its doors at the end of the past school year.

The ACCS Rebels opened the season like gangbusters, winning the first seven games before the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools informed the team that a player was ruled to be in eligible due to a technicality associated with a change of residence.

At the time King said the infraction was due to “a couple of pieces” of furniture left behind at the former address. The infraction, however, resulted in ACCS first seven wins being stripped.

King took full responsibility for the oversight at the time.

“It’s my responsibility as the head of the school to ensure that our kids are all eligible,” King said at the time. “In 24 years of coaching, besides burying three of my football players, this is the toughest thing I’ve had to deal with, and I’m devastated for our school. And it’s no one’s fault but mine, but it was definitely an unintentional factor that cost a great group of boys a great season.”

King managed to keep the ACCS ship afloat and under his leadership, the team went on to prevail, winning every game the rest of the season, making it into the playoffs and eventually winning the MAIS Class AAA state championship.

King credits the team for the achievement and declined to be interviewed for this story, saying he preferred the spotlight to be on the players.

For his determination and quiet, steady leadership in the face of overwhelming odds, The Natchez Democrat has named ACCS’s headmaster and football coach the 2018 All Metro Football Coach of the Year.