Head Coach Ricky Woods

When Northwest went looking for a new head football coach in December of 2007, one name soon emerged that got the attention of the college selection committee—Ricky Woods. Woods officially took the reins of the Ranger football program in January and optimism is high that he can lead Northwest back to the glory days of the 1980s and 1990s. Posting a high school record of 213-43, Woods has 26 years of coaching experience under his belt, including 19 seasons as a head coach. His teams have claimed six state and 13 district championships.

One of the most successful football coaches ever in the history of Mississippi high school ranks, Woods joined Northwest after coaching the 2007 season at Bainbridge High School in Georgia. Woods took a team that went 5-6  the year before his arrival and led it to the quarter-finals of the state playoffs and a final record of 9-4.

Woods is best known for his five seasons as head coach at South Panola High School. Woods complied a record of 74-1 at the helm of the Tigers which included a 60-game win streak from 2002 through 2006. He also led South Panola to four consecutive Class 5A State Championships. All four of those squads ranked in the Top 10 nationally according to USA Today. He was selected EA Sports National Coach of the Year and Mississippi Coach of the Year by The Clarion Ledger in 2005. He was named Class 5A Coach of the Year by the MHSAA four consecutive seasons from 2003 through 2006.

Woods was also named Schutt Sports Southwest Region High School Coach of the Year in 2004. He was chosen Class 5A State Coach of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Coaches on four different occasions. Before taking the job at South Panola, Woods was the head coach at Ackerman High School for six seasons from 1995 through 2001. Woods led Ackerman to Class 2A state championships in 1997 and 2001. Woods was named 2A State Coach of the Year both seasons. Woods’ Ackerman teams were runners-up for the state championship in 1996 and 2000. He was chosen region Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001 and district Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1999.

As head coach at Eupora High School for five seasons from 1990 through 1994, Woods earned district Coach of the Year honors in 1993. A 1978 graduate of Ackerman High School, Woods earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Mississippi State University in 1982. Woods is married to the former Susan Rhodes. They have two sons, Stan and Thomas.

Offensive Coordinator Jack Wright

Jack Wright is in his first season as a member of the Ranger football coaching staff serving as offensive coordinator. Wright came to Northwest from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., where he was assistant coach and offensive line coach for three seasons from 2005 through 2007. He was also the run-game coordinator and strength coach at Millsaps. Wright’s presence at Millsaps helped turn around a program that won only two games in 2005.

The Majors posted a record of 7-4 in 2006 and 8-2 in 2007. The 2006 Millsaps squad claimed its first outright conference championship in 15 years and qualified for the playoffs to end a 31- year drought. The Majors also won back-to-back conference championships in 2006 and 2007 for the first time in school history. Wright was part leader of a Millsaps offense that averaged 39.7 points and 458 yards per game in 2007. The Majors led the conference in almost every offensive category.

Before going to Millsaps, Wright was the offensive line coach and powerlifting coach at Meridian High School during the 2002, 2003, and 2004 seasons. Under Wright, Meridian produced four 1000-yard rushers in three seasons and improved from 3-8 in 2002 to 8-4 in 2003 and 11-2 in 2004. He started four seasons as a deep snapper and center at Arkansas State University. He earned a master’s degree in business administration in 2001 and a bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 1999. A 1996 graduate of South Panola High School, Wright was a three-year starter on the Tiger football team. He earned All-State honors as a senior and helped South Panola claim the Class 5A State Championship in 1993 with a perfect record of 15-0. Wright is engaged to Brooke Lummus of Batesville. Their wedding date is set for February of 2009.

Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach Blake Frazier

Blake Frazier is in his fourth campaign with the Northwest football program. Frazier is the team’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach.
Last season, Frazier helped the 2007 Ranger defense rank second in the state and 15th in the nation allowing just 235.4 yards per game.

Northwest placed second in the state and 14th in the country in rushing defense giving up 107.8 yards. The Rangers were third in the state and 16th in the nation in passing defense by surrendering just 127.7 yards.

Frazier joined Northwest in 2005 as linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2006. The Rangers finished first in the state and 14th in the nation in total defense averaging 213 yards per game in Frazier's initial season as defensive coordinator.

Frazier came to Northwest from Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile, Ala., where he was assistant football coach for one season in 2004 and headed up the school’s strength program. He also taught biology, physical education and religion. Frazier earned coaching experience as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Taylor County High School in Florida in 2003, and coached linebackers as a graduate assistant at the University of West Alabama in 2002. His first coaching stint came in 2001 as a student assistant at Jones County Junior College. Frazier helped lead Jones County to the MACJC State Championship that season.

