The opportunity was too good to pass up.

Former Meridian High School head football coach Larry Weems was introduced Wednesday morning as Jackson Academy’s new football coach, replacing David Sykes, who stepped down as JA’s coach in November. Weems, who resigned his post at Meridian in December, said he wasn’t looking for another job specifically but found the prestige of JA too difficult to turn down.

“I thought I’d be going and helping my son (Ty Weems) in Morton and enjoying time with my grandkids, but this opportunity came up, and it worked out that way,” Weems said.

“Anytime you get an opportunity — any job — you have to be humbled about that.”

But JA isn’t just any job. The Raiders’ program has a rich winning history, with nine state titles to its name since 1995, but Weems is used to coaching at a school with high expectations. He was at Meridian for a decade up through this past season, amassing a 107-31, including a state championship in 2008.

“It’s been a quality school that everyone has recognized over the years across the state,” Weems said. “It’s a first-class facility and a top-notch school. They needed a football coach, and I love coaching football, so it was a no-brainer for me. I didn’t have my mind set on it when I (resigned from Meridian), but when a quality school like that became available and had interest in me, I couldn’t help but listen.”

Having previously coached at Pearl High School prior to Meridian, Weems has spent his more recent years in the MHSAA. But he is no stranger to the MAIS, as he coached at Jackson Prep for three years following graduate school at Mississippi State.

“Coaching is coaching,” Weems said. “Kids look to their coach for leadership no matter what league you’re in. They just want someone to help them be as good as they can be in whatever.”

While some coaches might have opted to simply spend time with the grandchildren, Weems said there are few professions more rewarding than coaching, which is why he’s stayed around the game as long as he has.

“You get to teach kids the right way to do stuff and hopefully build in them the desire to do it when it’s their turn,” Weems said. “The sport itself, the competition, is fun, but I would only do it at what I thought would be a top-quality school, and I think this is one of those schools.”

With JA being in MAIS Class AAAA, the possibility exists down the road of him squaring off against Mac Barnes at Lamar School, which is also in Class AAAA. Weems coached with Barnes at Meridian when the Wildcats won two state championships in 1985 and 1990. He downplayed the idea of a potential Lamar-JA game being a huge deal but said he respects Barnes and his staff.

“Fans probably look at it differently than coaches,” Weems said. “Those guys are your friends. That doesn’t mean you don’t try as hard as you can to win, but when it’s over, it’s over, and you shake hands and move on. I haven’t seen the schedule, but you respect those guys and coaches for what they do for their kids and try to win the game.”

In addition, these past five seasons, JA has played Northeast Lauderdale High School, with the most recent matchup being a 16-7 Trojan win at JA back in August. If JA remains on the Trojans’ schedule this fall, the Raiders would travel to Northeast Lauderdale, making it a homecoming of sorts for Weems.