Winters, Caples and Harris sign to Hinds CC

Vicksburg, Miss.-Two Warren Central High School athletes Jaylon Winters and Roosevelt Harris Jr. both signed collegiate football & basketball scholarships on Tuesday. Both athletes will be playing at Hinds Community College next season. Rohan Caples also signed to Hinds CC. to become the team manager, the same role he had at WC since his sophomore year.

Harris and Winters led the Viking football team to the North District Championship Game for the first time in 30 years. They played under Head Coach Josh Morgan before moving on to basketball under Head Coach Keith Williams where they led WC to a playoff win for the first time since 2018.

Winters:

Jaylon Winters stepped up big on the football field this year for WC. He finished his senior year with 28 receptions, 502 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns. He also became an All-District selectee.

Although going 9-4 and winning two playoff games were special, Winters testified that some of the practices were his fondest memories.

“I loved the practices in the summer because we had a lot of team bonding but we still put in a lot of work,” Winters said.

After WC fell short in the North State Championship game, Winters switched over to basketball where he was the team’s lead scorer. He ended his final year by putting up 17 points per game. He was a true factor in how the Vikings made it to the second round of the playoffs.

Winters decided to stick with both basketball and football next year as he plans to remain a stellar athlete.

“I feel like I can make my mark at Hinds,” Winters said. “I grew up on basketball so I’m pretty confident in my ability but football is a newfound love and I know that I’ll do great at both.”

Harris:

Roosevelt Harris Jr. made a positive impact on athletics at WC this year. On the football field, he was known to be a shutdown cornerback who gained a reputation for not allowing wide receivers to make big plays.

Harris wrapped up his senior year as an All-District selectee with 35 tackles, 2 interceptions, and two pass deflections. 

“I feel like I did some great things for Warren Central and Coach Josh gave me the opportunity so I took it,” Harris said.

By the time he was added back to the basketball roster, Harris was an immediate contributor. He averaged an impressive 16 points per game under Head Coach Keith Williams. He also made the All-District Team for basketball.

Although Harris put in the work, he contributed most of his success to his family and coaches.

“I want to thank my family for always pushing me.” Coach Josh and Coach Williams stuck with me through it all but I also want to shoutout all my coaches as a whole.”

Caples:

Caples was a member of the WC basketball team up until the 10th grade when he became manager. He was then put in charge of recording and any other duties that Coach Williams assigned. He decided to stay around the game and signed with Hinds today as a manager.

”I wanted to stay around my family and friends but I also wanted to stay around basketball,” Caples said.

Harris, Caples and Winters all started off playing basketball together in the seventh grade. With Caples also signing, he gets a chance maintain his tight friendship with his teammates. He will be majoring in business administration.