A 2000 graduate of Southwest Mississippi Community College, Frazier earned two letters in football while playing for the Bears. He received his bachelor's degree in science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2002, then picked up his master's degree from the University of West Alabama in 2003.

Frazier is married to the former Penny Hawks of Senatobia.

Strength Coach Danny Ray Cole

Danny Ray Cole is beginning his eighth campaign as a member of the Northwest football coaching staff. Cole serves as the team’s strength coach. He also serves as a supervisor of Gainey Hall, the athletic residence hall on the main campus in Senatobia.
Cole, who is a member of the Mississippi Coaches Association, came to Northwest from South Panola High School where he coached the defensive line and was strength and conditioning coach from 1991 through 2000. During his 10-year stay at South Panola, Cole helped the Tigers reach the Class 5A State Championship game on four occasions. South Panola won the Class 5A State Championship in 1993 and 1999.

A 1980 graduate of South Panola High School, Cole attended Northwest for one year and majored in physical education. After Northwest, he earned his B.S. degree in physical education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Besides coaching defensive linemen on the Ranger football team, Cole lifts weights as a hobby, which has earned him a place as one of the “Strongest Men in Mississippi” with the High School Coaches Association. Cole competes in the super heavyweight category of 300 pounds and up. He can bench press 600 pounds and squat 900. He qualified for the 1986 Olympic team as a world-class bencher.

Outside Linebackers Coach Willis Wright

A coaching legend among the Mississippi high school ranks, Willis Wright enters his first season at Northwest and will coach inside linebackers. The 2008 season will mark Wright's 40th year as a football coach.
Wright's most recent success came during his second stint at South Panola High School where he served as defensive coordinator from 2002 through 2007. During Wright's tenure, South Panola won five consecutive Class 5A State Championships. Wright was an assistant under Northwest Head Coach Ricky Woods at South Panola from 2002 until 2006.

Before re-joining South Panola, Wright was the head coach at North Delta Academy from 1999 through 2001 and led the Green Wave to an MPSA State Championship in 2000. North Delta was state runner-up in 2001. Wright was the head coach at South Panola from 1991 through 1993 and has also served as head coach at several other high schools. Wright, who graduated from Winona High School, earned his B.S. in education from Delta State University in 1968.

He is married to the former Teresa Phelps of Winona. They have a son Jack, who is in his first season as offensive coordinator at Northwest.

Defensive Backs Coach Trennell Edwards

Trenell Edwards is in his first season at Northwest and is in charge of defensive backs.
Edwards came to the Rangers from Durant High School where he was the head coach during the 2007 season. Edwards led Durant to a record of
11-2 and the second round of the MHSAA playoffs.
He also gained coaching experience as an assistant under current Northwest Head Coach Ricky Woods at South Panola High School. During Edwards’ four years at South Panola, the Tigers were a perfect 60-0 and claimed four consecutive Class 5A State Championships.
Other stints for Edwards were as an assistant coach at Louisville High School in 2001, Philadelphia High School in 2000, and Wayne County High School in 1999.

He lettered three years as a tight end and linebacker at Mississippi State University. He was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 1987.

A 1987 graduate of Neshoba Central High School in Philadelphia, Edwards was an All-Conference linebacker and All-State tight end as a three-year letterman.

Edwards is married to the former Eunice Morgan of Philadelphia. They have three sons—Joshua, Justin, and Johnathan and two daughters, Janiya and Jayla.

Wide Receivers Coach Scott Oakley

Scott Oakley is in his seventh season as a member of the Northwest coaching staff.
Oakley served four seasons from 2002 through 2005 as an assistant football coach at Northwest. He rejoined the football staff last spring and will coach wide receivers this season.

A familiar face around the city of Senatobia, Oakley attended Northwest in 1998-99 and was a student assistant for the Ranger football team both years. 

He then transferred to the University of Mississippi where he was a football manager for three years and head equipment manager during the 2001 season. During his tenure at Ole Miss, Oakley earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and was part of the Rebel football program that earned bowl berths in 1999 and 2001.

A native of Senatobia, Oakley graduated from Senatobia High School in 1997 and lettered two years in football and three seasons in baseball. He was a member of the Warrior football team that claimed back-to-back district championships. 
Oakley’s family has been a part of Ranger sports for several years—his grandfather, the late W.C. “Bill” Oakley, is a member of the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame while his cousins, Drew and Brooks, lettered in baseball. His twin brother Shane is the men’s and women’s assistant basketball coach at Northwest.