Former Hinds player Ryan Theriot hired as EMCC’s assistant soccer coach

SCOOBA — Former EMCC student and Hinds soccer alumnus Ryan Theriot has been reunited with second-year head coach Chris Rash as the new assistant soccer coach for the men's and women's teams at East Mississippi Community College. The official hiring announcement was made Monday by Rash.

Theriot, who was an EMCC student on the Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew during the 2019-20 academic year, played soccer for Hinds Community College during the spring 2021 season while Rash was an assistant coach with the Eagles. Theriot helped lead Hinds to a 7-4 record, including a seven-match win streak that earned the Eagles a postseason playoff appearance. The Vicksburg native scored goals in consecutive wins over Northwest Mississippi and East Central.

"We're very excited to have Ryan join our EMCC soccer staff. He's a hard worker who knows what it takes to be successful at this level," Rash said. "As a former player of mine, Ryan was super consistent with his effort and positive demeanor."

Theriot has equally complimentary words to say about EMCC's head soccer coach in reflecting back on their previous stint together.  

"I greatly respected Coach Rash's work ethic and his dedication to the players when I was at Hinds as a player, and I was not at all surprised when he landed the head coaching job at EMCC," Theriot recalled. "I'm honored to now have an opportunity to coach with him as we work together to bring a championship to Scooba."

Theriot was a two-time, all-county standout forward at St. Aloysius High School in leading the Flashes to consecutive Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA championships during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. After scoring 49 goals as a junior for the 14-5 St. Al team, he followed up with 55 goals to earn The Vicksburg Post's 2019 Boys' Soccer Player of the Year award after leading the Flashes to a 21-1-1 record, including a 17-match unbeaten streak to close out a second straight MAIS championship season.

In addition to scoring 104 total goals during his junior and senior seasons after moving to the striker position for head coach Scott Mathis' St. Aloysius soccer team, Theriot was also an all-star wide receiver on the Flashes' football squad. He caught 34 passes for 536 yards and five touchdowns as a senior to become St. Al's career leader in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,391). Theriot also totaled 16 career touchdown catches to finish one shy of the school record. In helping lead the St. Aloysius team to a 6-4 record and an appearance in the 2018 MAIS Class AAA football playoffs, the two-sport standout participated in the MAIS Class AAA/AAAA All-Star contest to close out his prep career on the gridiron.

After earning 2020-21 NJCAA All-Academic Second Team honors as a Phi Theta Kappa member at Hinds, Theriot transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi to complete his academic career. He received his bachelor's degree in sport management in 2023 while also interning with the Southern Miss athletic marketing department in ticket sales. Theriot teamed with USM classmates to claim a No. 21 national ranking in the 2023 National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship and Conference (NCSSC) in Atlanta, Georgia. He was also a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) as well as the Southern Miss College of Business and Economic Development.

Theriot continued his education at Southern Miss during the 2023-24 academic year by receiving his master of business administration (MBA) degree while working as a graduate assistant for the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security, which is the only organization that offers a certification recognizing expertise in sport security management. His primary responsibility was managing clients' profiles for the organization's Certified Sport Security Professional (CSSP) certification program.